What is aging in place?

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), aging-in-place means remaining in one's home safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level. It means the pleasure of living in a familiar environment throughout one's maturing years, and the ability to enjoy the familiar daily rituals and the special events that enrich all our lives. It means the reassurance of being able to call a house a "home" for a lifetime. Begining January 1, 2011 more than 10,000 baby boomers will reach age 65 every day until 2030.

Fall Injury Statistics

• Every 18 seconds, an older adult is treated in an emergency department for a fall, and every 35 minutes someone in this population dies as a result of their injuries.
• Falls are the leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths in the U.S. accounting for 33% of fatalities.
• Older adults experience an average of more than 4,700 fall-related deaths and 1.5 million nonfatal fall injuries each year.
• On average, 370 persons of all ages sustain bathtub/shower injuries daily, totaling over 135,000 annually in the United States (Consumer Product Safety Commission)
• One in three adults 65 and older falls each year. By the time they reach 80 years or older that chance increases to one in two. (World Health Organization, 2002).
• Nearly 90% of older Americans want to stay in their current homes as they age.

How can Safeway help?

Safeway manufactures bath modification and accessibility products that help to prevent falls and that allow individuals to stay in their homes. The Safeway Tub Door™ is a product and installation method designed to add a water-tight sealable door to an existing bathtub. Installation includes cutting and removing a section of the existing tub and custom fitting the resulting opening with the Safeway Tub Door™. The Safeway Tub Door^_TM aids the senior, disabled individual and/or caregiver by removing their biggest barrier and providing easier access to the tub area. The Safeway Tub Door™ can be installed for a fraction of the cost compared to tearing out and removing the existing bathtub to install more costly renovation options, such as a walk-in shower or walk-in bath.

Similar to the Safeway Tub Door™, the Safeway Step® also provides easier access into the bathtub area and does not require the removal of the existing bathtub. However, the Safeway Step® does not include a door and transforms the existing bathtub into a more accessible shower once installed.

Safeway's patented accessibility modifications are installed in just a few hours and help reduce the possibility of dangerous falls.

Safeway's accessibility products have been installed for personal homeowners, assisted living and other senior living residences, state and local social programs and hospitality properties throughout the US and abroad.

According to Chris Stafford, President of Safeway Safety Step, LLC, "We are excited at the rapid growth and acceptance of the Safeway line of bathtub modifications as a low cost alternative and Aging in Place solution for home and facility modifications. The Safeway Step® and Safeway Tub Door™ truly benefit a growing segment of our society to more easily enter and exit the bathtub area."


For more information, click to contact Safeway Safety Step today.