If you’re taking care of elderly or disabled family members, the design and accessibility of a home can make a significant impact. Many senior citizens live alone in their houses while their children are at work. By carefully planning and putting a few techniques into practice, homes can be safer and more accessible for those with mobility problems. With the help of this post, you can modify your home in a way that is accommodating to senior citizens.
1. Consider the Flow of Traffic
Rearrange the furniture in your living room so that your elderly family members may move about without running into or knocking things down. Choose layouts that are tidy and clutter-free to create larger passageways. Furniture like a low ottoman can be helpful when they want to relax. If you have extra furniture cluttering up the room, remove or relocate it.
2. Install Grab Bars
Grab bars can be installed on the inside walls of the home and in the bathrooms. Older adults can move more easily if grab bars are installed around the house. If they lose their balance, grab bars can stop them from falling.
3. Choose Higher Furniture
Older adults may occasionally find standing up and sitting down from low couches and beds challenging. Avoid using low-seating tables and beds. Instead, choose furniture that is at a conventional height.
4. Safe Floors
Low-pile carpeting is the safest option for people who use walkers so that the walker won’t catch on the deep pile and cause a fall. All floors should be made nonslip by placing nonskid mats below area rugs or getting rid of the area rugs completely. Trip points like thresholds should be avoided, or their height should be reduced because trips can also be dangerous.
5. Increase Bathroom Functionality
Bathrooms need special consideration when building or renovating a home because they are a basic necessity. Add extra seating close to the tub or shower, install comfortable, easy-to-grasp handrails, and use nonslip materials for the floor while creating a senior citizen-friendly bathroom.
6. Good Lighting
In a house, proper illumination is needed throughout. Every room, hallway, and doorway should have adequate lighting because the dark can contribute to a bump or fall. When entryways are dimly lit, they become extremely dangerous.
7. Enlarge Doorways and Put in a Ramp
If you have to maneuver a wheelchair, removing unnecessary steps and installing a ramp at the entrance is helpful. Additionally, expanding entrances reduces the risk of harm from hitting the door frame and makes it simpler for a wheelchair to pass through.
Final Thoughts
Are you preparing or modifying your house to accommodate the space for someone with reduced mobility? By following these tips, you can redesign the place where your family’s elderly members live. The ideas presented here will go a long way toward making their home cozy and convenient for them. Making the house comfier and easier to access should be the renovation’s primary goal.
If you are not interested in renovations or it sounds like too much work, maybe it’s time to sell your house to Barrington Acquisitions. We are one of the most reliable cash home buyers in Columbia. Selling a home with us will be seamless, simple, and transparent. We buy houses in Columbia, SC, as-is!
