Thinking of improving the safety of your home for your elderly loved one?
A tax reduction for your efforts might be on the way.
Seniors who need to remodel their homes to make them safer would benefit from a Congressional effort for a tax incentive.
The bill would allow a tax credit for senior citizens age 60 and above who modify their home to enhance their ability to remain living safely, independently, and comfortably.
The credit applies to up to $30,000 of the expenses that incurred over their lifetime to make modifications to their residences, including:
- The installation of handrails or grab bars;
- Building entrance and exit ramps;
- Widening doorways;
- Installing non-slip flooring.
The home remodeling tax bill, H.R. 1780, the Senior Accessible Housing Act, is in the House Ways and Means Committee, and has a companion bill in the Senate.
Remodeling for safer homes
A group of builders, remodelers, and product manufacturers have joined together in a group called HomesRenewed to form an effort to push for the bill’s acceptance. They suggest that the measure would also include the building of curbless showers, no-step entries, grab bars, better lighting, and much more. Proposals would extend to discounts for home products that have received the “Purple Tag” designation. This is a system based on the “Energy Star” designation for home appliances.
Louis Tenenbaum, founder and president of HomesRenewed, told HomeHealthNews that
“It is fundamentally unjust to continue medical miracles that add years to our lives without also updating homes to live those lives joyfully and with dignity.” He cited a 2014 Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies study which said, “The bulk of long term care will occur in single family, owner occupied homes….but the homes are not prepared.”
15% of population has a disability
If mom or dad – as well as anyone with a disability – can climb the stairs, get their mail, and get in and out of the tub, they can live independently and safely. While it’s often thought that people with disabilities form only a small part of society, the World Report on Disability has estimated that more than a billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, have some form of disability.
“More than 20% of the world population is predicted to be aged 60 years or over by the year 2050,” says the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Do you have a home remodeling company that would like to reach out to seniors who would take advantage of a law such as this? Call the number at the top of this page, or contact us today.
