EUGENE, Ore. - The cost of nursing home care and care in assisted living centers has risen an average of 19 percent in Oregon the past 5 years.

That rising tab is prompting more seniors to look for alternatives.

For many, the answer is to stay home - with a little remodeling help.

It's actually a growing niche for a Eugene-based company.

This is a field of home remodeling that's really taking off, and for a local couple, it's giving them a chance to stay safe at home.


It's a busy week at the home of Ken and Gloria Rodakowski. Don't ask if you can use the bathroom.

Thanks to the crew at Inno-Craft Designs, this bathroom is out of commission for another week and a half.

"What we try to do is work with customers so people are able to stay in their homes longer," says staff remodeler Jeff Gregory.

Ken Rodakowski suffers from a rare muscle disease, which is getting progressively worse. He wants to get the house retrofitted and ready.

"I'm going to make my home as comfortable as I can and stay here as long as I possibly can," says Rodakowski.

Doorways are being widened, an accessible shower is going in; a higher toilet is being installed, all to accommodate a wheelchair or scooter.

"So we've designed everything in mind, so that nothing interferes with that," explains Gregory.

Video from another Inno-Craft project shows what the shower will look like, complete with its low threshold entry-way.

These doorways in the house used to be 30 inches wide, making it really tough to get the wheelchair through. They've been expanded to 36 inches to make more room.

This kind of remodeling has a name, "aging in place." Company co-founder Karen Lowe and others on the team have received special certification.

"Accessibility planning and implementation doesn't have to look institutional," Lowe says. "We want to bring beauty and comfort and quality of life to the people that we serve."

For Ken Rodakowski, the extra mess and dust is all worth the wait.

"If they just have a little patience and a little sense of humor, things will work out very well," says Rodakowski.

Inno-Craft Designs has been in business for just two years and will soon go from a staff of seven to nine because of the rush of business.