Making a home safe for a senior is an important element of responsible caregiving, but many of us balk at having to change the way our house looks to accommodate new safety needs. Gradually though, designers are beginning to realize that just because you are losing some agility or vision doesn’t mean you are also losing your aesthetic sense.
I was at a seminar listening to an architect talk about ways she incorporates interesting elements into her safety designs. One of her creative ideas is to use rock-climbing holds in some of the places you’d want to add a grab bar. They come in all sorts of shapes, materials, and colors, and can be added here and there to provide a convenient handhold as you move through the house.
Another creative solution is using LED tape to highlight critical areas like doorways or hallways so that someone can more easily find the bathroom in the middle of the night. The LED lights are just enough to act as a nightlight or to prevent the shadows that can distort surfaces.
