flooring for seniors Archives

Flooring
June 4, 2015

Trends In Commercial Flooring For Senior Care Centers

By the year 2030, one in five people living in the US will be age 65 or older. And while the population continues to age, a lot more space will be dedicated to taking care of seniors when they need it most.

Facilities are opening up all the time, dedicating themselves to different levels of care. Some individuals are taking matters into their own hands, and redesigning their homes with aging in place in mind. Yet no matter what level of care you provide, seniors have special needs that begin with the way a site is designed and the way it functions on a day to day basis. It’s a fine line between choosing a floor that will be safe, sanitary and easy to maintain, and one that looks good too.

Safety
As we age, our balance continues to decrease, and the chances of falling goes up. To avoid injury, the harder a floor is, the more likely a fall will turn into an injury. Soft floors can cushion a fall, and give a person more protection as they land. Soft flooring choices include cork, carpeting, padded vinyl and rubber.

In addition to softness, it’s also important to pay attention to traction, as tripping is one of the number one reasons behind a fall. In bathrooms, kitchens and other areas where water and liquid spills are a possibility, it’s important to create a surface that doesn’t become slippery when wet. Also focus in on transitions as a person moves from room to room. Shuffling feet can easily get caught up in even the smallest of adjustments in height, and give walkers a reason to fall.

Maintenance
While safety is a number one priority for any facility created for seniors, maintenance should also be a top concern. When mobility is an issue, accidents are more prone to happen on a regular basis. To be able to clean and disinfect floors each time an accident occurs will create a healthier environment overall, and keep the facility looking its best with simple cleaning methods.

Different types of flooring can also effect indoor air quality within the space itself. Some flooring choices, such as vinyl, can give off small amounts of Volatile Organic Chemicals, which can impact some residents with allergies or breathing problems. Some flooring choices, like carpeting, can allow dust and dirt to accumulate in the flooring, and ultimately end up in the air as movement occurs. It’s important to understand the purpose of each room, and make your final selection wisely depending on your needs.

Have any additional questions about flooring for your senior facility? Give us a call today.

Flooring
March 14, 2015

Flooring With Aging In Place In Mind

Many of today’s baby boomers are choosing to remodel instead of leaving the family home behind. And as a part of the process, they are choosing to remodel with aging in place in mind.

Aging in place is the concept of making a home user friendly, no matter what the physical condition of the home’s occupant. All rooms needed to function are on one level – having access to a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living space, plus easy access in and out the entrance are important. Its equally important to make all rooms safe in the process, making things accessible or changeable to meet changing needs.

As you are remodeling your home, its easy to become overwhelmed at the number of options you have. With today’s technology, virtually anything is doable. Remember, every room starts from the bottom up; having a safe floor should be your first decision.

Start with a theme
By placing more rooms on the main living level, and giving them a natural flow, its equally important that the flooring is a part of that flow. Transitions between rooms and between product – between carpeting and tile for instance – must be flush without having a trip factor. Different heights can cause shuffling feet to stumble, and can be difficult for wheelchairs to flow freely.

Instead, develop your home’s ambiance by choosing and sticking with a standard look and feel. While you don’t have to stick with the same flooring choice, make sure you choose smooth transitions to continue the flow from room to room.

Find softness
Falling is the number one cause of injury related deaths among our senior population. When designing a home with aging in place in mind, its important to choose a floor that minimizes the possibility of tripping, and softens the blow if it happens. The first place to start is with transitions; the second is with softness.

Vinyl is softer than tiles; carpeting is softer than wood. While it isn’t necessary to go with carpeting in every room of the house just because of its softness factor, it is an important concept to keep in mind. If you like the look of tiles in the bathroom, can you incorporate vinyl flooring with wall tiling to create the look your are going for? Can you use one of the newer products on the market – cork for instance – to provide softness and give while staying stylish in the process?

Change it up
While its important to think ahead, its equally important to be happy with your final selection. If your remodel involves installing hardwoods throughout your living space, you may soften the look and feel with area rugs. Area rugs can be changed out as needs arise, or even as décor preferences change. Its an easy way to bring your personal style into a room, even if it changes on a regular basis.