Aging in Place Study

Pub­lish Date: 1/8/2026

As the U.S. pop­u­la­tion ages, home­own­ers are increas­ing­ly seek­ing ways to remain safe, com­fort­able, and inde­pen­dent in their homes for as long as pos­si­ble. HIRI’s Aging in Place Study explores how and why home­own­ers are adapt­ing their liv­ing spaces to sup­port acces­si­bil­i­ty, mobil­i­ty, and long-term inde­pen­dence. By exam­in­ing the moti­va­tions behind home mod­i­fi­ca­tions, the types of projects being com­plet­ed, and the out­comes of these invest­ments, this study pro­vides insight into the evolv­ing needs of aging and multi­gen­er­a­tional house­holds. The report draws on sec­ondary data sources, includ­ing res­i­den­tial per­mit data pro­vid­ed by Shov­els, to bet­ter under­stand trends and pat­terns in aging-in-place home improvements.

Study Objectives

• Iden­ti­fy moti­va­tions for acces­si­bil­i­ty- and inde­pen­dence-dri­ven home mod­i­fi­ca­tions. Under­stand the per­son­al, med­ical, or house­hold fac­tors that prompt home­own­ers to make changes aimed at improv­ing safe­ty, mobil­i­ty, or autonomy.
• Deter­mine what types of home mod­i­fi­ca­tions are being com­plet­ed. Cat­e­go­rize the spe­cif­ic projects home­own­ers are under­tak­ing to sup­port aging in place, multi­gen­er­a­tional liv­ing, or acces­si­ble design.
• Eval­u­ate the role of influ­encers in the deci­sion-mak­ing process. Explore who is involved in plan­ning and guid­ing home mod­i­fi­ca­tion deci­sions, includ­ing fam­i­ly mem­bers, health­care pro­fes­sion­als, and contractors.
• Mea­sure sat­is­fac­tion with com­plet­ed mod­i­fi­ca­tions and per­ceived impact on qual­i­ty of life. Gauge how well the com­plet­ed improve­ments meet home­own­er goals and their over­all impact on safe­ty, com­fort, and independence.