The heart of the home must be user-friendly to everyone, especially with your senior in-laws. They are the ones greatly affected if your current kitchen isn’t ergonomically supportive with their age. That said, a senior living kitchen is ideal for you, but most of all, for them.
By doing that, you are recreating your kitchen in a way that your seniors can easily move and work around with less resistance while being safe from any accident. You’re supporting them to live an independent life, and that boosts their confidence and mood.
Here we’re featuring trending elder-friendly kitchen remodeling ideas for you to consider in your planned kitchen remodel. Explore now and get inspired.
Improve kitchen lighting
Your seniors no longer have a clear vision when they were in their 20s and 30s. That said, sufficient lighting is important in the kitchen. You need to install new lighting on the workstations, inside the cabinets, and underneath your upper cabinetry. These are the three common areas where they need more lighting to safely work and find things.
You also need to have a rocker light switch so that it will be easy for your elderly to turn on and off the lights. Place those switches near the workstations so that it’ll be easy for them to recall where it’s located.
A 10-watt LED bulb or a 15-watt CFL bulb is ideal for lights that are friendly to seniors. These are just a few of the many ideas for your kitchen remodeling for seniors.
Make your countertops senior-friendly
Considering the vision of your elderly is weak, choosing a neutral color for your kitchen countertop is most recommended. This helps make all the things on top of their workspace visible.
In terms of countertop edge, choose a bullnose or round edge style so that it will be safe for your seniors. They won’t get hurt when they accidentally lean hard towards the countertop, or if they accidentally bump themselves there.
You also need to consider if your senior in-laws are using wheelchairs or not. If they are wheelchair-bound, then you must reduce the countertop height from the standard 36 inches to 30 inches. That way, they can still work even in a seated position.
Elder-friendly kitchen remodeling is the key to making your current kitchen user-friendly and safe for your senior family members.
Make your kitchen sink, sync with your seniors
Besides the cooktop, your sink is one of the busiest sections in the kitchen. For your seniors to easily wash and rinse the dishes, consider making the faucet within their reach. Alternatively, you can go for a portable sprayer so that they can easily use it for rinsing the dishes.
As for opening and closing the faucet, you can have a disc or ball faucet so that it’ll be easy for them. Take note, this must be within their reach still.
If your sink dispenses hot water, make sure that it’s lukewarm and not hot. Also, if your senior is wheelchair-bound, then you need to free up the space underneath your sink basin. That way, they can slide through while using the sink area.
Some modern kitchens have an adjustable sink height, but that might increase the cost of your kitchen remodel. But if you have the budget for it, then we can go for that.
Hassle-free cabinetry for seniors
Your seniors move less freely with their age. That said, you need to prevent them from stretching or bending too much while they’re in the kitchen. Prevent them from reaching too high places, otherwise, they are prone to slipping, falling, or back pains.
All things considered, here are the best cabinet remodeling tips we have for you:
- Pull out drawers and trays on your base cabinets instead of having upper cabinetry
- Within arm’s reach open shelving
- Glass-front cabinet doors so that they can easily see what’s inside the cabinet
- D-shaped bar pulls so that they can easily grab and pull out drawers. Make your cabinet handles have a different color from the cabinet door.
- Light color for the cabinet interiors
Anti-slip kitchen flooring
Oftentimes, we find ourselves forgetting how the floor matters the most for the safety of our seniors, right? It just naturally flew off our minds, but not to worry since we’ll include that here.
Slipping and falls are the two most common incidents for seniors. We can prevent that by having a non-slip floor material installed in our kitchen. That said, below are the materials you need to consider:
Linoleum
This is easy to clean and maintain. It’s also water-resistant and durable to last five years or longer. The main setback will be price, yet it does offer a non-slip floor for your senior kitchen.
Vinyl
It offers the same durability and water resistance as linoleum. In terms of price, you can find different pricing and choose one that works for you. The main setback of vinyl is its feel and looks since it’s like plastic.
Laminate or Hardwood
Laminate and hardwood both offer excellent anti-slip resistance suitable for a senior kitchen. In terms of appearance, they provide warmth and coziness to the kitchen. The main setback for these materials, they require more care and maintenance than vinyl and linoleum.
Takeaways
We hope to have given you ample elder-friendly kitchen remodeling ideas in Germantown, MD. We help homeowners plan for their kitchen remodel, one that makes their living safer and more comfortable, especially if your senior in-laws are living with you.
Our designers are experts in redesigning kitchens making them more ergonomically friendly to all ages. If you need assistance with your kitchen remodeling for seniors in Germantown, MD, then you can contact us.
Mega Kitchen and Bath is willing to help you overcome any obstacle hampering your way to getting your dream kitchen. Book a free design consultation, so we can start planning for your senior-friendly kitchen.
