How to Create an Accessible Home for Independent Living for the Elderly

What is an Accessible Home for the Elderly?

An accessible home can be described as a safe space designed to accommodate the age-specific physical and cognitive requirements of older adults. Such a home offers complete security and independence for old people to move around freely without having to worry about facing unwanted situations.

The main components of an accessible household are wide and barrier-free doorways, adaptive bathrooms, a smart home system, good lighting, health and wellness devices, safety features, and a lot more! Keep reading to learn more about all these features in detail.

How to Make Your Home Accessible for the Elderly?

The best ways to make your household completely accessible for the aging population are as follows:

Bedroom Modifications

Here's a list of the bedroom modifications one can do to make it a safe and accessible space for seniors:

● Adjustable Bed

An adjustable bed can be useful in personalizing the size of the bed according to the requirements of the individual. Therefore, older people having difficulties getting into high beds can use an adjustable bed to resolve this problem.

● Good Lighting

It is essential to equip your bedroom with good lighting to ensure that you do not face vision problems. Also, it will help older adults to read and write efficiently.

● Ceiling Lift

A ceiling lift is an essential feature that should be integrated to facilitate the movement of wheelchair-accessible older patients. With the help of this modification, such patients can be effortlessly transferred onto the bed.

● Good Ventilation

Having good ventilation and window access in your bedroom is crucial for your wellness throughout your life. Therefore, you should take special care in installing a good ventilation system for yourself and your family members during old age to avoid suffocation.

Bathroom Modifications

You can make the following bathroom modifications to make it an accessible space for the elderly:

● Walk-in Bathtubs

Installing walk-in bathtubs Instead of the traditional ones can make it much easier for old people to enter and exit without tripping over.

● Raised Toilet Seat

Installing an elevated toilet seat might be much more beneficial for older people to access it. Seniors with back pain or mobility issues will find it much easier to use a raised toilet seat since they will not be required to bend much.

● Bathroom Grab Bars

This is an essential modification you must make to reduce the risks of falls and slips in your bathroom. Holding the grab bars while taking a shower will help you gain support.

● Shower Benchsss

Standing in the shower for long hours might be difficult and exhausting for older adults with muscle strains, and immobility problems. So, a shower bench can be used instead to sit down while taking a shower.

Kitchen Modifications

These modifications can be made in the kitchen to support independent living for the elderly:

● Clear and Non-Slip Floor Space

It is integral to install non-slip flooring in your kitchen to reduce the risks of falls and slips in the elderly. Also, you should keep a clear space of at least 60 inches in diameter to allow wheelchair movement.

● Lower Countertops

Using raised countertops may be difficult for older adults. Therefore, you should lower your countertops to increase convenience and comfort while cooking.

● Pulldown Shelves

Reaching up to great heights to get cooking ingredients, utensils, etc can be tiring and difficult for seniors with physical constraints. So, installing pulldown shelves can make it much easier for them to access the kitchen.

● Adjustable Cooking Stations

By installing adjustable cooking stations, you will be easily able to alter their height. So, according to your requirements during old age, you will be able to increase or decrease its height.

Living Room Modifications

Creating the following changes in your living room can greatly increase it's accessibility for older adults:

● Create Free Space

To make your living room completely accessible for the older population, you must ensure that it has adequate free space to accommodate wheelchair movement. Also, remove all unwanted furniture and accessories to reduce the risks of tripping over.

● Stair Lift

Installing a stair lift for the elderly might be very useful in helping them access the living room if it is not situated on the ground floor.

● Adjustable Furniture

Having adjustable and comfortable furniture in your living room can make it a safe space for seniors. You can keep adjustable sofas, chairs, and tables to accommodate senior accessibility.

Technological Security Aids

The following technological aids can be incredibly beneficial in improving the overall accessibility of your household:

● Medical Alert Devices

A medical alert device is an incredibly useful device designed to facilitate supreme senior safety. It comes integrated with fall detection sensors and hence can notify operators in case of such incidents for immediate assistance.

● Voice-Controlled Assistants

Integrating your household with voice-controlled assistants during old age can considerably help you with your household chores like switching lights on and off, turning devices on and off, etc.

● Medication Reminders

Medication Reminders can be very useful in helping elderly people take their medications on time. It is a very useful technological aid designed especially for seniors living alone or suffering from cognitive problems.

Safety Features

Introduce the following safety features into your household to make it a senior-friendly space:

● Secure Locks

Facing security threats like thefts and scams is quite common during old age especially if you reside alone. So, you should always be extra cautious about installing secured locks and deadbolts in your entryways to keep such threats away.

● Smoke Detectors

A smoke detector can be useful in immediately detecting smoke or carbon monoxide, thereby ringing the alarm to save you from potential hazards.

● Fire Extinguishers

In case of fire breakouts, managing the situation alone for older adults can be exhausting and risky. So, installing an automatic fire extinguisher can save you from such deadly situations by putting off the flame.

Conclusion

Besides following the above-mentioned tips, you should also focus on building broad passageways, optimizing reading light, and using age-friendly color schemes to make your household much more accessible for the elderly.

However, you can also connect with caregivers and support services for increased assistance and independent living for the elderly.