Protecting Your Nest Egg and Independence: Where You Live Matters (Aging in Place Checklist)

Your Home May Be Your Greatest Hidden Risk

Estate and financial planning can protect your savings—but what about your home’s design?

One of the biggest threats to financial security and physical independence is often overlooked: the environment where you live and age.

Why Most Homes Accelerate Decline and Drive Care Costs

The goal of good design is optimal fit: a home that supports your abilities so you can function independently. Yet most houses are built for the average height male with high physical, sensory, and cognitive abilities—not for the true range of needs and abilities across the lifespan, ability span, and size span.

“When your home demands more from you than you can do, independence declines, and costs rise.”

Poor design exacerbates age-related decline, increases fall risk, and raises caregiving needs and costs.  Even with financial resources, the nationwide paid-caregiver shortage means that money alone may not guarantee help when you need it.

📊 According to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, less than 5% of U.S. homes include the five key features for aging in place—yet 95% of older adults are trying to stay in them.

How to Make Your Home Work for You (Aging In Place Checklist)

1. Evaluate Your Home’s Aging-Readiness

If you’re 50 or older, assess your home using Harvard’s five key features for successful aging in place:

• Zero-step entry

• Single-floor living

• Wide halls and doorways

• Accessible switches and outlets

• Lever-style handles on doors and faucets

Incorporate these in your next renovation—or choose your next home with them in mind.If less than 5% of housing does not have these features, where can you move?  Senior living communities are often designed with these features and can help preserve independence.

Why do we say “50 and older”? Because aging is not a discrete event that happens at a particular age; it is a process that occurs over decades. 

"Where you live shapes how you age."

2. Clarify Your Goals and Support Network

Ask yourself:

• What lifestyle do I want long-term?

• If I need help, who will provide it—family or professionals? or both?

• Should I relocate to be closer to support?

3. Weigh the Real Costs

Compare the cost of home renovations or relocation with potential long-term care expenses.  A home designed for independence often prevents or reduces costs that drain savings later.

4. Plan for the Next 15–50 Years

Think ahead:

• Does my home support my long-term goals?

• If my abilities change, can I still live safely and comfortably?

• Are care and support services available nearby?

Including your family members and the guidance of your trusted professionals, evaluate your goals, assets, and needs to create a plan for a home that enables your independence for today and in the future.

Proof That Design Makes a Difference

When my mother’s home was intentionally designed for independence, she lived there seven years longer than expected despite multiple chronic conditions—saving $500,000 to $1.5 million in care costs.  Her enabling home preserved not only her finances, but her dignity, control, and choice.

“Like a healthy lifestyle, your home can be the foundation of lasting independence and wealth preservation.”

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About the Author

Esther Greenhouse, CEO of Silver to Gold Strategies, is a longevity strategist and environmental gerontologist.  She co-created AARP International’s Equity by Design initiative, consulted on the nation’s first elder-focused ER, and taught the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) course nationwide.  Esther now works with financial advisors and long-term care insurers to help clients reduce care needs, costs, and burdens—preserving assets and independence.