Real Estate: Furnishing the Senior Friendly Home

Furnishings:

Specially arranged seating areas can compensate for hearing and vision impairment (avoiding glare).
Carpeting can reduce ambient noise by up to 70%.
A wall of drapery can reduce ambient noise by 50%.
Certain wall and floor coverings can facilitate a better listening environment.
Furniture should have higher seats.
Furniture should not have loose back cushions.
Seating should be very firm.
Seating should be at a comfortable height to facilitate getting up and down (to ease joint difficulties with knees and hips).
Chairs should have arms, again, to facilitate rising from the chair.
Carpeting significantly improves gait speed, step length and walking confidence.
Eliminate throw rugs (increases the likelihood of a fall, which can be very debilitating for seniors).
If throw rugs are necessary, anchor with rubber grips to prevent sliding and make sure edges are flush with flooring (not turned up).
Furniture should be anchored on hardwood and tile floors to prevent sliding (again, to decrease senior falls).
Chairs on coasters are a bad idea (increases chances for falls).
Chairs should not be too deep, making it too hard to get up.
All areas should have adequate lighting! Farsightedness increases and color acuity decreases with age. Increased lighting is a must.
Matching patterns on the walls and furniture is not a good idea. Distinguishing the beginning of one and the end of the other becomes increasingly difficult with age.
Dark floors may look like a hole or a pit to someone with vision impairment.
Contrast between the wall and the floor makes it easier to tell where one ends and the other begins.
Muted colors are calming, but bright colors are easier to distinguish.
Hallways need night lights.
Each room should be painted a different color.
Dark window coverings make the room too dark for most seniors (dark greens and reds are poor choices).
Front loading washers and dryers are ideal.

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