Aging is a true thing that happens to all people. With age, our motor skills get sloppier and we're more prone to slips and falls. In addition, we have less energy to spend on mundane tasks like cleaning. The way out is to adjust.
Selecting the proper flooring will help seniors avoid these complications in their everyday life.
The perfect flooring material ought to be soft enough to provide needed support to bones and joints in the event of accidents. At the same time, the floor should be relatively simple to maintain because some elderly also fight with mobility issues.
Here is our summary of the ideal flooring alternatives for seniors that balance ease of upkeep and safety.
Carpet
Being soft and warm, carpet is often the go to flooring material for children's rooms. It is a fantastic flooring choice for elderly for the exact same reason. Carpet's cushioned surface provides much-needed support in the event of accidental falls. The heat it offers underfoot may also be advantageous to older, who often experience lack of body heat or have a difficulty maintaining it.
However, carpet flooring might not be an ideal choice for many seniors.
Carpet tends to collect dust particles from the fibers and then sets it free every time somebody steps on its own surface. This can harm the indoor air quality of the space and cause health related issues, especially for seniors dealing with respiratory illnesses.
Maintaining carpeting isn't the simplest of tasks. Due to its structure spills and stains may go deep into the cloth. This can make maintenance problematic for seniors, especially those who experience mobility problems. If not cleaned correctly, over time carpeting can become a home for bacteria and insects and result in sanitation problems.
Vinyl Floors
Vinyl is made from rubber which gives the floor certain flexibility and protective ability in the event of accidental slips. Installing additional felt or cork paddings underneath can make the surface even more cushiony.
Caring for a vinyl flooring is as easy as it gets. Being a resilient floor it is almost impenetrable to water and stains. This makes vinyl floors a really hassle-free solution for senior citizen's flooring requirements.
The sole drawback installing a vinyl flooring has is its effect on the environment.
Vinyl is made of a non-renewable resource. The production process consumes fuel while setting free radicals along with other dangerous byproducts.
Cork Floors
Cork flooring are famed for their soft underfoot that's the most thing seniors want.
What is less known about cork is that along with creating tumbles and falls less painful it helps minimize heat loss and external sound.
Caring for a cork floor is relatively simple provided that the sealant is set up. The cork itself is a porous material, the sealant is the thing that protects its surface from stains and spills. To maintain cork floor clean all you'll want to do is sweep or vacuum on a regular basis.
As in with each porous flooring material the significant disadvantage with cork floors is its capacity to soak up liquids. To avoid any damage of the kind, cork floor ought to be resealed at least once a year.
Because of its softness bamboo flooring can easily be harmed by furniture legs, high heels or some other sharp object which could poke or scratch its surface.
