Mobility
It is often very difficult for the elderly to get around. Increasing mobility is a major task in any design meant to serve the elderly population. An attempt must be made to lessen barriers and simplify traffic patterns between rooms.
The following tips may help in designing to meet the needs of the aging population: - Avoid curbs and stairs if possible.
- If stairs are necessary, they should have conventional, and therefore expected, dimensions. Stair risers should measure seven inches, and treads 11 inches.
- Distinguish stair treads from top and bottom landings.
- Use skid-resistant material for stair nosings.
- Ramps should be limited in use, with a maximum slope of 5%-8% and rest areas every 30 feet.
- Handrails should extend beyond the top and bottom of stairs and ramps, and have tactile signals at their termination points. Place instructional signs to warn about the last step.
- Pay attention to structural inconsistencies, like a dip in the floor, which can cause falls.
- Doorsills are difficult for people with walkers or wheelchairs and should be eliminated.
- Provide wide, even walkways, with handrails where needed. Simple blocking built into walls at a standard 32 inches above the floor allows handrails and grab bars to be easily installed.
- Handrails should have a 1.5-inch diameter and a 2-inch hand clearance. A flattened top surface will assist people who have problems such as arthritis and cannot grasp things easily.
- All rails and grab bars must meet a 200 pound test minimum.
- Corridors must be kept short, with seating points along the length where people can rest when needed.
- The distance between doors along a corridor should be a minimum of seven feet to enhance the ability to navigate.
- Closets and bathrooms must be designed for walker or wheelchair access, including the ability to turn around. This requires a 34-inch door opening.
- For faucets, use ceramic valves that require little turning, foot-pedal faucets, or infrared sensors for automatic taps, toilets, or dryers.
- Mirrors should be mounted at a low level to accommodate the disabled.
- Wash basins should slope gently forward or be installed at various heights.
- Toilet seats should be 18 inches high. If commodes are used, check to see that they do not tip over easily.
- Install bathroom doors to open out into low traffic areas.
- Place bathrooms near activity areas, especially in a residential facility.
- Install level door handles instead of knobs.
- Doors should require a maximum eight pounds pull and 14 pounds push to open.
- Elevators should have a visual signal and audible tone with each stop, as well as doors that close slowly with a momentary pause.
- Elevators and their doors must be large enough for wheelchairs or gurneys, and the threshold should not exceed a half-inch rise.
- Timed lighting controls and easy regulation of door and window opening and closing will aid the elderly person with decreased capacities.
- Provide alternative and multiple placement of controls.
- Use color contrast for on/off or other important switches.
- "Universal design" should be used in any facility--where the fixtures and utility systems used have the capability of adaptation and modification--and changes should be made to meet people's needs.
For information related to mobility, see the sections on safety, lighting, colors, and furniture.
Further reading on the topic of mobility can be found in:Bright Lights, Big Hallways. Author: Rachel Long. Contemporary Long Term Care, March 2000. pp. 36-38.Improving the Quality of Life for Older People by Design. Author: Roger Coleman. Gerontechnology: A Sustainable Investment on the Future, 1998. pp. 74-83.
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