By Sadie Scotch, CMO, Deep Drawer

“Aging in Place” home remodeling is not a new concept,  but in the COVID-19 era, daily searches for specialists in this field are on the rise — and this is no doubt directly related to the tragic loss of life in nursing and assisted living homes owing to the pandemic.

Previously, aging in place was increasing in popularity because of the number of people entering their sunset years. The choice of remaining at home highlighted an individual’s freedom to do as he or she wished instead of conforming to mealtimes and other schedules at retirement homes.

Our older generations, and the loved ones who look after them, have been upgrading and refitting their homes to set them up for a safe and comfortable living situation for years. But, as retirement homes are becoming increasingly unsafe for people over 65 and those with preexisting conditions, this trend is destined to sharply increase, and the demand for remodelers who specialize in Living in Place home remodeling will drastically increase as well.

The price tag on age-in-place home remodeling projects is less than the typical remodel and can be far less than the costs of a nursing home.

The COVID-19 crisis is an ongoing story; no one knows when or how it will end. But even when the expiration date to this crisis is known, it is unlikely to be the last pandemic many of us will encounter in our lifetimes. This is the unfortunate stick vs. carrot incentive that can propel an industry into overdrive and a make-or-break moment for individual remodeling showrooms — with unfortunate results for those that are slow to respond. This is therefore a great opportunity for home remodelers to serve their clientele in an uncertain time and set them up in a happy home to enjoy and stay safe in during their retirement years.

Some Statistics and Growth Trends – Are Contractors Catching Up?

According to the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Remodeling Market Index survey for the 4th quarter of 2018, 77% of remodelers were reporting Aging-in-Place work — a number that has likely grown in the wake of the pandemic. Combine that with the projection of people age 65 and older doubling in the years between 2018 and 2060, according to the Population Reference Bureau, from 52 million to 95 million, and there’s a drastic increase in the need for home remodeling services that cater to the elderly and chronically ill.

The problem is, many seniors don’t think they need age-in-place remodeling. We all know an aging family member who doesn’t want to admit they need help…until it’s too late. According to the CDC, more than one out of four older people fall each year, but less than half tell their doctor. Falling once doubles one’s chances of falling again.

The good news is that the price tag on age-in-place home remodeling projects is less than the typical remodel and can be far less than the costs of a nursing home. According to LongTermCare.gov, the average cost for a private room in a nursing home is $7,698 a month and a one-bedroom room in an assisted living community is about $3,628 monthly. So remodeling to accommodate elder needs can be relatively cost-effective.

Before we get into how home remodelers can advertise their Living in Place design services to the Sunset Generation, let’s go over some examples of remodels that fall into this category.

Examples of Aging-in-Place Remodeling Projects

These are just a few typical examples that home remodelers should be prepared for when discussing the needs of home upgrades for their elderly clients. Be sure to listen to their unique situations and offer helpful advice in terms of what has been most useful to your other clients who had similar needs.

How to Be a Trusted Expert in Age-in-Place Home Remodeling

A lot of seniors or people with chronic conditions are thrown into emergency age-in-place home remodeling and are not doing it from a strategic point of view. They therefore might just want to address one very pressing situation, like if they fell and need a stairlift installed in their stairwell to help them get to their upstairs bedrooms. Little do they anticipate that more modifications are coming, such as the need for bathroom grab bars or a shower refit for roll-in wheelchair access.

Forward-thinking home remodeling experts would be prudent to advise and guide their clients toward longer-term upgrades. Just as home designers sit down with a young couple to craft a kitchen remodel that suits their specific tastes and needs relevant to their current kitchen activities as well as anticipate what might happen when a family comes along, aging-in-place clientele also need a sophisticated expert to understand their use case and to guide them toward the long-term remodeling that is in their best interest.

And just like all home remodels, the one-size-fits-all approach is not applicable to age-in-place remodeling. So, asking thoughtful questions of your client or your client’s next-of-kin is crucial to understanding their specific needs. This pertains to the actual needs of the client but also the current state of their home — so sketch out their path from garage or front door to the daily activities and nighttime behavior they engage in to understand the key areas of the home you’ll need to address.

Remember, after your project work is complete, your satisfied clients will be talking to friends and family in their seniors’ networks about your good work, so being as helpful as possible at every step in the process and nailing the finished project is key to winning more clients.

Marketing to This Audience

Just like most online digital marketing tactics, you want to capture keywords around “aging at home remodeling” and how you can help solve your clients’ needs. You can blog at regular intervals and/or put some ad money behind this kind of content. Before any of that, you’ll want to identify the target market for these articles. It’s important to keep in mind that it’s not just the end-user of the home remodel, the elderly or chronically ill individual, but also their children and loved ones who will be influencing these decisions. Determine the pain points or problems that these different individuals and caregivers are trying to solve, and incorporate those keywords into your articles.

For example, Millennial children with older parents might be searching for, “how to prevent falls in the home,” when they’re building awareness in their discovery stage, or “best ways to install wheelchair ramps throughout the house,” during their consideration phase and “contractors that specialize in age-in-place home renovations near me,” in their decision stage. Use services like SEMRush or Moz.com to figure out the search volumes of these keywords and their availability, and you’ve got the beginnings of a content marketing strategy.

NKBA member Sadie Scotch is co-founder and CMO of Deep Drawer, an agency that specializes in development and analysis of digital marketing plans for the home remodeling sector, at deepdrawer.com.