長者起居須知
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.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.