Tips From Barbie's Realtor on Aging in Place

Check Out These Tips From Barbie's Realtor on Helping Barbie Aging in Place

Yesterday was a good friends Birthday! Some of you here at ActiveRain my know her - Kymberly Caldwell.

Kym took the time to read my blog post and created a blog in response that I felt was too cute to pass up. It touches on a subject that's not often talked about and she does so in a way that is humorous and totally relatable (is that a word?). So I am sharing it here with you now. Enjoy learning more about Aging in Place from the viewpoint of Barbie's Realtor!

Wow, it seems like just yesterday my Sister and I were playing with Barbie Dolls. I knew then that I was destined to be a Realtor. Every year my Mom would get Barbie and Ken a new car and every Christmas my sister and I would beg Santa to bring us a new Barbie dream house so I could sell it to Barbie and Ken to park their new car in front of.

After reading my team lead's ActiveRain blog post, Finding the Perfect Home to Age Gracefully With, it really got me thinking. Even though me and my sister haven’t played with Barbie dolls in over 25 years, Barbie was considerably older than me back then. Given this reality, I wondered what kind of house I would I sell Barbie today? It occurred to me that Barbie would be retiring right about now and looking for that perfect home to spend her golden years in.

Keeping that in mind, here are 5 features Barbie's Retirement Dream Home would include:

1. Preferably a One Story: No-step entry with bedroom and bathroom, Kitchen and laundry on first level
2. Wider doorways - 36” w/ offset hinges on doors: Average doorways are often too narrow for walkers and
wheelchairs
3. Outfitted with hand-held shower heads and grab bars: These are a great help to those with balance issues
4. Lever handles on doors and plumbing fixtures: Levers eliminates the struggle w/operating doorknobs/faucets
5. Comfort height toilets: In case she suffer from arthritis and finds it hard to stand up from a normal seated position

However, one thing must surely stay the same . . . I'm sure Barbie will insist it all come in PINK!