Growing Older By Design

Photo credit Fisher & Paykel

Growing Older by Design

by SweisKloss
Feb 13, 2020

Growing older in place is something that a lot of our clients are planning on doing. And just like us, they do not want to have to compromise on beauty and comfort now for their future selves. Well they do not have to. We thought we’d take a minute to share a list of design ideas to help make aging in the home as graceful as possible. As we age, besides being wiser (there are good sides to aging!), we become more sensitive to heat and our sense of touch becomes heightened. Our skin gets thinner, our vision yellows and becomes sensitive to reflections. And at 60, we need 3 times the illumination we did at age 20 to see adequately. We also don’t move as quickly and may find ourselves with limited mobility or in a wheelchair. It is for these reasons we consider:

• Widening hallways to 48” and 60” for turns


• Lower heights for workstations and light switches, and seated stations to work and eat for those in wheelchairs


• Cabinets that open and close electronically


• Bypass cabinet doors and drawers that can be opened if sitting in a wheelchair


• “Eyes to the thighs” area for storage so not too high to reach or too low to bend down, such as a full height appliance garage


• Appliances with controls that don’t require reaching over hot food to use


• Side open oven doors instead of pull down


• Dishwasher drawers require less bending than conventional doors


• Induction cooktops are safer because their surface does not get hot


• Some faucets have an LED indicator that shows the temperature of the water to help avoid burns


• Recessed continuous pulls because those that stick out can catch clothing and cause a fall; oddly shaped knobs can be difficult for older hands to grasp


• Limiting transitions and illuminating transitions in the floor to avoid falls


• Installing nightlights in cabinetry toe kicks


• Putting lights inside of drawers


• Smart home technology to do such things as turning on/off lights that may be too high to reach and gas and water leak alerts

We understand that 1 in 4 seniors fall each year and the average hospital stay is $35k. So why not put a little more money into accommodating design to reduce the possibility of injury in the first place. And not just for the homeowner. As we age, so do our friends.