Top 5 things to make your apartment Senior Citizen friendly

With most children leaving for work related reasons either in another city or abroad - ageing parents are left to fend for themselves.But there is always a nagging thought at the back of our mind about their safety and comfort, isn’t it?When it comes to living in an apartment there is at least some relief.You will be glad to know that there are provisions under the National Policy of Older Persons declared by the Govt. of India in 1999 to make sure housing facilities comply with certain senior citizen friendly norms. Under it:

• Layouts of housing colonies should respond to the lifestyles of the elderly
• There should be no physical barriers to mobility
• There should be accessibility to shopping centres, community centres, parks etc.
• There should be multipurpose centre for elders

Let us see what the essentials are for making an apartment more senior citizen friendly:

1. 24x7 power backed lift

A common problem with elderly people is knee problems and arthritic pains. In this situation climbing stairs is an absolute no-no and with almost all apartments having access to lifts it is usually not an issue.But the problem arises when it comes to the lack of maintenance of the lifts and a dedicated power backup for the lift.Suppose there is an emergency where an elderly person needs to be rushed to the hospital; however the power is not there so the lift doesn’t work. In case it is a small building it can be managed but what if it is a highrise? Then it definitely needs a lift that is operational in all situations.Moreover the lifts need to be wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs.

2. The bathroom needs special care

The bathroom is a potential place for accidents amongst senior citizens. Moreover since they need to use the toilet more often due to health issues its worthwhile to make small changes like:

• Door locks that can be unlocked from both sides
• Rods in toilet/shower for grabbing
• Raised height toilets for ease of use
• Non-slip tiles/decal for tub and shower

3. Easy accessibility

Emergencies may happen at any time of the day. It is often imperative and life saving to keep a medium by which senior citizens can communicate with other family members even when they are in another part of the house. Some of them are:

• Switches beside the bed
• Nightlights for easy movement at night
• Home intercom system to communicate easily
• Telephone that can be easily reached from bed

4. Full proof security

With so many crimes taking place against senior citizens it is clear that they are considered as vulnerable targets. Therefore 24 hours security is a must in apartments together with careful screening of visitors.

5. Ease of movement and use in kitchen

Older women friendly kitchen can be achieved by small changes that actually make a big difference by:

• Varying height of countertops
• Lowering cooking surfaces
• Installing sinks with knee clearance

Senior citizen friendly housing is something which should be taken seriously because of our increasing elderly population.Are there any other changes you can think of that could make life easier for our senior citizens? Do let us know.