Flooring for Your Elderly : Understand To prevent Falls

There are a number of reasons the elderly need special flooring. Firstly, seniors tend to stumble and fall, so they require floors that are less slippery to prevent this.

Additionally, flooring that is easy to clean is essential for a healthy hygienic environment at home. The elderly can also suffer from low back pain, knee problems, and hip issues, and can benefit from flooring that reduces the impact on their skeletal system.

Flooring to help prevent falls

Senior citizens can suffer from loss of balance and depth perception as well as weak knees, hips, and backs that can often contribute to very serious falls. Senior citizens are also often vulnerable to strokes and other sudden attacks that can lead to serious falls.

People who fall and suffer hip and back injuries are at high risk of dying due to complications resulting from the injury. In some cases, the person never fully recovers from the injury and is likely to die years later as a result of complications from the injury. 

Considering home modifications for the elderly such as Installing special flooring for your elderly parents, relatives or clients is a great idea because it gives them an extra degree of stability. You can use non-slip tiles specially designed to provide additional grip. Modular rubber flooring is another great option because you don't have to remove your current floor.

Rubber flooring comes in tile form that can be attached together and laid over your current flooring. Rubber floors have an excellent nonslip surface while covering the existing flooring, and they also provide cushioning of body impact while walking.

people who have particularly painful conditions like osteoporosis and arthritis, and those recuperating from hip or knee surgery need rubber flooring of extra thickness. Thick rubber can also cut the severity of injury in the event of a fall.

Many people use rubber tiles in the shower or bath for anti-slip protection. Non-slip tiles are so easily paired it's safer for seniors. Seniors tend to slide or shuffle their feet when walking, so smooth surfaces make it less likely they will trip.

The benefits of a soft floor

Although an elderly person may break their fall, they can still suffer hand and wrist injuries if they are living on a hardwood or ceramic tile floor without cushioning.

It is best for those who have porous, fragile bones to cushion the landing with flooring of rubber. There are several different methods of padding the floor that can be applied under the floor tiles for extra cushioning.

You may not think of rubber floor tiles as rubber mats for your shower. Rubber tiles come in a variety that looks like carpet, hardwood or ceramic tile.

Additionally to protecting against hard impacts during falls, the soft floors are perfect for seniors with sore joints and other ailments. 

Soft surfaces are especially useful during cold weather when the pain of rheumatism may be more intense. Based on the severity of your condition, you can choose padding that differs in thickness.

Modular floors are easy to clean

Some older people have problems with incontinence, which can lead to messy accidents. Modular tile floors can help ease the cleaning and maintenance process.

The tiles are easily detachable so that you can wash and dry them separately. Once dried, they are also as easy to reinstall. By removing the tiles, you can also thoroughly clean the area underneath to eliminate bacteria, mold, and mildew.

It is relatively easy to clean and dry modular carpet, vinyl, and rubber tiles. With urine stains on fabrics, vinegar will break down the odor-causing urea. Many floors have stable-color fabrics that you can wash with bleach to remove all stains and smells.

Additionally, vinegar and bleach have been proven effective in the destruction of unhealthy bacteria that can grow on both soft and hard surfaces.

Low or no VOC flooring

There is a good chance that many of us are not familiar with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, several studies show that VOCs can cause various health problems including respiratory illnesses, headaches, and pneumonia. Some VOCs are even linked to an increased risk of cancer.

It is believed that VOC levels in the indoor environment can be significantly higher than they are in the outdoor environment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The elderly are already dealing with a lot of health problems, so lowering the VOC levels at home can be very beneficial. Specifically, you want to avoid VOCs such as formaldehyde, which is particularly harmful to the human body.

There are significant differences between flooring materials and the amount of VOCs they may contain:

Bamboo 

A great choice for attractive wood flooring, adhesives used to connect bamboo panels and tiles can contain volatile organic compounds. This means that you should only use bamboo or other materials that meet the E1 standard in order to keep the VOCs to a minimum.

Carpet 

Several types of carpets contain compounds that are harmful to indoor air quality, so you must choose the right product. If you are looking for extra safe carpets, look for carpets with the E1 standard and CRI Green label for carpets with very low or no VOC content.

Cork 

The E1 standard for cork adhesives assures low VOCs. The binders used in cork manufacture are toxic, but these are mainly removed during processing.

Hardwood 

Wood flooring finishes and adhesives contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To check for VOCs, you can check for E1 standards or ask the retailer or manufacturer.

Vinyl and linoleum 

It is important to remember that all-natural linoleum can smell strongly after installation since it contains linseed oil. However, it does not contain as high a VOC content as the vinyl. 

Vinyl emits harmful chemicals for years after installation due to the synthetic materials it is made from. You must be extremely cautious when choosing vinyl for elderly people.

Final Word

By choosing appropriate flooring for seniors, they can prevent falls and achieve overall improved health and well-being. Additionally, modules are easy to clean and many are bleach safe, making it easier to handle tough stains and odors.