Growing old is a natural part of life.But ageing should not limit the elderly from going about their daily activities; from making the bed and preparing breakfast to cleaning the house and exercising. If you have elderly people living with you or are planning on re-modelling your home in preparation for old age, it is very, very important that your home – especially your floor – is elderly-friendly. Here are three elderly-friendly flooring options for your consideration.
#1. Eco-resilient flooring and decking
If you love the texture and feel of natural hardwood flooring but find it financially challenging to maintain, opt for eco-resilient flooring and decking. Both eco-resilient flooring and decking are warm underfoot and feels similar to natural hardwood. They are both slip resistant, scratch-proof and aesthetically pleasing, thus adding value to your property.
Most importantly, if there is a wet puddle of water if one left the windows open during rainy days, the flooring will not be damages to the puddle, on top of that the high slip resistant feature helps to reduce the probability of falling.
#2. Quality Laminate Flooring
Good quality laminate flooring include high slip resistant properties that enhance the safety of the indoors. It is more cost efficient and customers can choose to buy laminate flooring with high thread lines and groove lines, which is often used in commercial installations. This will add strength to the already strong slip resistant properties.
The one thing home owners have to take note is probably for laminate flooring is not waterproof. Therefore, it is advisable to change the flooring if it had been damaged by long retention of water as faulty laminate flooring could be a potential safety hazard at home especially with the elderly.
#3. Vinyl Flooring
Not only is vinyl flooring slip resistant, but also resistant to both moisture and mould, thus making it an ideal type of flooring for homes with elderly people. Plus vinyl flooring is affordable compare to laminate flooring or other click resilient flooring or eco resilient flooring product. If you are on a tight renovation budget and wish to have flooring that is aesthetically appealing, opt for vinyl that mimics the look of hardwood. However, one thing to take note when choosing vinyl flooring for senior friendly homes is to choose a vinyl floor that has thickness more than 4.5mm. This is because the thicker the flooring, the more impact resistance it would have.
Thereby reducing the impact of flooring and the possible impact of injury during slipping.
In summary, with the number of home slipping accidents happened in Singapore, it is important to install flooring that are senior friendly as safety in this case, is the number one priority.