How To Make a Home Senior-Friendly: A Complete Guide

Did you know that only 4.5 percent of older adults live in nursing homes?

A lot of seniors prefer to live in their own home as they age, and a lot choose to do so when they’re able. Unless they’re in a situation where it’s unsafe (a disability or injury perhaps), it’s pretty simple to make a senior-friendly home no matter what their age is.

Luckily, we’re here to give you a few tips. Read on to learn everything you need to know about creating a senior-friendly home for safer senior living.

Lighting Is Everything

As we age, our eyesight becomes weaker — depth perception can take a hit, but it can also just become more difficult to see as a whole. That’s why lighting is important, no matter the area of the home.

Whether it’s the staircase, stairlifts, or a generally dark room, leaving the space vulnerable to bumps and bruises. Places like hallways and entryways are especially important to have adequate lighting in.

Safer Stairs

For seniors living in a multilevel home, stairs can post a large daily challenge. The lighting here should articulate each and every step, including where the tread starts and stops. If handrails can be installed on both sides, that’s also ideal.

If need be, investing in a stairlift might also be a smart move to make. It can make things a lot easier for anyone who struggles to climb up and down multiple times a day.

Good lighting, however, is also a great way to prevent falls.

Clear the Bathroom

While a grab bar in the shower can help out here, placing them by the toilet and other spaces in the bathroom can help as well. A hand-held showerhead can be great for those with limited mobility, and so is a step-shower rather than a tub.

No matter what they’re bathing in, the bottom should be slip-resistant to make things more steady. The flooring outside the tub should be slip-resistant as well.

If you can, replacing the faucets can be a good move too. A single-handed faucet is great for preventing scalding, and a pressure-balanced control is great for the shower.

Basically, anything you can do to prevent slips from happening in the bathroom is a good place to start. 

Everything Needs a Home

Creating a space for things like keys, wallets, and other essentials is not only going to help forgetful humans keep track of everything (this is a helpful tip whether you’re caring for the elderly or not), but it’s also going to mean less clutter around the home.

Starting with a plan for this step is going to help immensely, and then purchasing things like hooks, shelves, and other storage solutions can help keep things neat and tidy.

You should also install things like benches or tables at entryways so there’s a place to set everything down as someone walks inside.

Don’t Forget the Kitchen

If you got new faucets for the bathroom, you should also get new ones for the kitchen. You can switch to single-lever faucets or pedal-controlled options for easier use. 

Switching appliances out is also a great option. Things like side-swinging or wall ovens make for easier access all around, and so do pull-out microwaves. Switching to open shelving or utilizing lazy susans can also help with accessibility in a lot of areas.

Ensure that items that get used often are placed on lower levels, and organize them in a way that makes them easy to see and to reach. You can even consider switching out the cabinet doors for glass ones to increase visibility.

Non-Slip Flooring

Non-slip flooring is important for every area of the home that doesn’t have carpet. Bathrooms are the first place that anyone thinks of, but it’s important in places like the kitchen, the bedroom, and even down hallways or in office spaces.

Non-skid mats or area rugs with non-skid backings are great replacements for anything cheap or unsteady in the home. You can even opt for non-slip strips for areas with harder surfaces like the stairs or the kitchen.

Easy Entryways

We’ve already touched on entryways a bit, but we haven’t talked about coming inside from being away.

Having a covered entry area for at least one part of the home is a great idea, especially for things like packages and mail that get left at certain doors throughout the day. If it’s raining, then there won’t be any worry about things getting wet or damaged, and whoever brings them inside gets to stay dry while doing so.

This area for packages can also include a table or shelf for everything to be placed on. If someone has a hard time bending over to grab things, then this addition is going to mean a huge difference for them each time the mail gets delivered.

Adding things like motion-sensor lights around areas like ramps or stairs is also a great idea. If you can point this lighting at from and back door locks, then that’s only going to make all the difference.

Senior-Friendly Homes Are Great for Everyone

When you take the steps necessary to create a senior-friendly home, everyone benefits. Not only are you creating a safe space for the person living there, but if you are family and you bring the kids over to visit then you know it’s safe for them as well! If not, then you have the peace of mind in knowing they’re safe when they’re alone.

For more on the latest in home and lifestyle, check out the rest of our website.