Thinking About Safe Flooring

The statistics are telling: This year, over 60% of older Americans will slip and fall in or around their homes. Many of these falls will cause severe injury and expensive hospitalizations. In some cases, the outcomes can be life-changing, but, with careful planning, can be avoided.

So, when you sit down to begin considering Aging-in-Place modifications, floor safety should be top of mind. In this post, we want to pass on some of the issues we think about when designing and constructing aging in place environments for our clients. Our perspective is always to maximize client safety without compromising great design and appearance. Given that overall framework, here are some of the items we consider.

NO-SLIP. Perhaps the most crucial consideration is the "slipperiness" factor. Put another way, how slip-resistant is the floor. Ceramic tiles, highly waxed wood floors are a few of the culprits. This factor is especially important in kitchens and bathrooms, where the moisture increases the slip factor.

WALKABILITY. What's the best floor surface for mobility, either walking or navigating a wheelchair, cane, or walker? The answer involves paying attention to ultra-soft or "snaggy" surfaces as well as a reduction of seams and joints. Remove or stretch out the old wall to wall carpet, or, better yet, replace it with a solid surface.

CUSHIONING. Hardwood flooring, stone, or something more forgiving, like carpeting or soft tile. You don't want to fall on a hard surface, but you also don't want to trip on high-pile rug surfaces, so find the balance that's right for you.

KEEPING IT CLEAN. We pay attention to how easy is it to keep a floor clean. Dirt and soil add to the slipperiness factor, particularly on harder surfaces.

FEELS GOOD. If you don't feel comfortable in your home, then we have failed in our planning. You need to enjoy your home design.

AREA RUGS. In general, area rugs and floor mats can present significant problems. While they can look great, by adding color or texture to the room decor, they can present tripping hazards. Small area rugs and mats can slide easily and create uneven surfaces. Older adults tend not to lift their feet as high when walking and can trip if they catch on one of these floor coverings. Maneuvering walkers and wheelchairs around area rugs can difficult. However, if you must have an area rug, make sure it has a grippy undersurface that won't slide and that corners are secured down and that the carpet is not too thick.

SINGLE FLOOR SURFACE. It's best to use a single floor surface throughout the space to reduce the seams or thresholds that can create tripping hazards. Again the danger is the tendency of older adults to drag their feet, and it's easier for a walker or wheelchair to navigate over one surface.

LIGHTING. Make sure that there is proper lighting in hallways, stairs, kitchens, and bathrooms. Nothing reduces fall rates more than adequate illumination.

There's a wide variety of flooring products in the marketplace designed to ensure that the flooring you install is safe and attractive. It's a pleasure to share our knowledge of flooring and help you make choices as you begin planning your aging in place solutions.