5 Smart Home Hacks for over 50’s

Why channeling Erma Bombeck? – She understood about Making Time for the ‘small’ stuff.

So, no more delays. Over 50? Here are 5 home hacks that are do-able! A new year doesn’t have to mean big promises or dramatic overhauls.  I watched the telly early on the morning of the First, and as I sipped my coffee, and marvelled at how spectacularly ‘they’ celebrate, I dunked my doughnut with a happy sigh of relief that I wasn’t there.

For me, 2026 has become a quiet reset — a chance to make my home and habits support the life I want to keep living.

After 50, I’ve learned that the smartest resolutions aren’t about doing more. They’re about making daily life easier.

Here are the five home-focused resolutions I’ve committed to.

1. This Year, Stop Living With Poor Lighting

I used to ignore dim hallways and shadowy corners. Now I see them for what they are — unnecessary risk, possibly hiding lurkers.

Bright, even lighting in walkways, bathrooms, stairs, and entrances has changed how I move through my home. Motion-sensor lights at night mean I’m never fumbling for switches when I’m half asleep. Adequate lighting means (here at the coast) that I see that giant cockroach at the same time it sees me! One of us can make a break for it. Ok ok, it's always me.

Seriously, a small upgrade that brings a big sense of confidence. It turns out seeing where you’re going is highly underrated.

2. Remove Slip Hazards Before They Become Problems

I won’t wait for accidents anymore.

Non-slip bath mats, and yes, those ‘tacky’ rails in the bathroom. Well, no longer do they seem tacky, they’re bloody sensible, is what they are!  I figure when I move from the family home one day, new owners can rip them out, if they so wish. (But given that nowadays the only people that afford to buy homes are the Boomers, it hardly seems a problem worth contemplating 🫤)

For now, at that age where getting out of the bath in one sylphlike movement is but a distant memory,  secure grab bars give me peace of mind, feed the comforting thought that my grandkids won’t have to “go see Nanna in the hospital.”

It’s not an aging thing.  It’s a smart thing.

Prevention is always far easier than recovery.

3. Keep a Simple Emergency Plan in Place

There are those stories. Dreadful stories where Other People pass away, and no one finds for days on end…. You’ve heard them, right? I don’t expect emergencies — but I respect the possibility.

Besides which, I have pets.

A charged phone nearby. ✅ Emergency numbers written down and easy to see. ✅ Knowing exactly what I’d do if I needed help quickly. For those that live alone, there’s a thingie that you can press, and people respond.  ✅

(I suppose if one has shucked one’s mortal coils, it wouldn’t really matter, but if you have pets, it seems quite the responsible thing to do.)

4. I’ll Choose Comfort That Supports My Body

This year, I’m done with furniture that makes me question my life choices!

I admit it; I resent having some or other orifice give way as I try and hoist myself from a sitting position. At best, it’s a small grunt, but lately, more often than not, I need to converse loudly as I stand up.

Supportive chairs that make it easy to stand up, a Kneepal on hand to save my precious knees, and a bed you don’t need a running start to get out of, that’s where my head is at.

Comfort isn’t indulgent — it’s essential.

When my body feels supported, everything else feels easier.

5. I’ll Keep the ‘Emergency’ Basics on Hand — Just in Case…

I don’t like fuss, but I like being prepared.

A blood pressure monitor, thermometer, flashlight, a wind-up radio, (yes, there is such a thing) and small first-aid kit mean I can handle minor issues calmly, without stress or scrambling. Pepper spray seems overkill, but one sees things on TV, so…

I was thinking of the latest Apple watch, the one that can tell if you’ve just eaten a chocolate Brownie,  the same one that will alert / tattle-tale if you’ve been on the floor for a few hours?

But the mortgage is all paid up, so perhaps not.

After 50, the goal isn’t bubble-wrapping life.  It’s staying independent, comfortable, and confident — with fewer obstacles and less drama.

So, no New Year Resolutions for me, but for my home, absolutely!

Happy and Safe 2026 Everybody.