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Making the decision to age in place can be an incredibly liberating choice. It’s a great way to spend your retirement years, and this goes well beyond its ability to save money by cutting out the potential cost of a retirement home or assisted living facility. However, retirement age brings with it a whole new set of safety concerns, so you’ll want to make a few minor adjustments to your living situation. And when it comes to aging in place, few things are more important for safety than lighting. We’ll talk about some of the best ways to light your house, so it’s as safe as possible for aging in place.

Make Sure You Focus on the Important Areas

Let’s face it: Not all parts of the house are created equal, as far as safety is concerned. There are just some areas in the home that are more dangerous than others, so these are rooms you’ll want to be sure you light properly. The kitchen is a very important place for efficient lighting, as it’s full of hard surfaces, corners, and sharp implements. Undercabinet lighting is a particularly great way to make sure the kitchen is well lit, as it helps you see your countertops better.

The bathroom is another important place to light well, since that’s where you first go when you wake up and sets the pace for the day. Because it’s important to keep your circadian rhythm regulated for better wake and sleep times, consider adding a skylight to your bathroom to bring in natural light during the day.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure that your stairways are well lit, so you can be sure you’re avoiding falls at all costs. You can operate the new lighting in these areas by having an electrician install switches at the top and foot of the stairs.

Light Your Home Strategically to Combat Poor Vision

If your vision has begun to fade, there are a few ways to improve it with the lighting you install throughout your home. This can be as simple as choosing a specific type of bulb that addresses your individual issues. Halogen lights, for example, can help to brighten large rooms, but you’ll want to make sure they’re mounted high up and far away from potential contact, as they tend to run hot.

Full spectrum lighting is another way to combat fading vision: It’s about as close as a lightbulb gets to natural sunlight, so it will provide you with soothing illumination that won’t feel too harsh. To this effect, dimmer switches are a great way to let yourself tailor the light levels to your exact preference.

Consider Some High-Tech Upgrades

If you’re enjoying thinking about the control you’re afforded with a good set of light dimmers, you’ll love something like a smart home hub that lets you control your lights from your smartphone. You can create your own custom lighting combinations, set schedules and timers, and a whole lot more.

While on the subject of high-tech tools, you might also want to invest in a robotic vacuum cleaner. This handy gadget can keep your entire home clean for you without the need to haul around a heavy vacuum cleaner yourself. Keeping your home clean is just as important as installing good lighting,  in order to prevent falling incidents. If there’s too much clutter for you to tackle on your own, you can hire a service to help you out.

Aging in place can seem like a pretty daunting concept, when you first start to consider some of the changes that might need to be made to your living space. When it comes to lighting, however, the upgrades don’t need to be too extensive! The right bulbs, a high-tech upgrade here and there, and a good strategy are all you really need to make your home as safe as it can be.