Most people have emotional attachments with their homes and as per a study eighty percent of older adults prefer to stay in their own homes. As people grow old a growing concern among people is that they may have to leave their home and move elsewhere. This would mean leaving behind their cherished memories, familiar community, and a comfortable setting of the home. No doubt a home gives a strong sense of security and the mere thought of leaving the home creates a sense of insecurity.
Some of the areas of consideration for Old-Age-Friendly-Homes are as follows:
- The primary consideration in the backdrop of old age is safety. One needs to ensure that the neighbourhood is safe in terms of walking on errands and home security?
- All exterior doors should have padlocks and there should be heavy-duty storm door in place.
- Ensure that all windows have proper lock.
- Ensure that no outsiders can easily enter and exit the house.
However, there shall be a lot many sundry little items you might forget. Hire the services of interior designer firms so that you do not miss out on important aspects of old-age-friendly interiors. They are professionals who keep a tab on every latest development. Since they keep doing this for multiple clients—individuals as well as builders—they will know the right thing for you and can help with handy recommendations. With prospering real estate industry around, interior design firms in Bangalore should be well educated in designing old-age-friendly interiors.
Interior safety
Inside the home, ensure that there are no narrow pathways or pathways are not congested due to random placement of things here and there. Better see that you don’t have to manoeuvre around items, so that even if you lose your balance and fall you won’t hit things. It’s better to prevent injuries happening than to regret later. Also purchase an alert pendant system or always keep a cell phone with you in the house. That way in case of any accident, help can be summoned without much difficulty.
- Rugs are primary causes of tripping and falling. See to it that rugs are not thrown around in house.
- Ensure that plants, chairs, end tables, newspapers or other obstacles are not there in pathways.
- Remove sharp edges coffee table or glass-topped ones from the front of the primary sitting area.
- Ensure that bathroom is not on the first floor as frequent climbing of stairs in old age may lead to accidents.
- Better have bedrooms and bathrooms on the ground floor.
- Ensure that pathways are properly lighted at nights.
- See that stepping into a bathtub is not required to get into the shower.
- Ensure that the shower floor have non-slip grips.
- Ensure that cooking utensils and food are easy to access without a step stool.
- Ensure that gas and stoves can be safely operated (Particularly in view of memory loss in old age, this is necessary).
Emergency preparedness
Have all important phone numbers saved in your mobile as well as in a dairy in a drawer or right by the side of landline phone for emergency calls.
Have an easy-to-locate list containing important health information, doctor numbers, and health insurance policy numbers.
Keep smoke detector batteries in healthy condition and install flashlights beside the bed and near the primary sitting area to signal power outage.
Keep a back-up power source so that power outages do not unsettle normal life.
Also, chalk out an emergency plan for evacuation in any eventuality of a storm or fire. Keep a friend or family member updated about this plan. In the case of limited mobility of inmates, contact the fire department so that they are prepared to evacuate the person in an emergency situation.