Even with true love and good knees, the young couple, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, had their own issues with the stairs. The furniture movers did not like the climb, either.

Lucky for Redford and Fonda - each pushing 70 this year - the apartment was not the place where they intended to spend the rest of their lives.

And, what about your house? Will you enjoy living there as you grow older? Maybe. Maybe not.

Recent surveys indicate that as baby boomers begin to notice their creaking joints, more are thinking about a house that will allow them to age in place.

Sometimes, it takes a little motivation.

"We love our house in Salt Lake City and thought it was easy to live in. But when we invited my father-in-law to live with us, we began to see our house differently," Gloria Smith said. The stairs and hallways came under scrutiny. So did the bathrooms.

"It occurred to us that we would like the conveniences and safety features that would enable us to remain in our own home as we grow older."

Their answer was to build a new house in Herriman.

"We are doing the full 'age in place' treatment, complete with an elevator," she said.

There are folks who would say Herriman is nice, but it is not Miami Beach. Yet, there is a growing trend for people to remain in the community they love rather than pick up and move to far off sunny climes. Unfortunately, not everyone has the foresight to plan ahead for a comfortable and safe retirement in their own house.

"People are into home improvement projects, but few of the projects include safety considerations," said Washington, D.C.-based Home Safety Council president, Meri-K Appy. She points to a survey reporting that twice as many home improvement projects were completed in the past two years than were home safety projects.

"It makes you wonder what people are thinking," she said.

Home safety remains a hard sell, even though American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) studies indicate half of all falls happen at home, and about a third of them could be prevented with simple updates and maintenance. According to a survey by Kelton Research for Colgate-Palmolive and the Home Safety Council, 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits each year are home-related injuries.

Only one of four Americans surveyed has a carbon monoxide detector in the house.

"Few people have added basic safety items such as grab bars for tubs or showers," Appy said, adding that 85 percent of people participating in the survey said if they had an extra $3,000 to spend on their homes, safety upgrades would not be their first choice.

While Appy would be happier if every house had a fire sprinkler system, she acknowledges it is not going to happen soon.

"It would be difficult to install sprinklers in an existing house, but it can be a consideration in a new house. One of the things people should know is that a conventional plug-in smoke alarm may not awake people whose hearing is failing. They should explore other options.

"A few simple things can make a big difference in protecting families as well as improving your home," Appy said.

Roger Borgenicht, director of Assist Community Design Center, thinks in terms of safe, accessible communities for every age.

"A lot of people think of 'accessible houses' in terms of disabilities that do not apply to them. If you change that to think of houses in terms of visitability, where a friend in a wheelchair does not need to be carried over the threshold or worry about getting through a narrow bathroom door, you also see that almost invisible design changes will enable people to remain in their homes as they grow older," he said.

While aging in place is most often interpreted as "get a single story house," Borgenicht says a main floor master bedroom and bathroom are the most important considerations of easy access. In a two story house, the upstairs can be for children or guests.

"Along with a bedroom and bath on the main floor, ideally, you want a low or no threshold entrance to the house, with an overhanging roof to protect the entry from weather. An open floor plan, especially in the kitchen, dining and family area, plus a laundry room, is today's good design for any home.

"Ideally, a wheelchair-accessible bathroom should have a 5-foot open diameter to turn the wheelchair, and enough space in front of the toilet and at the side for easy transfer. But being able to get through the door and into the bathroom is a big help.

"You don't have to build a new house. Simple upgrades can go a long way to making a house comfortable and accessible for many years," Borgenicht said.

"An $18 set of swing-clear door hinges can make a doorway close to 2-inches wider to accommodate a wheelchair. 'Comfort height' toilets, 17-inches high, grab bars in bathtubs and showers and a telephone within easy reach can make a difference in comfort and safety for people of any age."

Borgenicht is pleased that several building contractors at Kennecott's Daybreak community have asked for The Assist Guidebook to the Accessible Home. It fits with Borgenicht's idea to catch people's attention before they age out of their homes.

"It makes good sense to plan ahead," he advises.

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* JUDY MAGID can be contacted at magid@sltrib.com or 801-257-8608. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Tips to make things safe:

* Add more light with fixtures under kitchen counters and in closets.

* Put handrails on both sides of stairways.

* Get a taller toilet.

* Install grab bars, 1 inch in diameter, in the bathtub and shower, within reach of the toilet.

* Buy a hand-held shower hose.

* Toss out the throw rugs.

* If you have an area rug, make certain you use double-sided tape to secure it.

* Install fire extinguishers in two easy-to-reach places.

* Switch out door knobs for lever handles.

* Use U-shape handles for cabinets.

* Store heavy pots and pans below counter tops.

* Install a single faucet for hot and cold water with a lever handle, not a knob.

Improvement ideas:

* Low-rise stairs, 4-inches high in place of regular 7-inch risers, 24-inch deep steps, work better than ramps for people using walkers

* Remove the door jam from one side of the door to widen an opening

* Worried about falling into the bathtub? Think about a solid, but not too heavy, removable cover.

* Trade bathroom cabinets under the sink for wall-mounted counter tops to give more floor space to get closer to the sink on foot or in a wheelchair.

* Wall-mounted bathroom sinks are elegant, save floor space as do wall-mounted toilets

* High-end grab bars are stylish, not institutional.

* Nonslip floors in bathrooms

Sources: www.homesafetycouncil.org; www.beabletodo.com; www.accessut.org; www.homefiresprinkler.org

Accessibility:

* Master bedroom and bath on the main floor.

* Hallways are at least 36-inches wide.

* Laundry room on the main floor.

* Closets on each floor are "stacked" so an elevator could be installed if necessary.

* The bathroom door is at least 32 inches wide.

* Stand alone shower without a high step into it.

* Grab bars where they are needd around tub and in shower.

* Nonslip floors.

* The bathroom has 5-foot diameter clear space for a wheelchair.

* Bathroom door can be unlocked from the outside.

* Toilet is chair height, 17 inches from the floor.

* There is at least 18 inches of free space on front of the toilet.

* There is 42 inches of floor space on the side of the toilet.

* No throw rugs.