Decorating Tips for Senior Adult Living Spaces

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Bradford Square Retirement Community

For more information about the author, click to view their website: Bradford Square Retirement Community

Posted on

Jul 18, 2023

Book/Edition

Florida - Southwest

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Decorating living spaces is an art that allows individuals to create an environment that reflects their personality and enhances their well-being. Regarding senior adult living spaces, design choices can be crucial in promoting comfort, safety, and independence. With careful consideration of color schemes, furniture selection, lighting, and accessibility, you can transform a senior adult living space into a welcoming and functional haven.

Decorating Tips for Senior Adult Living Spaces

1. Consider Using Bright and Contrasting Colors

Using bright and contrasting colors can positively impact senior adult living spaces. Vibrant hues can help enhance mood and create a lively atmosphere, while contrasting colors can aid in visual and depth perception. Additionally, carefully selected color schemes can contribute to better visibility and help seniors distinguish between different elements in their surroundings, promoting safety and ease.

2. Ensure Good Lighting Throughout the Space

Good lighting throughout living spaces can help small spaces feel larger and promote security. A well-lit space can assist with the safe navigation of all areas, from front doors to staircases. In addition, enhancing natural lighting through window coverings and skylights can provide seniors with healthy and natural lighting, improving the quality of their lives.

3. Incorporate Functional and Accessible Storage Solutions

Furniture and storage solutions in senior living spaces should allow for easy accessibility for seniors and medical personnel. Ideal storage options include low shelving, rolling shelves, and closets that open from the top rather than the sides. The furniture should also be appropriate for easy movement.

Choosing Furniture for Senior Citizens

When selecting furniture for senior adults, it's crucial to prioritize comfort and accessibility. Opt for chairs and sofas with firm support and ergonomic designs that provide adequate back and leg support. Look for furniture with features like high armrests and sturdy frames to assist with getting in and out of seats. Additionally, consider furniture with adjustable features, such as recliners with easy-to-use controls, allowing seniors to find the most comfortable position.

What to Look for When Choosing Furniture for Senior Apartments

1. Safety

Look for furniture designed with safety features specifically tailored to the needs of seniors. Opt for chairs and sofas with sturdy construction and proper support for the back and arms. Consider furniture with slip-resistant materials to prevent accidents. Additionally, ensure that tables and other surfaces have rounded edges to minimize the risk of injury from bumps or falls.

2. Durability

Furniture must be durable because senior citizens frequently spend much time in their homes. Look for upholstery made of simple materials to keep and clean, such as leather or microfiber. To ensure endurance, look for furniture with strong solid wood or metal frames. Check for any warranties or guarantees that would increase the assurance of the furniture's strength and caliber.

3. Style

When choosing furniture for senior living spaces, consider the aesthetics of the rooms and how they will fit in with the color scheme, style, and bright décor. Consider an eclectic collection of furniture pieces that offer a variety of styles and options to complement existing furnishings or to create an entirely new look. Furniture should be durable enough to last for a long time.

Decorating on a Budget

Decorating a senior living space doesn't have to break the bank. Start by decluttering and organizing the existing items to create a fresh and spacious feel. Consider repurposing or updating older furniture with slipcovers or new upholstery to give them a new lease on life. Here are some of the trends for 2023 that offer decorating on a budget and can help make senior living spaces more inviting.

1. Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Design

With growing awareness of environmental concerns, incorporating sustainable and eco-friendly elements into the design is becoming increasingly popular. Look for furniture made from recycled materials or opt for energy-efficient lighting options.

2. Biophilic Design

This trend focuses on integrating nature and natural elements into interior spaces. Consider adding plants and natural materials like wood or stone and maximizing natural light to create a calming and rejuvenating atmosphere.

3. Multi-Functional Furniture

As space-saving becomes more important, multi-functional furniture is gaining popularity. Look for pieces that serve multiple purposes, such as storage ottomans, sofa beds, or coffee tables with built-in shelves. These versatile items maximize functionality while minimizing clutter.

Decorating senior adult living spaces requires a thoughtful approach that balances aesthetics, functionality, and safety. By considering factors such as color schemes, furniture selection, lighting, accessibility, and clear pathways; it is possible to create welcoming and comfortable environments that enhance the well-being of senior adults.

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Ona Solutions: Transforming Lives Through Affordable Housing

About Us Welcome to Ona Solutions, where we specialize in providing housing for independent adults and assisting individuals in finding affordable housing options. Our dedicated team is committed to creating safe, supportive, and sustainable living environments that empower individuals to thrive. We operate with a foundation of compassion and a strong sense of community, working tirelessly to ensure everyone has access to a place they can call home. At Ona Solutions, we firmly believe that housing is a fundamental human right and strive to make this belief a reality for all.Mission At Ona Solutions, our mission is to transform lives by offering secure, affordable, and dignified housing solutions for independent adults and those seeking affordable living options. Our goal is to foster a supportive community where individuals can regain stability, independence, and hope. Through our dedicated efforts, we aim to address the housing deficit and ensure that every person we serve has the opportunity to lead a better, more fulfilling life.Vision Our vision at Ona Solutions is a world where affordable housing is accessible to all. We envision a society where everyone has a place to call home, enabling them to lead fulfilling and independent lives. By continuously innovating and advocating for sustainable housing solutions, we aspire to be a leader in creating lasting change and brighter futures for individuals and communities alike.Why Choose Ona Solutions?Commitment to Community: We prioritize creating a sense of belonging by fostering supportive and inclusive housing environments.Affordability: We are dedicated to providing cost-effective housing solutions to help individuals maintain financial stability.Sustainability: Our focus on sustainable practices ensures long-term housing security and positive environmental impact.Empowerment: We empower residents by offering resources and support systems that encourage personal growth and independence.Get Involved At Ona Solutions, we believe positive change happens when communities come together. Whether you are seeking affordable housing or want to support our mission, we welcome you to join our efforts in making housing accessible for all. Together, we can create a brighter future where everyone has a place to call home.

When Grief Doesn't Ease

Sometimes it feels as if your bereavement will never end. You feel as if youd give anything to have the pain go away; to have the long lonely hours between nightfall and dawn pass without heartache. You are not the only grieving person who has longed for some measure of relief.In the novel, My Sisters Keeper, author Jodi Picoult wrote, There should be a statute of limitations on grief. A rule book that says it is all right to wake up crying, but only for a month. That after 42 days you will no longer turn with your heart racing, certain you have heard her call out your name.No such rule book exists. Grief counselors and therapists tell us that the length of time it takes anyone to grieve the loss of someone they held dear to them is dependent on the situation, how attached you were to the deceased, how they died, your age and gender. So many variables exist and theres absolutely no way to predict how long it will take for you to adapt to your loss.The Difference Between Normal and Complicated GriefResearch findings have led experts to come up with many differing categories of grief experience ranging from normal to complicated. Normal (or uncomplicated) grief has no timeline and encompasses a range of feelings and behaviors common after loss such as bodily distress, guilt, hostility, preoccupation with the image of the deceased, and the inability to function as one had before the loss. All are normal and present us with profound, and seemingly endless, challenges. Yet, Katherine Walsh says, Over the course of time, with average social supportmost individuals will gradually experience a diminishment of these feelings, behaviors, and sensations. So, how can you know if your bereavement is no longer within the range of normal? Ms. Walsh goes on to say, While there is no definitive time period by which this happens, if an individual or members of a family continue to experience distress intensely or for a prolonged periodor even unexpectedly years after a lossthey may benefit from treatment for complicated grief.A Useful Model for Assessment: Wordens Four Tasks of MourningThere are certain tasks that, when achieved during your bereavement, can successfully allow you to emerge on the other side of loss as a better, stronger, and more resilient individual. James Worden proposed these four tasks: To accept the reality of the loss To process the pain of grief To adjust to a world without the deceased To find an enduring connection with the deceased in the midst of embarking on a new life Instead of focusing on your bodily discomforts, feelings, and common behaviors, this model allows you to better see where you may be stuck or stalled in the adaptive process. Fortunately, Worden also gives us a list of indicators advising that "any one of these clues in and of itself may not be sufficient" for a diagnosis of complicated grief. "However," he continues, "any of theseshould be taken seriously, and the diagnosis of complicated grief should be considered when they appear."12 Clues... 12 InsightsWhile grief educators and theorists tell us that a diagnosis of complicated grief should not even be attempted until after the first anniversary of the death, if any one of the following symptomatic clues exists for longer than six months, you may want to consider grief counseling or grief therapy: You cannot speak of the deceased without experiencing intense and fresh grief long after the loss. A relatively minor event triggers an intense grief reaction. Your conversations with others are littered with references to loss. In other words, loss is an ever-present motif in your world view. You have issues related to your loved one's possessions. Keeping everything the same as before their death could indicate trouble just as tossing out everything right away can also be a clue to disordered mourning. (You also need to factor in your cultural and religious background) You have developed physical symptoms similar to those of the deceased before their death. Sometimes these symptoms recur annually, on the anniversary of the death, or on holidays. An increased susceptibility to illness or the development of a chronic physical complaint can also be an indicator. If you have made radical changes to your lifestyle, or excluded friends, family members, or even activities associated with the deceased, it may indicate unresolved grief. A long history of depression, often marked by guilt or low self-esteem, can reveal disordered mourning. The opposite is also true: a person experiencing a false sense of happiness or elation could be experiencing unresolved grief. A compulsion to imitate the deceased, in personality or behavior, can be a sign of complicated mourning. Having self-destructive impulses or exhibiting self-destructive behaviors can be significant. These can range from substance abuse, engaging in self-harm, developing eating disorders and suicidal tendencies. A sense of unexplained sadness occurring at a certain time each year (holidays, anniversaries, or birthdays) can also be a clue to unresolved grief. Developing a strong fear about dying, especially when it relates to the illness that took the life of your loved one, is an important clue. If you have avoided visiting your loved one's grave or if you are still unwilling to discuss the circumstances of their death, this could indicate complications in your bereavement. There are many types of complicated grief; it can be delayed, masked, exaggerated, or chronic. Self-diagnosis is without purpose. A year after the death, if you feel your grief symptoms worsening, we advise that you seek a referral from your family physician for professional grief counseling or therapy.Sources: Walsh, Katherine, Grief and Loss: Theories and Skills for the Helping Professions, 2nd Edition, 2012 Worden, James, Grief Counseling & Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner, 4th Edition, 2009

Local Services By This Author

Bradford Square Retirement Community

Independent Living 3255 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Naples, Florida, 34109

Bradford Square Retirement Community, located in Naples, Florida, is the perfect choice for seniors seeking worry-free living in a luxurious setting. As Naples's independent living leader for seniors, Bradford Square offers all-inclusive, 55-plus senior living with 24/7 service, resort-style dining, and beautiful accommodations. Our community is known for its breathtaking sunsets, choice shopping, beautiful beaches, and world-class golf, making it an ideal setting for our residents.At Bradford Square, we pride ourselves on providing a vibrant and engaging lifestyle for our residents. From our spacious floor plans to our exceptional amenities, every aspect of our community is designed to enhance the lives of those who call Bradford Square home. Our residents enjoy a wide range of activities and amenities, including games, travel, exercise, movies, and more. Our on-site dining options offer a variety of delicious meals, including a full lunch and dinner menu with a choice of two entrees, two soups, and a full salad bar.Interested in learning more about our luxury retirement community? Schedule a personal tour today to see for yourself why Bradford Square is the premier choice for independent senior living in Naples.