As our parents start to get older, many of us will eventually either have to help them update their homes or move them into ours. As we grow older, we become slower to react to situations and this can end up leading to injuries within the home. However, there are a number of things that you can do to update the home that will ensure your parents retain their independence for as long as possible. Carry on reading to find out more about how you can make some home design changes that are elder friendly.
Change Hardware
This is an easy design tip that will instantly help to make your home a lot more elder friendly. While you may not pay too much attention to little things such as turning a doorknob, for an elderly person this can actually be quite a tough chore and may even become painful if they suffer from a condition such as arthritis. An easy way to overcome this is to simply change the hardware in your home. So, for example, replace the doorknob with a handle and this will make life a whole lot easier for your elders. We would recommend that you get levers on faucets and rocker switches that are illuminated.
Slip Resistant Flooring
For the most part, when it comes to making a home elder friendly, all floors tend to have to be made slip resistant. You can do this by adding things such as non-skid mats under area rugs and it is important to remember that elderly people are also prone to trip too. Low pile carpets are usually the safest option for those who use walkers as deep-pile carpet can cause more falls.
Bathroom
The room that elderly people tend to have the most trouble with is the bathroom and this is the room that you will have to spend the most time updating to make it elder friendly. A few things that you can do include adding shower grab rails, shower seats, widening the doorway to the bathroom for better wheelchair accessibility and adding slip resistant shower trays. You can read this article for more information on bathroom updates that will help make it easier for your elderly relatives to bathe.
Stairs
To make your home elder friendly, you will need to make sure that you have adequate stairs. You will need to ensure that there is handrails in place on both sides and that you have excellent lighting so that they can see exactly where it is that they are going and this will help to prevent any falls. While we are on the subject of lighting, it is also important that you have adequate lighting throughout your entire home as elderly people can easily hurt themselves walking into objects.
Entering and Leaving the Home
While we take simple tasks such as entering and leaving the home for granted, this is something that can become a daily struggle for elderly people and something that they will need help with. To make it easier for them you will need to think about getting an outdoor light fitted and a hand rail or ramp fitted, especially if they can only access your home with a wheelchair. Answering the door can also be difficult for elderly people and so you might also want to think about having a system installed that allows them to speak to any visitors and will allow them to manage who is coming into their home or your home if they are coming to live with you.