How To Create a Bedroom for an Older Parent

As your parents or other elderly relatives age, you might be called upon to provide them with a place to live out their golden years. But a bedroom for an older individual should be equipped with certain features that accommodate their specific physical needs. When setting up a bedroom for a senior citizen, keep their comfort and safety in mind when picking out and setting up furniture. To help you get started, here are several tips on how to create a bedroom for an older parent.

Keep Distances in Mind

As you get older, your body can grow weaker, require more time to perform tasks we take for granted in our younger years. Simply getting up and out of bed or rising from a chair can take a lot of time and energy. When you purchase a bed for them, make sure it’s not too low to the ground. On average, it’s suggested to get a bed about 25 to 36 inches in height, depending on their own height, and keep the mattress’ size in mind as well. Generally, make sure they can sit on the edge of the bed, so their feet lay flat on the floor.

No Slips or Slides

If your home is like most, your floors are paneled with hardwood. They’re pretty but perilous for older people since they can be slippery underfoot. Make their bedroom a safe place to tread. Tile floors can provide more grip for their feet, slippers, and stockinged feet but may not be best for the bedroom. Low-pile carpeting or a large area rug with low shag and a nonslip backing would be better. Carpeting and rugs also provide some measure of protection against falls, a frequent and troubling issue for the elderly.

Leave Room To Maneuver

When outfitting the room, realize that less is more. The elderly don’t need much stuff in their bedrooms beyond the basics of a place to sleep and storage spaces for their clothing and other personal items. Keep their rooms free and clear, especially at floor level. Fewer things underfoot means no trip hazards or unnecessary obstacles in their path. Provide a straight shot from the bed to the doorway in particular. And don’t take this as a suggestion to turn their room into a monk’s cell. Keep decorative elements at eye level.

Light It Up and Make It Easy on Them

Here’s one more tip on how to create a bedroom for an older parent. With age comes dimmed vision. Make sure their room is brightly lit, but offer an effortless way to turn out the lights with touch-sensitive or voice-activated lamps. Also, pick storage furniture with drawers featuring large knobs and handles that are easy to grip and pull and which slide in and out easily without falling out.

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