Do you have a senior in your family who is going to retire soon? Because if there is someone, you would need to design and arrange a house for them according to the needs of seniors. If you want your senior members like parents or other loved ones to stay near you after they retire, it is time to take advantage of the situation and design something that is not only comfortable but also extremely safe for the elderly.
The features of this house should match the ones they have at old homes but should certainly be more cozy, warm, and homey. Think of a place that you would love to have if you retired and give it the charms of present-day interior design.
Still clueless on what to do?
No worries!
We will explain everything in thorough detail in this article.
Steps to Finding the Perfect House
Here are a few steps that can lead you to purchase the best and most convenient house for your retiring parents:
- First of all, you need to understand the location and area of the retirement house. They can consider to retire to vacation cities like Chicago or Davenport means that your beloved seniors would be extremely close to lovely beaches, tourist destinations, and loads of adventure!
- You can start off by looking for apartments for rent in Chicago and see something that your retiring parents would love. Think of things that make them uncomfortable like stairs and see if there is an alternative.
- Ask the real estate agent about your preferences and what your parents like so he can suggest something worth your money. Consider the fact that in tourist destinations like Florida, there are a lot of earning opportunities even for the elders and retirees. You need to discuss this with them if they want to start a business or not. This will help you determine whether the house should be in the middle of the city or more towards the suburban region where most of the homes for sale in Davenport FL can easily be found at the best prices.
- Once you are set on where the house should be, make sure that you are on clear terms with the realtor and the selling party. Everything must be contracted in the presence of a legal third party like a lawyer because no one wants their parents to be bothered by some fellows who start claiming that you make a boo-boo during the contracting process.
- Before making the payment, visit the house and check to see if everything is well-maintained and worth your money or not. It is best that you get everything in line before your parents move into the house.
- Design and decorate the house in a way that not only looks amazing but it is also incredibly safe, comfortable and easily accommodates the needs of older people. Make sure that you pay regular visits to your loved ones and thoroughly check if everything in the house is functioning properly. If you don’t find yourself capable enough to determine that, you can always hire a professional house inspection team.
How to Decorate House of a Senior Citizen?
Don’t think that buying a new house means that your need to spend thousands of dollars on new things. Well, if you can afford, there is no harm in getting your parents a house that they have always wished for.
However, in any other case, making a few tweaks and changes to the overall layout of the furniture, décor, and color theme can actually improve their living environment. A house where retirees live doesn’t have to be hoarded with antiques and have soap-like fragrance all around. Instead, you can add some contemporary items that are enlisted as a modern and sensible architectural choice.
Here are a few tips:
1. Consider the Room Traffic
Arrange the room in such a way that seniors have plenty of space to move around easily and they are not at risk of knocking something over and bumping themselves on the furniture and eventually – hurting themselves!
Think of designing the rooms extremely clean, light, and airy with literally nothing extra that could get in the way. Items like L-shaped sofas and round tables are not only in-demand but they are also safe providing no sharp edges in the room and an adequate space to pass.
Think of portable items like a small portable side table that could accommodate all the items from medicines to their favorite books, calendars, and dry fruits. Most adults like keeping their feet above the ground so think of adding something like an ottoman style stool which can easily offer them support and comfort.
2. Arrange Higher Furniture
Lower furniture can be tricky for old people as it requires them to bend a lot before sitting. This might seem like a difficult task for a person over 60. Make sure that you get a higher bed, higher sofas, and chairs. If you can find something that is of a higher height, simply go for something of a standard height.
Apply the famous bed buying rule that when you are sitting on a bed, your feet should touch the ground. This bed is of perfect height – neither too low that they have to squat low to sit and nor too high that it involves a jump squat.
Add a thick mattress and comfortable pillows. Many seniors like to spend a good time sitting on the bed so make sure that you are getting more than 1 pillow per person for support and some additional cushions for support and decoration.
3. Support for Bathroom
The bathroom can be a very unsafe spot, particularly for the elderly. Injuries on the toilet have been recorded as quite high in people aged 65 and over. And these injuries are only while trying to get up or while sitting down. Grab bars and handles are a must-have.
They provide extra protection to hang on when seated or standing up. They can even be considered as a towel rail. So, the dual-purpose railing can save your loved ones in the toilet. Just make sure that you are only using the grab handles as a towel rail and not the other way around. The reason behind this is that towel rails (well most of them) are not designed and installed to bear the weight of an individual.
In addition to the grab bars, benches can also be mounted in the shower area. The mix of slippery shampoos and wet floors can be a bad one: it’s better for seniors to take a shower when they’re sitting, especially while they’re unattended.
4. Make the House Well-Lit
Seniors need to have proper lighting in their houses. Make sure that when you are looking for the perfect retirement house for sale or apartment for rent in Chicago consider the brightness and airiness of the room. This will help you determine how it will look once painted.
Instead of going for darker color notes, look for something light like off-white or plain white. Not only does it add an aura of brightness, but it also makes your room shine bright. Instead of regular tube lights and yellow bulbs, go for the more powerful LED bulbs that not only shine brighter but also consume less electricity.
5. Add Gadgets in Kitchen
Since older family members would like to participate in everyday tasks, such as cooking, the kitchen can be the most-utilized area of their house. You need to make sure that everything in that kitchen is secured, there are burn alarms that ring in case something is left there for longer than 5 minutes.
The gas piping and everything should be done from scratch and simply make sure that the floor is high resistance and not slipper in case anything falls. Consider adding light fixtures underneath the cabinets as they are very handy to light-up the kitchen counter.
6. Lounging Space
Make a nice lounging space if they want to retire to vacation cities, they are more likely to get some nice sitting arrangement on the balcony where they can enjoy a newspaper, have their tea, or simply watch the sunset with their significant other. Just make sure that the furniture is highly-supported and stable.
Conclusion
It is possible to arrange a nice vacation house for your retiring elderly family members. Just look for a nice house and add some old-people-friendly things in the house to make it more comfortable and according to their liking.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
