Daily Living Tips for the Elderly
The daily living tips for the elderly include: keeping the home safe to prevent trips and slips; providing adequate lighting, especially in areas prone to accidents; choosing furniture that meets physical needs and is comfortable; paying attention to a balanced diet; exercising moderately to maintain physical 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.
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.
Elderly people aged 60 need 2 to 3 times more brightness than young people aged 20, and elderly people aged 86 need 5 times more brightness.
Consider the amount and brightness of lighting in different locations in your home:
■Kitchen work: 300LUX
■Reading: 750LUX
■Corridor lighting: 120LUX
Sensitivity to light Elderly people who look directly at light bulbs or the strong light caused by reflective homewares may experience eye pain or see halos or rainbows, which may affect their vision.
■ All lamps in the home need to be covered with lampshades to prevent strong light from shining directly into the eyes and causing stinging and glare.
■ Avoid placing too many reflective decorative items in your home.
Color discrimination: Elderly people’s ability to distinguish colors declines, so the colors used in their homes need special consideration.
■ Items and instructions related to home safety: Use high-contrast colors, such as blue+orange, green+red.
■ Warm colors are easier to identify and are recommended as primary colors, such as red, orange, and yellow.
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 complicated 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.