Hello World! Welcome Friends! The American population, along with the populations in most industrialized nations, is continuing to get older with each passing year. While this is great news for people of all ages, it is bringing a number of aging issues to light. Chief among them is mobility.
A combination of factors come into play that makes getting around more difficult as we get older. Worsening eyesight, weaker joints, and slower reflexes can make it harder to move and increases the risk of falling. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) notes that falling is much more detrimental for the elderly and is actually the number one cause of injury death for people over 65 years old.
Many of the same design tips for people with medical issues can be used in homes where seniors reside. Pair those ideas with the tips below to make mobility around the home easier for seniors.
Make Stairs Safer
If you’ve ever lived in a two-story home you know that the staircase can be a hazard for anyone. For seniors that don’t have the same energy and strength as they did in younger years, stairs are a serious risk factor.
It’s best to avoid the stairs altogether if possible, but when that isn’t an option there are safe alternatives that allow seniors to get around their home. Depending on the layout of the home, a shaftless elevator can be installed in a matter of days. This allows everyone, even wheelchair-bound individuals, to get to the second floor without issue. They can even be designed to fit the existing decor.
A stair lift is another option for seniors that want to stay in their second story home. A stair lift is essentially a track with a connected seat that runs up the wall of the staircase. If the homeowner doesn’t rely on a wheelchair and there’s no space for a shaftless elevator, then installing a stair lift is the next best thing.
Clear Out the Clutter
Simply limiting trip hazards can greatly improve mobility, and it makes the home look much tidier. It’s particularly important to make sure clutter is cleared out of all walkways, hallways and from around entryways. Pay careful attention to cords running across the floor and anything that is at knee-level or lower.
Improve the Lighting
Because vision gets worse with age, lighting is especially important. Starting as early as the forties, it can become more difficult to see clearly up close. Focus problems will continue to get worse over time.
Low lighting makes it even more difficult for seniors to see as they walk around the house, which makes injury and falls more likely. You can help seniors improve the lighting in their home by:
- Replacing standard bulbs with compact fluorescent that put out more light while using less power.
- Using night lights in hallways, bedrooms, and bathrooms.
- Getting automated lights that can be scheduled to automatically come on at a certain time or at sunset.
- Using motion sensor lights so that seniors don’t have to fumble around looking for switches.
- Using lights that sync with Alexa or another voice-controlled system.
- Adding more lamps around the house where needed.
Improved lighting not only makes the home safer it also improves security. It’s a low-cost investment that can make a big difference in terms of mobility.
Exterior Walkways That Are Easier to Navigate
There are regulations for accessibility into public buildings, but private residences don’t always provide easy access. Even in a one-story house, it can be difficult to get inside if there are steps leading up to the entry, uneven surfaces or no existing walkway across the yard.
Make sure there’s a flat, solid walkway between the driveway or sidewalk and the front door. The walkway should be a continuous surface rather than pavers or stepping stones that have breaks in between. You may also want to consider adding a ramp either over or alongside any stairs. The one thing to be aware of is that some exterior walkway alterations may require a permit or approval if the home is under a homeowner’s association.
Making a few small changes can greatly improve mobility and safety for seniors that want to stay in their homes for as long as possible. Start with easy projects like de-cluttering and lighting then move on to the bigger projects as needed.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
3 Pieces of Home Improvement Advice You’re Not Taking
When to Hire an Interior Decorating Consultant
How Much Do House Cleaners Charge?
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Toodles,
Great points. It’s important for seniors’ houses to have handles anywhere possible, and for them to easily go from one corner to another, it’s advisable to have less furniture to make more space for them 🙂 Anyways, thanks for sharing these points.
Regardless of which type you use, once in place, you’ll find rails to be the easiest fall protection system to use. Pre-fabricated railings can be permanently affixed or portable to suit your needs.