How to Create an Accessible, Organized Kitchen So You or a Loved One Can Age in Place

Pare down and relocate the essentials to make the space safer and easier to manage

Cheryl Maguire,

AARP

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Published October 25, 2024

a person wipes a plate in front of a kitchen counter

Photo Collage: AARP; (Source: Getty Images (2))

Is your kitchen accessible? Can you easily reach spices on higher shelves or grab a heavy skillet from a deep lower cabinet? If you or a loved one were recently diagnosed with a condition that affects mobility, vision, memory or diet, then reorganizing your kitchen may be an important step to help you stay in your home with autonomy.

Freelance journalist Theresa Russell, 70, was diagnosed with Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION), a condition which affects her vision. Her penchant for hot tea means that she frequently boils water. Recently while attempting to boil water on the cooktop at her son’s house, Russell smelled something burning. Due to her limited vision, she didn’t realize that she was heating up a cookie sheet instead of her kettle. At home she uses an electric kettle that has an auto shut off to prevent similar accidents.

We spoke to experts to learn ways to adapt a home to prevent accidents and create a safe, accessible kitchen and pantry.

Declutter your kitchen

The first step to adapting your home is to either donate and/or dispose of any items you no longer use, including food. “People hold on to things for way too long in their pantries,” says Jennifer Szakaly, a gerontologist and care manager at Caregiving Corner. Decluttering will allow you to easily access kitchen utensils or needed food without reaching or searching for it. “A lot of injuries that happen in the kitchen are from people reaching [for] something that they shouldn't have been trying to reach [for],” says Szakaly.

She suggests going through all the items in your pantry and kitchen and asking yourself, “How often do I use this item?” or “Is this very necessary?” Sometimes people have legacy cookware that has been handed down for generations but never used. It may be hard to part with that sentimental baking dish or your grandmom’s cast iron skillet but donating the cookware will create more space in your cabinets and give someone else the opportunity to use it.

Next step: Check label expiration dates and throw away any expired food in your pantry or refrigerator and freezer. If packaged food is not expired and you don’t plan to consume it, then you can donate it to a food pantry. “We’ve had some caregivers that even turn that into an activity,” Szakaly says, “to feel a little bit more connected with the process of donation.”

Downsize your space

Once you have decluttered you can then move all your food and utensils to shelves that are within reach or eye level. “We’re trying to avoid unnecessary bending and reaching; reaching primarily for safety issues, bending for mobility issues,” says Melanie Summers, a professional organizer and owner of I Speak Organized.

If you and anyone you live with only uses 2-3 glasses or plates store those on lower shelves within reach. Relocate any additional tableware to another spot so they can be used when guests visit. “You have to be so selective on what you have in your kitchen,” says Yuzu Byrne, a professional organizer and owner of Neatopia. “Maybe you don't need six plates anymore because there’s only two of you.” She also adds that if space is an issue use disposable products like paper plates.

Add lights, sliding pantry shelves and labels

Adding additional lights under your cabinets and in your pantry will better illuminate the area for safety and assist those with vision difficulties. Purchase motion sensor lights that will automatically turn on when you pass by or smart lights that can turn on by using a voice-activated smart speaker like the Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod. These types of lights will also prevent unnecessary reaching for a light switch that may be located too high for someone in a wheel chair explains Stacey Eisenberg, co-owner of a home care agency in North Austin, Texas, called A Place At Home.

Consider installing a sliding pantry shelf so that the shelves roll out with all items in clear view instead of needing to reach or move items. “I could pull out the whole shelf and see without having to do a yoga pose,” says Szakaly, ideally keeping bulkier items at waist height. If you are unable to install a rack, a budget-friendly option is a plastic bin. “You can attach adhesive rollerballs to the bottom of it,” says Summers.

Expiration dates on food packages may be difficult to read. To help you keep track of when a product expires, Byrne suggests labeling the date you purchased the item using a Sharpie marker. You can also date leftovers on the container or with a sticky label.

Use adaptive tools

To make it easier to reach for items try “reacher/grabber” tool. There are even some tools that are sturdy enough to pick up a five-pound bag of flour, says Eisenberg.

If you struggle with remembering why you went into the kitchen, Summers suggests adding a white board in a high traffic area like the hallway. Before entering the kitchen, you would write your intended task on the board, like “empty the dishwasher” and then if you forgot to do the task when you look at the whiteboard after leaving the kitchen you will remember and think, “Oh yeah, I’m supposed to be doing the dishes right now,” says Summers. “We just find that the whiteboard is so easy, because you can update it frequently and it works in real time.”

Use color-coded containers

If you live with other people and are on a specialized diet, consider storing the food you need to eat separately.

“If a client has to go on a special diet, we often implement color coding systems with bins in the refrigerator,” says Summers. You can also carry this color coding into the pantry with containers or baskets.

“We make sure that those bins are all the same color, like all of Grandma’s stuff is blue, and so that way she doesn’t have to deal with the confusion,” says Summers.

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Cheryl Maguire is a freelance writer whose work has been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Parents Magazine, Healthline and many other publications. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

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