According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and over, and in any given year, one in four over-65 adults report falling at least once. Many of these incidents require medical treatment, and even the ones that don’t, can cause psychological distress and a feeling of insecurity in the home.
That means fall-proofing should be a top priority for any senior or soon-to-be senior looking at buying a new home. Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked completely. While cost-conscious seniors will often seek out a low commission real estate agent, and inquire about home buyer rebate programs, many don’t give any thought to how the right layouts and flooring can have a huge impact on their future health and quality of life.
Let’s go over how to choose the right floor and home layouts for fall prevention.
Maximize Light and Space
If you’re selling your townhouse or single-family property and downsizing to a more senior-friendly home, look for something with as much natural light as possible. Vision is one of the first senses that becomes compromised with age, so ample light is very important. Look for plenty of big, unobstructed windows and skylights. You’ll also want to make sure the home’s electrical systems can support lighting upgrades if you need extra brightness.
In addition, ensure your home has enough space to meet your evolving needs. Look for extra wide doorways (36 inches is a good general rule) that can accommodate walkers and wheelchairs. Hallways should be wide enough to allow the mounting of grab bars. Bathrooms should have a shower large enough for grab bars and rails and, ideally, should have a walk-in, curbless shower.
Flooring to Avoid
Before we go into the right flooring, let’s touch on some types of flooring that fall-conscious seniors should avoid.
First, polished stone floors are an extremely hard and unforgiving surface; falls onto stone are therefore likely to result in injury more so than falls onto other, softer types of flooring. On top of that, stone becomes extremely slippery when wet, presenting a high degree of fall risk.
Another type of floor treatment that seniors should avoid is area rugs. Area rugs can easily get bunched or rolled up, creating a significant fall risk. They can also slip around if not fixed in place properly. Seniors can sometimes develop a low, shuffling gait, so they can be susceptible to tripping.
The Right Flooring
If the worst flooring for seniors is hard, unforgiving stone, you can probably deduce that the ideal senior flooring is soft and has a lot of give to it, so it can absorb the force from a fall.
For precisely those reasons, rubber and cork flooring are two of the best types of flooring for seniors. Rubber flooring is probably the top choice: it provides excellent grip and traction even when wet and has best-in-class absorbency. It’s a solid walking surface that also provides solid cushioning in the event of a fall.
Rubber flooring is also extremely durable and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. It retains heat well, too, so it presents a very soft, pleasant walking surface for seniors.
Cork flooring is a close second here, as it offers a similarly high degree of softness and cushioning, as well as being highly slip-resistant. The main disadvantage of cork flooring is that it’s not nearly as durable as rubber or other types of flooring; even when it’s treated with a sealant, its softness makes it highly prone to damage.
Carpeting Can Work, Too
While area rugs are a no-go, carpeting can be acceptable— with a few conditions. Opt for low-pile carpeting, even though it’s less plush. Although high-pile may feel soft and pleasant underfoot, it can also be a tripping hazard.
Low-pile carpeting has other advantages, too. It captures less dust and fewer allergens than high-pile carpeting, and it’s much easier to move a walker or wheelchair over low-pile carpet. Just make sure you opt for solid colors instead of visually busy patterns, which can confuse a senior’s vision.
Work With What You Have
Not everyone can afford to tear out their old flooring and install new surfaces— but most people can improve the floors they have.
If you have very slick floors, there are chemical treatments and abrasive, friction-increasing floor coatings you can apply to increase the floor’s grip. You can also install walking mats to make walking safer— just make sure to use mats with non-slip backing and non-beveled edges so they don’t become tripping hazards themselves.
Some basic housekeeping principles can help here, too. Keep cords and other obstructions out of walking paths, and if you’re currently waxing or polishing floors, find alternative treatments that won’t increase slickness.
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