Should an older parent modify their Denver home to age in place, or is it time to move?

Most families spend months debating whether to modify mom's house or help her move, and the honest answer is that staying put is usually more expensive than people plan for. The real comparison is not emotional, it is financial and practical, and when you lay it out clearly, the numbers often tell a different story than the gut does. Here is my actual position: aging-in-place modifications make sense when the home genuinely fits the person's next five to ten years, not just their current month. A grab bar is practical. A full bathroom conversion, a stair lift, widened doorways, and an HVAC overhaul can run $40,000 to $100,000 or more in Denver, and that is before you factor in whether the neighborhood, the lot, and the layout will still serve someone two years from now. Right now in Denver, permit requirements for structural modifications are tighter than most families realize, and unpermitted work can complicate a future sale more than people expect. A steady plan means knowing what the home is worth today, what modifications would actually cost with permits pulled correctly, and what a realistic move would look like as a comparison. The choice does not have to be rushed. It does have to be clear. If you are somewhere in the middle of this conversation right now, thinking about what the house can handle versus what your parent actually needs, I want to ask you this: has anyone sat down with you and actually mapped out what staying in that Denver home costs over the next three years compared to moving, including the equity that is sitting there doing nothing?