Are you a senior or an individual simply looking for senior-safe flooring for your home? The hard truth is you must adjust your shopping guide for typical home floors. Because seniors are prone to stumbling and tripping, safety becomes a priority. While considering their health and well-being, you can still find the perfect floor for your home. Let us talk about some tips to help you make a smart and safe choice for your home.
1. Slip Resistance
Slippery flooring is a trip hazard in any home, but the risk of falls and slips in a house with seniors is amplified. Slip material is a no-go when choosing floor material for the home. Alternatively, something with texture to provide an extra degree of traction is the better-suited choice.
2. Smooth Travel
Some seniors rely on canes, walkers, and wheelchairs for movement even in the home. For efficient travel, your floor cannot catch or saddle with movement. Additionally, some seniors struggle with depth perception; thus, they drag their feet as they walk, so you want to go with a smooth surface. It is essential to take extra precautions by going for flooring with smooth edges and fewer transitions to discourage bundling up, which could lead to falls.
3. Absorbency
According to CDC reports, out of every four seniors, one seeks medical attention because of a fall in the home annually, with some of these resulting in head injuries and broken bones. A shock-absorbent floor can make all the difference in your home. Aside from offering a protective layer in the event of a fall, it will provide insulation for seniors who are sensitive to cold temperatures.
4. Cleaning Maintenance
Seniors can hardly keep up with regular cleaning, let alone thorough cleaning, which means unforgiving floors like hardwood are not the way to go. Floors that are easy to clean and care for are manageable to keep up with, especially if you have older people in the home who have incontinence problems. When messy accidents happen, you can easily clean the surface.
5. Durability
Durability is paramount when choosing any flooring; that does not change in the case of elders. Hard-wearing floors can put up with punishment from canes and walkers without denting or cracking.
6. Comfort
Older people who suffer from painful conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis have difficulty standing on a hard surface. Soft floors help ease the pain of some of these ailments; for this reason, soft underfoot when choosing the floors is critical.
Final Thoughts
There is nothing to say you should sacrifice beauty for function when choosing floors for seniors. These are simply guidelines you should include in your selection process to ensure you pick a safe choice. That said, there are still plenty of floor choices that an expert on our team can help you sort through to find the perfect choice. Fill out our form and let us plan for floors that balance safety and functionality in your home.