Creating a Safe and Stylish Home for Aging Loved Ones
As your parents and others around you get older, some modifications will be necessary to ensure they continue to enjoy comfort in their own homes for as long as possible. Overwhelming, perhaps, but you can make a functional and accessible home.
Here's how to help, including some tips to make the best possible space for your elderly family member.
Home Environment Assessment
Before making changes, consider your current home situation:
Mobility Concerns: Note those areas that may impede mobility: stairs, narrow hallways, and uneven flooring.
Safety Hazards: These include anything that can cause an accident, such as loose rugs, cluttered walkways, hot surfaces, and poor lighting.
Comfort Factors: Make sure furniture is comfortable, that everything is accessible, and that the space feels like home.
Principles of Universal Design
This is the process of designing spaces to be usable by everyone, regardless of age, size, or ability. By putting these directions into practice, you'll realize increased functionality in your home:
Easy to Get Around: Wide doorways and hallways allow easy passage for individuals using walkers or wheelchairs.
Lever-Style Door Handles: These are easier for people with limited hand strength to operate.
Anti-Slip Flooring: Prevent falls through the use of material with textured tiles or low-pile carpets.
Improving Lighting
Proper lighting is related to safety and comfort:
Let in More Natural Light: Use sheer curtains that will allow the most sunlight.
Layered Lighting: Ambient integrated with task and accent lighting minimizes negative shadows and glare.
Advanced Lighting Options: Install motion-sensor lights in hallways and bathrooms to assist in navigating at night.
Choosing the Right Furniture
Choose furniture that is stylish yet friendly to seniors:
Seating Comfortably: Chairs and sofas should have firm cushions and armrests to support sitting and rising.
Ideal Height: Furniture pieces stand at a height that is quite accessible without any strain.
Rounded Edges: Pieces with sharp corners increase the chance of injury; therefore, try to avoid them.
Kitchen Modifications
The kitchen is the heart of every home, and accessibility features must be installed here:
Easy to Reach Storage: Lower shelves and pull-out drawers reduce stretching or bending.
Lever-Handled or Automatic Faucets: Simplify water control.
Contrasting Colors: Use opposing colors for countertops and cabinetry to give more depth perception.
Bathroom Safety Features
Bathrooms can be a very hazardous area; for this reason, consider the following updates:
Grab Bars: A set should be installed near the toilet and inside the shower/bathtub area.
Walk-in Tubs or Showers: Remove the need for tripping hazards associated with high ledges.
Anti-Slip Mats: Place inside the shower and on the bathroom floor.
Smart Home Technology
Incorporate technology to enhance safety and convenience:
Voice Assistants: Control of lights, thermostats, and even volume for sending and making calls completely hands-free.
Medical Alert Systems: These offer peace of mind in the event of an emergency.
Smart Door Locks and Home Security Systems: These will enhance the security of a house and also give the option of monitoring remotely.
Outdoor Accessibility
Make the home easy to enter and exit:
Ramps and Handrails: These go in where there is a stairway to the entrance.
Even Walkways: Take the time necessary to ensure walkways are flat and free of obstacles.
Comfort Seating Areas: Provide inviting areas to relax outside.
Personalizing Space
Make the living areas homely:
Family Photos and Mementos: Make sure they always have family pictures displayed.
Favorite Colors and Textures: Incorporate their favorite aesthetics into space.
Indoor Plants: Indoor plants help naturally clean the air and soothe moods.
Stay Connected and Educated
Keeping ahead of the curve with the latest in home design and elder care will help you make informed decisions:
Education Resources: Websites such as the Aging In Place Design Guidelines provide relevant information.
Community Support: Through contact with either nearby groups or an online forum, share experiences and hints with others in the same situation.
Considering Professional Care Options
While making changes at home does significantly improve the quality of life, sometimes professional care becomes entirely unavoidable.
If you're looking into senior care facilities, there are a few things you should know about the rights of Illinois elder care home patients. These permit them to receive the respect and care that they ought to have in any professional setting.
Final Thoughts
Offering your aging loved ones a safe and stylishly up-to-date home gives one a touch of practicality mixed with personal touches-an immense feeling of gratification.
The thoughtful use of changes in your space not only works on their comfort and safety but adds to the little things in an everyday experience. Remember, the goal is to make a home suitable for their needs without sacrificing beauty and warmth in it.
With careful planning and just a pinch of creativity, it will secure quite a harmonizing balance that benefits the whole family.
Jenny Kakoudakis likes to blog about interiors. She launched award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2014 and the luxury interior design blog All The Pretty Homes in 2024.
When she is not chasing criminals out of the financial system (her day job), she gets creative by redecorating her own home.
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