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Designing the Elderly-friendly Home: Importance of Design, Mobility Structures, Lighting and Color

Monday, February 6th, 2017

The Flexsteel Living Room Leather Or Fabric Rocking Recliner 1218-510 is perfect for the elderly and their seating needs.

According to The State of Aging and Health in America, it is expected that the population of people older than 65 years is expected to double in the next 25 years. This is roughly 20% of the American population and it comes with certain consequences.

There are, of course, many outcomes to an increase in the population of the elderly. First, there’s going to be an adjustment in the cost of health care. Also, the senior people’s mobility should also be taken care of. And the most important aspect of all – safety – must be given priority.

Architect’s Roles

The architects come with crucial roles when it comes to designing for this specific demographics. Seniors come with unique needs and living standards so the architects are faced with design challenges. They have to be more innovative in creating fresh blueprints that are ingenious and, at the same time, modern.

Mobility Aids

The elderly encounter living struggles each day. One of these struggles is mobility, thus, the home design has to be more accessible. Architects need to create designs that don’t have stairs, with bigger hallways, and more spacious floor plans.

The doorways also have to be considered. These have to be wider than usual. Also, the sinks have to be lower and the safety showers and bathtubs are supposed to be carefully set up. Relatives must also be able to view their elderly relatives with the use of wireless video monitors.

These all mean that architects must practice ingenuity. Those who embrace new ideas and designs are the ones who will surely succeed in upping their home design niche.

Remodeling for the Elderly

Getting older doesn’t always equate to having limited independence. The aging population must not give up in living a normal life. For this to happen, it would mean architects and designers working within the current design yet thinking of ways to make the place more accessible to the elderly. They must be able to devise ways to create a more functional and safe place.

Remodeling could require tearing down walls just to set up the new open space layout. There must be as little obstruction as possible. The home would also require improved lighting systems and bigger windows.

Lighting for the Elderly

Poor lighting equals accidents. Aging means having vision problems due to macular degeneration and reduced retina functions.

 

It may also require new lighting systems and new, larger windows in order to optimize the homes lighting.

There are functional and attractive lighting systems for the elderly. These must have protection from glaring. Quality lighting means LED lighting in most aspects or fluorescent lamps at the very least.

Color for Seniors

Colors could actually help improve the elderly’s visibility. For instance, dark colors on your bathroom walls could easily indicate the location of the toilet seat as well as the light-colored porcelain sink.

Colors are also known to affect mood and seniors have a tendency to be depressed so the right hues could actually keep them from being shut-off from the world. Greens and pinks could make anyone feel more at peace while orange and shades of red could up people’s energy levels.

Changing the colors in seniors’ homes could have a profound effect on their overall wellbeing. This single step could increase the joy that older people feel within their homes.

Modified designs for homes could improve people’s quality of life on so many ways. Architects have to design for the aging population and must come with inventive ways to make life easier for them.

Only through proper lighting, correct color choice and the right layout can the seniors live a safer and more blissful lives.

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