Sussex County's Full-Service Aging-in-Place Company

Where Delaware Retires — And Why Accessibility Matters Here Most

Sussex County is where Delaware comes to retire. The county’s population has surged over the past two decades, driven overwhelmingly by retirees from the Philadelphia and Baltimore metro areas who trade suburban congestion for coastal living, lower taxes, and a community built around relaxation. The median age in Sussex County is nearly a decade older than the national average, and in beach towns like Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, and Bethany Beach, the percentage of residents over 65 regularly exceeds 40 percent.

This demographic reality creates a concentration of aging-in-place need unlike anywhere else in Delaware. These are not people who moved to Sussex County expecting to leave. They came here to stay — in the home they chose, in the community they adopted, surrounded by the life they built. When mobility changes, the answer is not relocation. The answer is adaptation.

Accessible Solutions operates a dedicated warehouse in Lewes specifically to serve this community. We provide every aging-in-place service Sussex County families need: modular and portable ramps with rental options, bathtub-to-shower conversions and roll-in showers, tub cuts, grab bars and handrails, stairlifts and platform lifts, complete home renovations, and durable medical equipment.

Coastal Construction and Elevated Foundations

The defining characteristic of Sussex County’s coastal housing stock is elevation. Homes within FEMA flood zones — which includes most of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach, Fenwick Island, and the surrounding unincorporated areas — are built on raised foundations, pilings, or elevated concrete slabs. Front door entries can sit four, six, or even eight feet above ground level.

For a healthy, mobile homeowner, this means a flight of exterior stairs. For someone who has had a hip replacement, uses a walker, or relies on a wheelchair, it means they cannot enter their own home.

Standard ramp solutions do not work at these elevations. A six-foot rise requires a ramp that extends 36 to 48 feet at code-compliant slope, often with multiple switchback turns to fit within the available lot space. These systems must be engineered for the specific property, built with marine-grade aluminum that resists salt air corrosion, and anchored to withstand the coastal wind loads that Sussex County experiences during nor’easters and summer storms.

Our crews build these systems regularly. We have installed ramp configurations throughout the beach communities that navigate tight lot lines, work around existing landscaping and decks, and integrate with the home’s architecture rather than looking like an afterthought bolted to the front of the house.

Inland Sussex: Georgetown, Millsboro, Seaford, and Beyond

Sussex County is not just beach towns. The inland communities — Georgetown, Millsboro, Seaford, Bridgeville, Laurel, and Delmar — have their own housing characteristics and accessibility challenges. Homes here tend to be older single-story ranches, farmhouses, and manufactured homes built from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Manufactured and modular homes are particularly common in inland Sussex County and require specific modification expertise. Wall construction differs from site-built homes, which affects how grab bars and handrails are anchored. Floor systems have different load ratings that influence bathroom conversion planning. And exterior entry configurations — often a small wooden deck or concrete pad with steps — need ramp solutions designed for the home’s specific footprint and foundation height.

Georgetown, as the county seat, serves as the administrative center for Sussex County and is home to many families who have lived in the area for generations. The housing stock around Georgetown Circle and along Route 113 includes a mix of older single-family homes and newer subdivisions, each with its own modification requirements.

Our Lewes warehouse puts crews within 25 minutes of Georgetown, 30 minutes of Millsboro, and 40 minutes of Seaford. This local presence means we can schedule assessments and installations without the two- to three-week wait times families often experience with contractors driving down from Wilmington or across from Salisbury.

The Seasonal Population Factor

Sussex County’s population roughly doubles during the summer months as seasonal residents and vacationers fill the beach communities. This seasonal pattern creates a unique dynamic for accessibility work.

Many retirees who own homes in Lewes, Rehoboth, or Bethany Beach split their time between Delaware and another residence. When a mobility change occurs — a fall, a surgery, a progressive condition — the modification timeline becomes urgent because the family needs the home ready for the next seasonal stay. Waiting three months for a contractor is not an option when summer begins in eight weeks.

Our ramp rental program is especially relevant in Sussex County’s seasonal communities. At $300 per month, a rental ramp provides immediate access for the season without committing to a permanent installation. If the need becomes permanent, we convert to a purchased system. If the need resolves, we remove the ramp cleanly. This flexibility is something seasonal residents consistently tell us they cannot find elsewhere.

Lewes Warehouse: Equipment Staged and Ready

Our Lewes warehouse is not just a storage facility. It is a fully stocked operations base that keeps ramp sections, bathroom conversion materials, grab bar hardware, and durable medical equipment ready for deployment across Sussex County. When Beebe Healthcare in Lewes or Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford discharges a patient who needs modifications before returning home, we can mobilize within days because the materials are already staged locally.

This matters because Sussex County’s distance from Delaware’s population center in Wilmington means that most statewide contractors treat it as a secondary market — something they will get to when the schedule allows. We treat Sussex County as a primary service area because we have a permanent physical presence here.

Medicaid and Funding for Sussex County Families

Sussex County has the highest rate of Medicaid enrollment among Delaware’s three counties, which means a significant number of residents qualify for the DSHP+ waiver without realizing it. This program covers qualifying modifications for home accessibility modifications — ramps, bathroom conversions, grab bars, doorway widenings, and related structural work.

For a typical Sussex County project, the DSHP+ waiver can fund a complete bathroom conversion from a standard tub-shower combination to a barrier-free roll-in shower with grab bars, a fold-down bench, and a hand-held showerhead. That single modification addresses the number one location for falls among older adults: the bathroom.

We are a certified Delaware Medicaid provider and manage the full authorization cycle for every Sussex County client. From the initial assessment documentation through final billing, our team handles the paperwork so families can focus on their loved one’s safety and comfort.

For veterans in Sussex County, including the growing number of retirees with military service history, VA HISA grants provide additional funding for accessibility work tied to service-connected conditions. Medicare covers durable medical equipment including hospital beds, lift chairs, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters. And for families funding projects privately, we provide financing options through CareCredit and medical lending partners.

One Company for Every Stage

The aging-in-place journey in Sussex County often starts with a grab bar and ends with a full home transformation. Ray Petkevis meets every family personally, assesses every home in detail, and builds a plan that accounts for today’s needs and tomorrow’s likely progression. There is no cost for that assessment and no pressure to commit. It is the foundation of a relationship designed to last as long as your family needs it.