5 Tips to Make Your Home Friendly for Older Adults

Older adults pose like a shielding umbrella for the family, but their needs and priorities need an upgrade as they age. From the ongoing deteriorating health to the lack of mobility (in some older people), they face many hurdles. But, if you have older people staying with you at your home, there are several ways you can tweak and redesign your home to make it more friendly for them.

Here are a few tips that can help you make your home more friendly for older people.

1. Avoid Clutter in the Living Room

If you have a living room cluttered with lots of furniture, you need to reconsider things. It is what causes the most hassle. It also prohibits older people from moving around without them toppling over on something. 

Include an L-shaped sofa with a few other pieces here and there and nothing more. Try and include small and low-level furniture that could help the older people rest their legs when needed.

2. Install Grab Bars in the Bathroom

One of the most common issues that older people face is having a hard time in the bathroom. Since the toilets are low, not having anything to grab onto to lower themselves to the toilet seat can pose risks to their well-being. 

Grab bars offer additional support to the seniors, helping them get around the bathroom without potentially suffering an injury. Keep in mind that the existing towel rods won’t suffice as a grab bar as they are not secure enough.

3. Install Slip Resistant Floors

Bathrooms are a hub of accidents for older people. And, having a slippery tiled floor is not going to help the cause. Thus, installing slip-resistant floors is considered the best option to make the area safer and slip-resistant. 

In case you don’t have the budget to transform the bathroom flooring completely, try laying out perforated anti-slip rubber mats on the floor instead. If you want some inspiration, pebble-tiled floors are considered the best option.

4. Install a Stairlift

If the senior adults in your house have a hard time moving around, especially up and down the stairs, installing a stairlift is considered the best option for them. It is an expensive little affair, but it is an essential addition that can help make your home a lot easier for seniors to move around in.

Ensure that you always get the stairlift installed by a professional instead of choosing a random contractor who is offering the cheapest quotes. You want to ensure safety above anything else and with the likes of firms such as Age UK Mobility you can buy a stairlift for a reasonable price that will last you years. 

5. Ensure Proper Lighting

People’s eyesight tends to get worse with age. So, having well-lit areas in the house is essential to avoid any accidents. Adequate lighting in the home can ensure that the seniors move easily without any injuries or accidents. 

Additionally, during the day, try and keep the windows in the house open to let the natural light rejuvenate everyone’s mood and energy levels.

Conclusion

These are some of the few tips that can help secure your home for the family’s senior members. If you can’t introduce or afford to make drastic changes right away, try and stick to the temporary alternatives to help them get around the house without any risks of accidents or injuries.