How expensive is it to build a visitable home? A case report

Loneliness and social isolation of older people or those with mobility impairments may result from the physical environment not being in correspondence to their degree of mobility. Winter conditions combined with the presence of steps at the entrance to homes are among the obstacles that prevent them from participating in social or community activities necessary for their well-being. The concept of visitability is proposed in order to allow seniors or individuals with mobility impairments to visit their loved ones. The three criteria for achieving the basic visitability of a residence are: 1) an entrance without a step at the front, back or side of the home (located on a path accessible from the street); 2) wide doors on the main floor (minimum 813 mm (32") opening); and 3) an adapted bathroom on the main floor. The objective of this study is to validate whether visitability can be an economically viable solution, through a comparative cost analysis, to enable older people or people with mobility impairments to visit their loved ones. The results of this case study demonstrate that the marginal costs of applying visitability criteria to new construction can be zero or negligible. These results indicate that the approach to visitability, both basic visitability and so-called improved visitability, should be taken into account more systematically by builders and developers in order to promote the social participation of older people or those with motor disabilities.