Senior Living Facilities: Kid and Elderly Friendly Residences

Are you preparing to remodel or create a new home? If so, will your design choices make your home a place you can age in comfortably or will they cause you problems?

Utilize the time spent rebuilding and upgrading your home to make it a home for the future. a location where everyone can feel at ease and secure. When your children are small and as they become older, the elements of your home must be welcoming and comfortable for them. It must also be the correct decision for you now, as a young parent, and in the future. Create it as your retirement residence!

older adults and people with disabilities’ needs

Narrow doorways and entrances are an issue with some of the current home designs, making wheelchair accessibility challenges. Kitchens and toilets are difficult to access, and the stairs are narrow and steep. These conceivable design errors ignored the requirements of the elderly or the disabled.

For Senior Citizens

To make your current home safer and more secure for your later years, take into account the easy design solutions below.

1. Handles on doorknobs

A door handle can be either a door lever or a doorknob (round). It is available in a variety of styles, forms, and purposes. Some people can make an ordinary door appear ornate and expensive. However, some designs might be challenging for kids as well as elderly people with arthritis, which can be upsetting.

Door Handles

Use the door lever rather than the doorknob since it will be simpler for kids and elderly people to use. Additionally, it is simpler to use if you have wet, slippery hands or are holding something in both hands. In that instance, you can still use your arm to open the door.

2. Effective Lighting for a Secure Home

A safe and secure house will be provided by regions that are well lit. You do not want a bad fall caused by inadequate lighting. The lighting should be sufficient but not blinding because it will impair senior people’s mobility.

Pay great attention and make sure there is enough illumination in the garage, kitchen, reading places, bathrooms, and stairways.
Fix kitchen counter and cooking area under cabinet lighting.
Put light switches at the top and bottom of the stairs.
Use big rocker light switches; they are simple and practical, especially if you have arthritis. You can always use your elbow to turn on the lights if your hands are occupied. Although it may be more expensive than a standard light switch, both children and adults will find it easier to use.
When you need to walk around at night, such as to use the restroom, nightlights come in handy.
When there is an electrical outage, emergency lighting will be useful. The stairways, kitchen, and exit doors need to be fixed.
Last but not least, add enough windows to the home to let in natural light. The advantages of sunshine therapy are enormous as people age since it is a treatment for elderly depression. Additionally, it contains vitamin D, which is necessary for greater calcium absorption. Skylights and glass doors are additional ways to let sunlight into your home.

3. Location of Plug Points

If you have back pain, you know how excruciating it can be to just bend over to turn on a computer or any other electrical device.

At Table Top Height Plug Point

When you are elderly or have back pain, it will be simpler to plug or unplug an electrical item from plug points that are located at tabletop height as opposed to one foot off the floor. Even if this location’s interior design could use some work, it could nonetheless be passable.

Further Plug Point

Avoid using extension cords since both young and old individuals could trip over them. If you anticipate more use in that location, install more plug points.

4. Hearing Issues

A smoke detector that emits a powerful strobe light instead of merely sound will help persons with hearing loss. Hearing loss is a common concern as we age.

All rooms must be able to hear the doorbell, and an intercom that also functions as a doorbell should be purchased for added protection.

People with vision, hearing, or dexterity issues will benefit from phones with big number keypads and adjustable volume controls.

5. Bathroom safety

Even children can be in danger from wet bathroom flooring. Non-slip floor tiles are the best option. Buy a non-skid bathroom mat if you don’t already have one.
Another handy addition is a grab bar or railing, which makes it easier to maneuver when entering and exiting the shower or using the toilet.
It will be easier on your knees and back if the toilet bowl and seat are around 17 inches high. To help your youngster use the restroom, place a non-slip step because it could not be child-friendly.
The bathroom door needs ideally open outwards rather than into the room with the bathroom. You can still enter and assist if someone falls and is close to the door. Replace it with a folding door instead.
Have a phone extension in your bathroom so that if somebody needs assistance, they may call for it.
Children and the elderly will find it simpler to operate a faucet with a level design. Additionally, controlling hot and cold water mixers will be simpler.
A pressure-balanced lever for the shower will stop any potential scorching. As it will be simpler for individuals with limited mobility to use a hand-held showerhead in addition to a fixed shower head, think about installing one.

6. Kitchen Layout Design

A “kitchen triangle” forming the working distance between the stove, refrigerator, and sink should be the best kitchen arrangement. There will be more walking required the larger the triangles. A smaller triangle will require less walking and be less taxing for the elderly. This kitchen’s design will need to be modified to accommodate both your present needs and your anticipated future needs as you age.

If it is a floor-standing model, a wall oven that is mounted at a comfortable height will be simpler to use.

7. The Main Entrance Steps

Whenever feasible, avoid having steps at the main entrance of your home. The hallway and door opening should each be at least 3.5 feet wide. This makes moving a wheelchair in it simple.

Place a bench close to the entryway and make sure it is well-lit. This is helpful if you need to set something down while unlocking the front door. You can sit on the bench while tying or untying your shoelaces.

8. Handrail on stairs

Install a railing that goes beyond the first and last steps on both sides of the staircase. To distinguish the edge of each step, the step should also have a unique color scheme or pattern.

When designing a staircase for a new home, consider a slight inclination. As you become older, this will be simpler to operate, but it will take up more room.

9. Styles of Interior Design

Additionally, take into account the following difficulties with a design that will influence seniors:

Place carpet underlay if you want to cover your marble or tiled flooring with rugs or carpets to prevent slipping and falling.
The perception of contrast may be diminished in older adults. Therefore, you must add strong contrast between the foreground and background colors. For instance, the toilet seat should stand out from the floor color, a floor-level decrease should be marked with different-colored tiles or floor finishes, and chairs should be a different color from the floor to make the edge of the chair more visible.

Nine Considerations for Home for Elderly