Smyrna's Growing Community Deserves an Aging-in-Place Partner That Keeps Up

Where Delaware Grows and Where Families Stay

Smyrna occupies a unique position in Delaware. Straddling the Kent County and New Castle County border along the Route 13 corridor, it has become one of the state’s fastest-growing communities over the past two decades. Families from northern Delaware and the Philadelphia suburbs have moved to Smyrna for the same reasons they moved to Middletown — affordable housing, a sense of community, and a location that offers access to both Dover and Wilmington without the cost of living in either.

That growth wave began roughly 15 to 20 years ago, and the families who arrived as young homebuyers are now entering a different phase. Parents are getting older. Grandparents who followed their children to Smyrna are aging in homes that were purchased as investment properties or downsizing moves. And the long-time Smyrna residents — families who have lived in the older neighborhoods near downtown for 30, 40, or 50 years — are confronting the reality that homes built decades ago were never designed for the mobility challenges that come with aging.

Accessible Solutions serves Smyrna families with the full range of aging-in-place modifications: modular ramps with rental options starting at $300 per month, bathtub-to-shower conversions, roll-in showers, grab bars and handrails, stairlifts, doorway widenings, first-floor living conversions, and durable medical equipment. Our Middletown headquarters is just 15 minutes south, giving Smyrna the fastest response time of nearly any community we serve.

Historic Smyrna and the Homes Along Commerce Street

Downtown Smyrna retains the character of a small Delaware town with deep roots. Commerce Street, Main Street, and the residential blocks surrounding them hold homes dating from the mid-1800s through the early 1900s — brick Federal-style houses, frame colonials, and Victorian-era properties that reflect the town’s history as an agricultural market center and stop on the Delaware Railroad.

These homes present the classic accessibility challenges of pre-modern construction. Front entries sit three to five steps above the street. Interior hallways are narrow, designed for the smaller furniture and fewer possessions of a previous era. Staircases to second-floor bedrooms are steep, often with tight turns at intermediate landings. Bathrooms were added to many of these houses decades after original construction, occupying whatever space could be carved from an existing room.

For families who have lived in these homes for decades and intend to remain, our modifications preserve the character while removing the barriers. Grab bars anchored with reinforcement techniques appropriate for plaster and lath walls. Stairlifts mounted on rails that match the specific geometry of each staircase. Bathroom conversions that work within tight footprints, replacing tubs with barrier-free showers that maximize the available space. Ramp systems at front entries designed to comply with ADA slope requirements while fitting within the constraints of in-town lot sizes.

New Subdivisions and the False Promise of Modern Accessibility

The subdivisions that have reshaped Smyrna’s landscape — Satterfield, Brenford Station, Eagle Run, and the developments along Carter Road and Route 13 — are filled with homes built between 2005 and the present. These are the homes that families moved into expecting to live in for decades. Open floor plans on the first level. Attached two-car garages. Landscaped lots in planned communities with sidewalks and common areas.

What these homes lack is any meaningful accessibility. The master bedroom is on the second floor. The master bathroom has a soaking tub with a high wall or a glass-enclosed shower stall with a four-inch curb. Every exterior door — front, back, and garage entry — has two or three steps. The garage entry, which most families use as their primary door, typically has a step down from the house into the garage with no railing on either side. Decorative iron railings at the front stoop are designed for appearance, not for bearing the weight of someone who needs physical support.

None of this is unusual and none of it violates building codes. But when the homeowner who moved in at age 45 turns 65 and develops arthritis, or has knee replacement surgery, or begins using a walker, every one of these standard features becomes a hazard. We modify homes in Smyrna’s new subdivisions every month, addressing the specific barriers that modern residential construction creates for aging bodies.

The Route 13 Corridor and Smyrna’s Commercial Neighbors

Smyrna’s growth along the Route 13 corridor has made it a hub for the surrounding area. Residents from Clayton, Cheswold, Kenton, and the rural communities between Smyrna and Dover use Smyrna’s commercial resources, medical offices, and proximity to Bayhealth Kent General Hospital in Dover for their daily needs.

For families in these smaller communities, Accessible Solutions is equally accessible. Our Middletown warehouse positions our crews within 20 minutes of virtually every address in northern Kent County. Whether the home is a 1950s ranch in Clayton, a farmhouse outside Kenton, or a new colonial in one of Smyrna’s planned developments, we assess it personally, design a modification plan specific to its construction, and complete the work with materials staged at our local warehouse.

The drive from our headquarters to Smyrna is one of the shortest in our entire service area. That proximity translates into faster scheduling, quicker material delivery, and the ability to respond to urgent needs — like a hospital discharge that requires immediate ramp access — with a turnaround measured in days rather than weeks.

Bayhealth Access and Post-Surgery Home Preparation

Smyrna residents primarily access hospital care through Bayhealth Kent General in Dover, approximately 15 minutes south on Route 13. Christiana Hospital, the largest in Delaware, is roughly 35 minutes north. Patients recovering from joint replacements, strokes, cardiac events, and other procedures at either facility are regularly discharged to Smyrna homes that are not prepared for their post-treatment limitations.

The pattern we see in Smyrna mirrors what happens throughout central Delaware. A family member enters the hospital mobile and independent. They leave the hospital with a walker, limited stair-climbing ability, and instructions not to step over a bathtub wall. The home they are returning to has stairs at every exterior door and a bathtub in every bathroom.

We bridge that gap with staged inventory and priority scheduling. A modular rental ramp at the most-used entry provides immediate exterior access. Grab bars beside the toilet and at the shower or tub entry can be installed on a single visit. A portable shower seat provides immediate bathing safety while a permanent bathroom conversion is planned. These measures keep the patient safe in the critical first days at home and give the family time to plan the longer-term modifications that will support independent living for years to come.

Medicaid and Funding for Smyrna Households

Delaware’s DSHP+ Medicaid waiver provides significant coverage for home accessibility modifications. Many Smyrna families qualify for this program and do not know it exists. For those who do qualify, DSHP+ can fund a bathroom conversion, a ramp installation, and a comprehensive grab bar package throughout the home — all without out-of-pocket expense.

We are a certified Delaware Medicaid provider and manage the full authorization and billing cycle. We document the assessment, submit the authorization request, coordinate approval, perform the work, and bill Medicaid directly. Your family handles none of the administrative process.

Ray Petkevis personally assesses every Smyrna home. Given the 15-minute drive from our headquarters, scheduling that assessment is fast — often within one to two business days of your call. Ray walks the home, identifies every barrier, reviews every funding option, and delivers a clear recommendation tailored to your home and your family. There is no cost for that visit and no obligation to proceed.