Table 3: Door Comparisons Door Description
Considerations
Standard Swinging door, will swing into or out of a room depending on hinge.
May be narrow or swing into spaces. The swing of the door may block other entrances or cabinets. Easy to maneuver when moving in the direction of the door swing.
French
Two doors that swing in one direction. A door that swings in both directions.
Provides a wide opening for access. They tend to have one direction of swing and require manipulation of both doors for full access. These are common in kitchens. People will always be moving in the direction of the door swing. Multiple door swings increase the risk of being hit by the door. Magnetic door holders are available in hardware stores. Space is needed in the wall to install; however, it eliminates door swings. The pull inside the door can be hard to access; some models now have a push button that releases a larger pull that is easier to use. The lateral weight shift required to manipulate the door may cause a fall. Same concerns as a pocket door. Added concern of space needed on a wall for when the door is open. Typically in pairs and found in utility areas of the home. The knob on the door may need to be replaced with a D handle. They require several inches of space on each side of the doorway and at the fold when opened, but this is less than a standard door.
Double hinged
A door that slides out from a slot in the wall.
Barn
A pocket door located on the outside of the wall. Door that folds in half longitudinally when opened.
Bifold
Floors and walls With floors and walls, busy patterns should be avoided and contrast with furniture and possible handrails considered when choosing patterns and colors. Satin, eggshell, and flat paint finishes create less glare and are therefore easier on the eyes than a semigloss or gloss paint. A hallway can seem bigger with the use of light colors, and the use of a darker color on one side reduces the tunnel effect in longer corridors. The darker color also can provide direction for someone who may have vision or cognitive deficits. As mentioned earlier, avoiding glossy tiles and utilizing matte finishes reduces glare and discomfort on people’s eyes. Special considerations and challenges There are additional considerations and challenges to consider when making recommendations for older adults. These concerns should be factored into all decisions and are in addition to any special concerns related to health conditions. Housekeeping A recent study specifically examined the relationship between home maintenance and upkeep with the ability of people to age in place. It was found that excessive home maintenance demands cause stress and anxiety to older adults, which in turn damages their attachment to their home. The cost of maintaining a home can be a source of difficulty because many older adults are on a fixed income. Common concerns are maintaining the grounds, roof repairs, gutter cleaning, and other heavy work items. Minor repair work within the home also causes undue stress with having to handle hiring handymen and coordinating the repair work (Coleman, Kearns, & Wiles, 2016). The burden of housekeeping, feature maintenance, and possible repairs needs to be taken into consideration when making recommendations. For example, an electronic stair glide is useful for helping people move up and down stairs; however, when it becomes older and breaks, problems occur. Company maintenance people must come to repair it, which can be costly. In the meantime, if the stair glide takes up the majority of the space in a narrow stairway, people are unable to move around it. The older adult may become stuck on one floor or be at an increased risk of injury due to the new obstacle in the stairway. Social supports for the older adult should be sought for assistance in possible repair and maintenance problems to help determine appropriate
Wear and tear with extended use should also be considered depending on the location and use frequency of the area. High pile and textured carpets can be very difficult for people to navigate once they require a wheelchair or walker, and are therefore best avoided. A clinician should also pay attention to dark colors in carpets and tiles, because these may look like holes to people with dementia or vision deficits. People with Parkinson’s disease will also freeze when confronted with a sudden change in color in flooring as they are attempting to process the change in environment. A consistent color helps support mobility as someone ages. other people of the household. An example of this is heights of counters. If your client uses a wheelchair or happens to be short, but the others in the household are a foot taller, a compromise on counter heights would be wise. Multiple countertop heights would ensure the ability of everyone to work at the counter without injury or discomfort to either party. Another consideration would be space needed for caregivers as a current or proactive concern. Caregivers need space around toilets and bathtubs to properly care for their clients. Some family members will have no objection to recommended modifications and design features. Others may have great objections to your choices; it is important to remember the symbolism an object or design may hold for people. People may view grab bars as “old,” and become concerned about potential resale of the home after installation. Even the room itself might hold meaning. A client once refused to move her 3:1 commode to the second bathroom because it was the guest bathroom, and had to be kept clean for all guests coming to the home. The initial relocation recommendation was made because her husband had dementia, did not recognize the toilet with the commode on it, and was urinating in the sink. She had been using the 3:1 commode as a raised toilet seat after a hip surgery; no one had recommended a raised toilet seat to her, which ended up being the compromise. This is an example of why speaking to and observing everyone who commonly uses the same spaces are important; it would not be effective to make the home age- friendly but make it impossible for other people to use the same space. Also along the same lines is the consideration for visitability. Visitability is a growing concept in the design world and ties closely into UD principles. This story best demonstrates the aforementioned design concept. A woman used to visit her sister every week for lunch; however, as they both have aged,
recommendations. Multi-person use
Given the rise in multigenerational living situations, and the fact that many older adults may live with a spouse or companion, it is important to always take into consideration the needs of the
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