Senior Friendly Decorating Tips For Aging in Place

April is National Decorating Month and if your senior parent who is aging in place hasn’t gone through their home and made some changes to the décor in a long time that’s a perfect project to tackle this April. As they get older seniors may want to carefully reevaluate the décor of their home and make some changes that fit their changing abilities to take care of the home as well as their changing tastes. This could be something their senior home care aide could assist them with.

Some senior-friendly decorating tips that will help seniors give their homes a style upgrade are:

Bust The Dust with Some Help from Senior Home Care Aides

Senior Home Care Ridgewood NJ - Senior Friendly Decorating Tips For Aging in Place

Senior Home Care Ridgewood NJ – Senior Friendly Decorating Tips For Aging in Place

Over time most people tend to collect a lot of stuff in their homes that they don’t really need. All of the vases, lamps, pieces of décor, picture frames, and other items collect a lot of dust. Mini-blinds and side tables can also attract dust. Dust can make the indoor air very irritating for seniors, especially seniors with COPD or chronic respiratory illnesses. Seniors that have senior home care can get away with having more of these types of items since they have someone to help keep all those tchotchkes clean, but seniors who don’t have senior home care should get rid of as many of those dust collectors as possible.

Curate Carefully

Seniors should periodically go through their décor items and curate artwork, colors, and other decor elements that fit their artistic vision now. It’s not necessary to keep children’s artwork, old Christmas cards, or too many family photos. If your senior parent wants to keep those items then those items should be carefully placed into albums that can be put away until they are wanted. But keeping the décor items curated within a theme will give seniors a home that is peaceful, cohesive, and calming so that seniors will want to spend time there.

Choose Furniture Wisely

Seniors need to consider their lifestyles and choose furniture that suits their needs and their abilities as well as the size of the space. Furniture clutter can increase a senior’s chances of falling, especially if they have too much furniture crammed into a small space. Seniors and their family members should go through the furniture and get rid of pieces that aren’t used, aren’t in good repair, or just aren’t comfortable or functional for a senior that is aging in place. Sometimes family members may want heirloom pieces of furniture but other pieces of furniture can be donated to charity or just tossed out.

Ditch The Rugs

Area rugs are one of the biggest hazards in a home for seniors. If your senior parent is planning on aging in place they should get rid of the area rugs that they have. Wall-to-wall carpeting is a better solution for covering the floor and providing warmth as well as nice décor. If seniors really want to use area rugs those area rugs should have a rubber non-slip backing and they should be secured to the floor to ensure that seniors won’t slip on them or trip on them.

If you or a senior family member are considering hiring Senior Home Care Services in Ridgewood NJ, please contact the caring staff at Caring Solutions Home Care LLC. In-home senior care servicing Bergen & Passaic Counties. Call today at (973) 427-3553.

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Pamela DelColle, RN, CCRN