For many, a home means a couple of bedrooms, a hall, kitchen, a shower and toilet. And a bit of open space for the maid to wash utensils and dry clothes and of course, a small corner to park vehicles.
But do spare a moment to consider if this is how one should approach setting up a dwelling or try to be different in factoring out the actual needs of the occupants.
Should one adjust according to the design of the house or else design the abode according to one’s needs is the question. This is where the question of working out the actual requirements and comforts of the dwellers come into sharp focus. And lost is the fact that very little thinking goes into planning comforts of the elders at the home.
If there are elders in the family, certain advance planning while taking up construction itself will help. An architect can be approached for professional advice on catering the needs of the seniors at home.
There are several measures that can be put in place to make their movement hassle free and also aid easy access for them.
A barrier free design with easy and convenient passage to different sections of the home is crucial. An obstruction free movement is what need to be ensured.
Distances from the room of the seniors to the hallway, dining area and also the main entrance should be kept in mind at the design stage itself. Do provide hand rails wherever possible including along staircase, in bathroom, kitchen and on way to the entrance. This will offer some support in their movement. Adequate attention should be paid to the placement of the switches to operate light, fans and appliances.
The night lamp, television and fan or air-conditioner controls should ideally be located in arm’s reach from the bed so that there is no demand for much physical movement.
Similarly, have the telephone cable points positioned in such a way that the instrument can be placed close and there is not much cable hanging along to trip one.
The room should be well ventilated and the windows should come with easy to handle shutters and curtain strings. The storage facility in the room such as almirahs and cupboards also has to be worked out in a manner that they do not call for much stretching or exertion in operation.
Even the cots and the chairs in the bedroom should be easy to reach and use. In the bathroom, one ideally should go for non-skid surface on floors to prevent accidental slipping and falling.
A grab bar should be installed for toilet and shower also. Care should also be taken to do away with any sharp corners jutting out and pose the risk of injury. And let there be enough illumination in the passageways and staircase.
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