With age, the style and preferences of every human being change. When you were a kid you loved 3D wallpapers with cartoons on it, as a newlywed couple your preferences changed to romantic yet stylish décor and furnishing. However, at old age everything needs renovation as safety is priority. Unlike foreign countries, Indians hate assisted living and nursing homes. Therefore, without forgetting the aesthetic values and without hurting the sentiments of our seniors, we ensure that everything is for their convenience.

Renovation of entire house or a particular room isn’t an easy task. Sometimes in bare minimum space, you need to adjust everything for your elders. Therefore, hiring an interior designer is the best option. Not everyone can afford expensive decorators, but Livspace provides you beautiful and reliable interiors in your budget.

Livspace was founded in 2015 by two college friends, Ramakant and Arjun. Their designers not only focus on the interior, by just changing some furniture or wall color, but they also focus on keeping it simpler, safe and convenient for elders as well. Since your focus is to provide an easy life to senior citizens at home, closets and wardrobes designs along with floor tiles and bed size, all is taken into consideration.

Here are some useful tips that may help in future when you plan to renovate your parent’s room –

• Relocating room
• Bed
• Floor
• Walkways
• Lights
• Easily accessible
• Storage space

Relocating room

First and foremost, replace their room to ground floor to avoid stairs. With age, several bone problems occur, which can be painful for parents while taking stairs every time they want to relax in their room. Move their room to a place from where garden or balcony is nearby so that their mornings are always shining bright.

Bed

Joint pain, back problem, and arthritis are common among elders. This pain becomes chronic every morning when they face stiffness in joints. If their bed is inconveniently short in height it can cause pain while standing and sitting on bed. Therefore, ensure that their bed is of suitable size along with many supports. Focus on beds that can prevent chronic pains, for example, orthopaedic bed along with mattress and pillow is the best solution. Tag them along while purchasing a bed so that they can examine the height themselves.

Floor

With age, parents or grandparents become slight careless. Hence, we need to be cautious with every step they take. While deciding flooring for their room avoid slippery tiles and choose anti-skid flooring. This will help in avoiding accidents and keep your elderly loved ones safe while walking.

Walkways

Don’t stuff too many things in their room, but leave ample free space for them to walk freely. Keep limited furniture like bedside table to keep eyeglasses after finishing night reading or alarm clock, a reading chair, and a side lamp. Keep tiny furniture at a distant from bed so that at night they don’t trip on them.

Lights

With age eyes fail therefore, for better vision you should install lots of lights in their rooms. Don’t forget to include a night bulb which will keep mild light all night for their safety. Bedside lamps and window glasses for proper sunlight is best for them.

Easily accessible

Everything should be easily accessible. Keep less electronic items in their rooms as with age parents prefer simple things. Instead of door knobs fix lever-style handles on their doors. Keep all switches handy for them especially, the bedside lamp switch. This makes it convenient even at night when suddenly they wake to urinate or have a glass of water.

Storage space

Their closets and storage space shouldn’t be complicated. Don’t hang clothes higher in their closet, because they might not be able to stretch or jump to pull it out. Shelves should be at a comfortable level so that they don’t have to bend their knees and back much.

These few changes in their lifestyle can make their life easier. Keep yourself in their position and think of an easy life that you would prefer, probably then you may be able to renovate with intense love and care.

David Cury