Daily living tips for seniors and the elderly

The daily living tips for seniors include: keeping the home safe to prevent trips and slips; providing adequate lighting, especially in accident-prone areas; choosing furniture that meets physical needs and is comfortable; eating a balanced diet; exercising moderately to maintain good health; and maintaining social interactions to reduce loneliness. In addition, regular medical checkups and communication with doctors are also important to ensure their physical and mental health.

Bathroom improvements

Image from Housing Society Elderly Link

The bathroom is a key space in home safety assessment, especially for the elderly. According to research results, the most common place for accidents among the elderly is the bathroom. However, the general bathroom design in Hong Kong is not very friendly to the elderly. Therefore, occupational therapists will pay special attention to the bathroom when conducting home safety assessments and provide corresponding improvement suggestions.

Some areas to improve your bathroom include:

Safety features: Install non-slip floors or mats in the bathroom to reduce the risk of slipping. At the same time, install handrails or grips around the bathtub or shower area to provide additional support and stability. These features can help the elderly enter and exit the bathroom and use the bathtub or shower more safely.
Bathroom design: Consider the mobility of the elderly and design a barrier-free bathroom. Choose a low threshold height in the shower area to facilitate the elderly to enter and leave. At the same time, use easy-to-operate faucets and shower controls, as well as clear and readable temperature displays, so that the elderly can easily adjust the water temperature and water flow.
Shower and bathtub chairs: Provide a sturdy and comfortable shower or bath chair so that the elder can sit down to bathe. This can reduce the pressure of standing and provide more safety and comfort.
Handles and grab bars: Install sturdy handles and grab bars in the bathroom, such as near the bathtub, shower area, and toilet. These features can provide extra support and balance to help seniors perform daily activities.
Lighting and ventilation: Make sure there is adequate lighting in the bathroom, especially in the shower area and near the toilet. Also, make sure the bathroom has a good ventilation system to prevent moisture and mold problems.
Finally, it is best to use a shower curtain instead of a sliding door. Because a sliding door needs to be set on a track on the floor, such a track can cause the floor to be uneven, making it easy for the elderly to trip. But a shower curtain is not only easy to use, but also does not have to worry about tripping on the track. Therefore, when designing a bathroom for the elderly, you can adopt the above suggestions to create a safe and comfortable bathroom for the elderly!

Improving the design and amenities of a bathroom can increase the safety and comfort of seniors in their daily lives. Please note that these suggestions are for reference only and are best further customized and adjusted based on individual needs and circumstances. It is recommended to work with a professional designer, healthcare provider, or occupational therapist to ensure that the bathroom improvement plan meets the needs and health conditions of the senior.

Safety Bathroom "Sliding Door" Design

Home spaces in Hong Kong are usually narrow, including bathroom doors, which are usually only about 400-500mm wide. This creates difficulties for the elderly, as they need to lean sideways to close the door after entering the bathroom, and they may stumble in the process.

If the elderly need to use a walker or wheelchair, it is more difficult to enter the bathroom. If the elderly's physical fitness deteriorates and their balance ability is insufficient, the situation is even worse. For example, for the elderly who sit in a wheelchair for a long time, a bathroom door that is too narrow will prevent the wheelchair from entering, so the caregiver must take the risk of carrying the elderly with limited mobility to take a bath, which brings the risk of injury to both the elderly and the caregiver. In order to avoid trouble, some caregivers and elderly people reduce the frequency of bathing, which has a great impact on the hygiene and quality of life of the elderly. To solve this problem, we need to increase the width of the bathroom door or modify the bathroom door. Increase the width of the bathroom door to at least 800mm so that the wheelchair can enter and exit easily. If you don't want to remove the wall to increase the width of the door, you can consider narrowing the door frame.

In addition, replacing the open-close shower door with a sliding door is a more ideal design. Sliding doors are not only easy to open and close, but also provide a more practical bathroom space, which is not restricted by switches and is convenient for entry and exit. But please remember that the track for installing the sliding door must be placed above the door, and avoid setting it below, because the design below will create a threshold, hindering the wheelchair from entering and exiting, and it is easy to trip.

So, if you have an elderly person at home, have you ever considered that a wide bathroom door may pose a potential threat to your safety and that of the elderly? The above suggestions may be the solution you urgently need.

Image from Housing Society Elderly Link

Considerations of Threshold

In Hong Kong home design, we can usually see 2 to 3 inch high "thresholds" at the front door, bathroom and kitchen doors. The function of these thresholds is mainly to prevent dust from the corridor from entering the room, and to prevent water from the bathroom and kitchen from entering the living room. From the perspective of design aesthetics, the color and style of the threshold are usually matched with the floor. However, have you ever thought that these thresholds may be a terrible home trap for the elderly?

Imagine if you had weak legs, frequent knee pain, and poor balance, and had to step over 2- to 3-inch high thresholds every day, how great would the risk of stumbling be? Or if you had an eye disease, such as cataracts, which blurred your vision for a long time, how difficult would it be to identify thresholds? Therefore, for the elderly, a series of thresholds in the home may have become a terrible trap. In fact, it is not uncommon for the elderly to suffer fractures, permanent disability, or even death due to stumbling on thresholds in their homes. This is a problem that we cannot ignore.

In order to improve the safety of the elderly, we need to think about how to solve this problem. One possible solution is to reduce or eliminate the height of the threshold, making it easier for the elderly to enter and exit the room steadily. In addition, you can consider using a design without a threshold, which can not only reduce the risk of stumbling, but also make it easier for the elderly to use wheelchairs or walkers. In addition, choosing bright and high-contrast colors can help the elderly more easily identify the location of the threshold.

We must pay attention to the impact of threshold issues in our homes on the elderly. By improving threshold design, we can create a safer and barrier-free living environment for the elderly, reduce their risk of trips and injuries, and improve their quality of life.

Triple the indoor lighting and install sensor lights

Here are some important considerations when designing home lighting for the elderly:

Uniform lighting: It is key to focus on providing uniform and soft lighting. Avoid strong light concentrated in a specific area or causing glare. Designs such as fake ceiling light troughs, wall-mounted furniture light troughs, and ceiling box lights can disperse the light source and create a uniform and soft lighting effect.

Appropriate brightness: Provide enough light to improve the visual ability of the elderly. The elderly usually have poor vision, so providing appropriate brightness helps them see objects and the environment better. According to the size and purpose of the room, choose the appropriate lamps and bulb brightness, and consider using dimmers to adjust the lighting intensity.

Convenience of lighting control: The height of the light switch should be designed to be shorter, about 850 to 900 mm, so that the elderly can control the light independently. At the same time, the switch design of the light switch should be simple and easy to use, easy to touch and operate, and avoid using an overly complex switch system.

Night navigation: Installing motion-activated lights or night lights in areas such as corridors, bedrooms and bathrooms can provide adequate lighting to help the elderly navigate to their destination when they get up at night, reducing the risk of falls.

Consider natural light: Making the most of natural light is both environmentally friendly and beneficial. Make sure windows have appropriate curtains or blinds to control the amount of light in your home and prevent glare from direct sunlight.

Safety considerations: Ensure that lighting equipment meets safety standards and regularly inspect and maintain the operating condition of lamps to avoid possible safety risks.

The importance of rounded corners on walls and cabinets

Radiusing wall and cabinet corners is an important design detail. There are several reasons and advantages to this design choice.

First of all, safety is one of the most important considerations. For the elderly, sharp corners of walls and cabinets may pose a potential risk of injury to their bodies. If you accidentally touch a sharp corner, it may cause impact injuries or skin damage. Therefore, rounding the corners of walls and cabinets can reduce these potential injury risks and improve the safety and comfort of the living environment.

Secondly, rounded corners can bring a soft, streamlined visual effect to the interior space. Sharp corners may give people a hard and severe feeling, while rounded corners have a warmer and more comfortable feeling. This design element can increase the visual appeal and beauty of the overall space, creating a warm, comfortable and modern living atmosphere.

In addition, rounded corners can increase the sense of space and mobility. This is especially important for seniors who need to use wheelchairs, walkers or other assistive devices. Sharp corners may become obstacles, limiting their free movement and operation. Rounded corners can provide more space and accessibility, allowing seniors to move around and perform daily activities more easily.

Building Maintenance Grant Scheme for Needy Owners

Details

The aim is to provide financial assistance to owner-occupiers in need to subsidise the cost of repairing their buildings, improve the condition of their buildings and enhance the safety of their homes.

Eligibility
1. Applicants must hold a valid Hong Kong identity card; and
2. The applicant must be the owner of a domestic unit in a domestic or mixed-use building; and
3. The applicant and his/her legal spouse (if married) both reside in the application property; and
4. Applicants must meet one of the following conditions:
i. Elderly persons aged 60 or above who meet the income and asset limits ; or
ii. a recipient of Old Age Living Allowance; or
iii. a recipient of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance; or
(Recipients of comprehensive social security assistance must meet the following requirements:
a. There is a senior citizen aged 65 or above living with him/her; or
b. A family member living with the applicant is certified by a doctor in a public hospital or clinic as a disabled person or a person in poor health; or
c. There are no able-bodied adults under the age of 50 living with him/her)
iv. recipients of Disability Allowance who meet the income and asset limits ; or
5. The applicant must not be a bankrupt person who has not been discharged from bankruptcy.

Subsidy Amount
1. Each subsidy application is capped at HK$80,000. Each eligible applicant and his/her legal spouse (if married) can be granted a total subsidy of up to HK$80,000. Each property can be granted a maximum subsidy of HK$80,000. The amount of subsidy will be calculated in proportion to the number of shares in the property owned by the eligible applicant and his/her legal spouse (if married).
2. If the applicant has applied for the Home Maintenance Grant Scheme for the Elderly under the Housing Society, he/she may still apply for the Home Maintenance Grant for the Needy from the URA. However, the total amount of the grants available under the two grants will not exceed the maximum grant limit of the Home Maintenance Grant for the Needy (i.e. HK$80,000).
3. Subject to government funding, each applicant may apply for the Maintenance Grant for the Needy in up to 4 installments within 10 years from the date of submission of the first successful application form.

Eligibility for subsidy
1. The scope of works eligible for the subsidy covers domestic units (please refer to the notes on domestic unit maintenance works for details) and/or building common areas (i.e. the common parts of the building)

Carry out the following maintenance works related to building safety:

1.1 Structural improvement works on buildings, such as repairing loose, cracked, peeling or damaged concrete;
1.2 Works to improve the safety condition of building external walls, such as repairing damaged plaster or paper stone;
1.3 Inspect, repair or replace damaged windows;
1.4 Building inspection or repair works;
1.5 Building fire safety improvement works, such as improvement of fire escape routes, means of access for firefighting and rescue operations, and fire-resisting structures;
1.6 To provide, improve and maintain fire protection installations and equipment in buildings;
1.7 Demolition of illegal building works and illegal rooftop structures;
1.8 Improvement of building services and sanitary facilities, such as repair, maintenance and replacement of lifts, fire service installations and equipment, electrical wiring, gas pipes,

Install barrier-free facilities, replace damaged soil pipes, waste pipes, rainwater pipes, water pipes, ventilation pipes and underground drains;
1.9 Repair of roof and platform waterproofing layers, and improvement of water seepage problems;
1.10 Carry out maintenance or improvement works on slopes or retaining walls;
1.11 Works to improve fire protection and building safety in subdivided units;
1.12 Related repair and maintenance works arising from the above works, including survey works and professional services (such as asbestos removal, etc.);
1.13 Carrying out incidental or follow-up works related to items 1.1 to 1.12 above, such as renovation works arising from repair or restoration works; and
1.14 To repay the outstanding balance of building repair loans owed by the applicant to the Buildings Department, Housing Society or Urban Renewal Authority, and/or to revoke the relevant statutory charges/charging orders.

Fees.

Enquiry hotline: 3188 1188

FAQ
1. If an elderly person has already applied for other building repair loans, can he/she apply for this scheme?
Yes, the subsidy granted by the scheme can also be used to repay previous loans, such as the remaining balance of the "Building Security Loan Scheme" or the "Home Improvement Interest-Free Loan".

2. If the elderly want to beautify their home, can they apply for this program?
No, the purpose of this program is to improve the home safety of people in need. Only works targeting home safety are eligible for this program.

3. If the elderly only rent a unit, can they apply?
Yes, because this scheme is only applicable to elderly people’s self-occupied properties and cannot be rented out.

Advantages of using an induction cooker

It is safer for elderly people to use induction cookers at home, as it can reduce the risk of home fires. Compared with traditional gas or LPG stoves, induction cookers have the following advantages:

Safety: The induction cooker uses electromagnetic induction technology, which only generates heat when the pot is placed, and only the bottom of the pot is exposed to the heat source. This means that there will be no open flames around the stove, reducing the risk of fire.
Control and temperature regulation: Induction cooktops are usually equipped with temperature regulation, which allows the heating level to be adjusted exactly as needed. This makes the cooking process more controllable and reduces the possibility of burning food or overheating fat and causing fires.
Thermal efficiency and energy saving: The thermal efficiency of the induction cooker is higher, which can heat up the pot faster and cool down quickly when the pot is removed from the stove. This not only saves cooking time, but also reduces the risk of burns to the elderly during use. In addition, compared with other cooking methods, the induction cooker can also save energy.

Features of Elderly Sofa

When using a sofa for the elderly, the following points should be considered to ensure its safety and comfort:

Seat height: Choose an appropriate seat height to make it easier for the elderly to sit down and stand up. Generally speaking, the seat height should be between 40-45 cm to meet the needs of most elderly people.
Seat Depth and Width: The seat of an elder sofa should have sufficient depth and width to provide comfortable support. A seat that is too deep or too narrow may cause inconvenience or instability.
Back cushion and armrests: Provide comfortable back cushion and armrests to provide good support and posture. The back cushion should have the right amount of softness and hardness to provide comfortable back support, and the height should be able to support the elder's back. The armrests should be designed with the right height and width to help the elder stand up and sit down.
Anti-slip pad: Add an anti-slip pad to the bottom of the sofa to increase stability and prevent the sofa from sliding or moving during use.
Easy to clean: Choose easy-to-clean materials and designs to facilitate daily cleaning and hygiene maintenance for the elderly and caregivers.
Safety: The sofa should be designed with safety features, such as rounded edges and corners, and avoid sharp parts to reduce the risk of accidental injury. In addition, if the sofa has movable parts (such as armrests, backrests, etc.), they should be firmly fixed to avoid accidental sliding or tilting.
Durability and Stability: Make sure the structure of the sofa is strong and durable to withstand long-term use and the weight of the elderly. Use high-quality materials and appropriate reinforcement structure to ensure the stability and durability of the sofa.

Things to note about doors

When designing a home or environment for seniors, we need to pay special attention to their needs and abilities. Seniors often face challenges such as limited mobility, physical decline, and reduced strength, so they need a barrier-free and safe living environment to ensure that they can move freely and easily in and out of rooms, bathrooms, and other spaces.

In addition to considering the size and appearance of the door, we also need to pay attention to the door's width, opening and closing methods, and handle design. These factors are directly related to the accessibility, safety, and convenience of use for the elderly.

Here are some things to note when meeting with the elderly:

Clearance: The clearance of doors is a key factor. When elderly people use wheelchairs or walkers, the clearance of doors needs to be at least 700mm to ensure that they can pass through easily. It is recommended that all doors in the house have a clearance of at least 800mm, especially for bathroom or bedroom doors.
Door type: Single-leaf doors, accordion doors, and bi-fold doors are all common door types, but they have different ways of opening and closing and the space they occupy. Single-leaf doors occupy space behind the door when opening and closing, which may hinder caregivers from assisting the elderly in bathing or moving to the toilet. Although accordion doors do not occupy space behind the door, installing upper and lower rails may increase the risk of tripping, and will reduce the clear width of the door when fully opened. Bi-fold doors occupy less space behind the door when opening and closing, but they will also reduce the clear width of the door when fully opened. For the elderly, a sliding door may be a better choice because it provides a larger space behind the door and the door is wide, which is suitable for the elderly who use wheelchairs or walking frames.
Two-way door: The two-way door is a new design that can open inwards and can also be pulled outwards at the same time. This is very useful for rescue in emergency situations, such as when an accident occurs in the bathroom or toilet, the caregiver can lightly press a button to pull the door outwards for rescue.
Door handles: Elderly people may have reduced finger strength and joint dexterity, so it is important to choose door handles that are suitable for them. Ball handles may require twisting, which may be difficult for elderly people with reduced finger or forearm muscle strength. It is recommended to consider using horizontal handles because they are not only labor-saving but also convenient to use.