Home Modifications

Home Modifications are not just home renovations, they are any residential adaptations that are meant to increase safety, accessibility and functional potential for residents and their visitors.


Anyone interested in home modifications for older adults wanting to age in place should first have a Home Assessment conducted by an experienced occupational therapist who specializes in complex home modifications.


Following the Home Modification Assessment conducted by our specialized Occupational Therapists, we collaborate with residents, family caregivers, renovation companies, funders and other stakeholders to ensure the customized safety and accessibility features are included as intended in the design and construction phases of the project. By setting functional performance outcome measures, we can help ensure the resident's/family's goals are met without sacrificing esthetics! 


The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is currently developing an Accessible Housing Standard to help guide design and construction of new and existing housing.  Marnie Courage, Aging in Place Manitoba's Founder, Occupational Therapist and CEO of Enabling Access Inc. is on the technical committee for this standard and talks about home modifications for aging in place in the following publications:


OT Now Magazine, Nov/Dec 2020, page 5


Building Excellence Magazine, March 2020.      


Lifestyles 55 publication,  Feb 2021, page 9


Dementia Connection Magazine, August 2019

Home Modifications in Manitoba and Property Value 

According to Statistics Canada,  in 2016 older adults  made up 15.6% of the population of Manitoba, with older adults outnumbering children for the first time. By 2036, it is projected that 23-25% of the Canadian population will be accounted for by people over 65 years old.


In addition,  the population of people with disabilities is also growing in Manitoba with 175,000 people (1 in 6) reporting to have a disability. It is projected that number will rise to 1 in 5 over the next 20 years.


Considering the above demographics in Manitoba, and the current accesssible housing stock shortage, the demand for homes with accessibility features is increasing, especialy for bungalow (one level homes).  In the real estate market, high demand drives home pricing up and therefore home modifications made to the current housing stock should have a positive impact on your return on investment!  



Home Modifications- Renovators Speak about Working with OTs