Elderly Needs And Wants That Should Be Met
The population is growing and ageing, meaning there are more elderly people alive today than ever before.
With advancements in medicine and a better standard of living, life expectancy is increasing and adjustments need to be made to help people as they live for longer.
Here are just five ways accessibility can be improved to help the ageing population.
1. Improving changing rooms and toilets
If you’re lucky you may find one disabled access toilet per toilet block and one larger changing room per store, however, this needs to change in order to make these areas more suitable for the elderly population.
As we age, we lose mobility and confined toilet cubicles and small changing rooms can make it very difficult for those with restricted movement to access the services. It is also not fair that they all wait for the one accessible cubicle available.
By simply extending the size of toilets and changing rooms people who require a wheelchair, a mobility scooter or an aid would simply like more space to get around and still enjoy the same retail experience.
2. The inclusion of lifts or stairlifts in highrise buildings
Building accessibility has come a long way in recent years yet still many shops and high rise buildings do not provide a lift, stairlift or alternative means of accessing the higher levels of the building.
This deficiency can make them very difficult to navigate for anyone who struggles using the stairs. Hence, it is good you plan that if you expect a number of elderly people around your home or work.
3. The provision of accessible furniture
Very low sofas or hard uncomfortable chairs are not user-friendly for the elderly population.
In the same way that many doctors surgeries now provide bariatric chairs for overweight patients, there should be a number of accessible options such as sit-stand chairs for elderly people at restaurants, cinemas and other events.
These can be purchased to look just like any other piece of stylish furniture thanks to companies such as Crown Furniture but will ensure that anyone with restricted movement is able to enjoy the same experience as their friends and family.
4. More accessible public transport
Many elderly people prefer city living as they age as it makes it easier to get around, however some public transport can still be inaccessible.
Bus stops often do not provide proper seating and there can be lengthy walks between stops.
Making public transport more accessible is about more than simply providing reserved seating but re-thinking bus routes and the journey that a person may need to make either end.
5. Encourage web accessibility
For many older people, the internet can seem like a very inaccessible place. To rectify this, apps and products need to be designed with older users in mind. These accessibility issues often overlap with those of users with disabilities such as visual or cognitive impairments.
Another way to help older people access the internet is to offer guidance support and training to help them get to grips with unfamiliar technology, more needs to be done to support the ageing population in their use of the internet as it can help them with many other areas of their lives.
