Plan Wisely to Create a Senior-Friendly Home

    Inviting an elderly parent or in-law to live with you is a generous and loving choice. Of course, there are challenges, but there are some basic steps you can take to make your home feel as comfortable and welcoming as the one they just left.

    For seniors living at home -- on their own or with their families -- making the right interior design and furnishing decisions can go a long way towards achieving the friendlier, safer and more enjoyable living environment they're seeking.

    To start, take a look at the living space from the viewpoint of the senior who may have limitations in strength, eyesight or hearing. From there, develop a plan to modify the space to accommodate changes that can be made incrementally, as the need arises. You may wish to draw on "universal" or "transgenerational" design concepts, which is an approach to creating an environment that's suitable for people of all ages and ranges of ability.

    To help create a more senior-friendly home, Furniture.com lead designer Davis Remignanti suggests the following practical home decorating ideas:

    Private sanctuary: For many seniors who live with their family, the bedroom is often their only personal space. Customize furnishings to create a personal sanctuary for their privacy, hobbies and memorabilia. Choose a bed that offers easy access (onto and off), along with appropriate support and comfort.

    Clear pathways: Clear away items -- small home accessories, plants, magazine racks -- that clutter pathways or require individuals to walk around them. Accommodate wheelchairs or walkers by allowing at least 36 inches between objects. To help you find the best layout, check out the interactive "Room Planner" at www.furniture.com/roomplanner.

    Area rugs and smaller scatter rugs can be tripping hazards. A senior woman living with her grown children tripped and fell on a small rug in front of the kitchen sink while her daughter and husband were away at work for the day. With a broken leg, she couldn't rise to reach the wall phone and wasn't carrying her cell phone. So she knocked a garage door opener off the kitchen counter and used it repeatedly to signal to passersby and neighbors that something was wrong.

    A neighbor across the street noticed the garage door opening and closing repeatedly, so she checked on her neighbor. When no one answered the front door, she phoned police. Within an hour of the senior's bad fall in the kitchen, she was on her way to the hospital.

    Light it up: Ease eye strain for aging eyes by providing plenty of lighting. Areas to be used for reading and hobbies require additional task lighting. And place wall switches for lighting at room entry points. While the electrician is there, add outlets higher on the wall, where someone with balance problems, back pain or poor dexterity can reach the outlet and its plug-ins.

    Easy storage: Provide adequate, easily accessible storage that doesn't require reaching, bending or straining. Choose dressers and wardrobes with large or D-loop handles that don't require fine finger dexterity. Many children's dressers feature easy-rolling drawer guides and built-in safety stops.

    Redesign the kitchen: Create a seated work area for food preparation tasks. And dedicate a small table and chair in a comfortable location as a workplace, with nearby access to utensils. Place frequently used items at eye level to reduce the necessity for stepstools and excessive reaching. If the kitchen is small, consider removing a lower cabinet or attaching a foldout tabletop to the wall.

    Bathroom checklist: Be sure someone can unlock the door from the outside. Lever-style door handles are better for arthritic hands. Have non-slip fllor and tub surfaces. Have towels within reach of the tub or shower. Be sure grab bars are attached to wall studs.

    Support at dinner: Consider investing in dining chairs and upholstered chairs for general seating in any room provide good back support and have strong, sturdy arms. Such chairs will aid any senior who has trouble getting up from super-plush or low-seated furniture. Seat cushioning adds comfort, but should be securely fitted to dining chairs.

    Color their world: To assist with visibility, consider home furnishings in hues that contrast with their backgrounds. To open up and enliven small spaces, consider whites, light neutral colors, blues, greens and light violet as wall colors to help rooms appear larger.

    Blend and compromise: Respect is the watchword when integrating any relative's home furniture into your own home design. Compromise when faced with the question of placing a well-loved but less-than- decor-complementary piece in the living room. If it's a definite decorating "no," get creative. Reserve a corner for the offending piece in the senior's bedroom.

    TV-sitcom fans will long remember the running feud between Seattle radio psychiatrist Frasier Crane and his live-in father, a retired policeman. The fictional Frasier respected his father enough to give space in his stylish living room to a ratty, old, very green recliner -- his father's favorite TV-viewing chair.

    "Remember that the goal in redesigning a living space for senior use is to enable that senior to maintain his or her freedom within a safe, comfortable and friendly living environment," Remignanti advises.

    "Communication is crucial. Share opinions and ideas and create the solution together."

    Furniture.com (www.furniture.com) offers the convenience of Internet shopping merged with the offerings of large retail furniture chains.

    (c) 2007 Cincinnati Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.