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Making sure stairs are safe for the elderly

  • Making sure stairs are safe for the elderly

Making sure stairs are safe for the elderly

We’ve talked you through what to do when your staircase starts to creak and crack – but what about when your body does the same? Or perhaps you need to support in making sure the staircase of your elderly family members is safe and secure.

The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to make stairs suitable for the elderly – and it doesn’t have to involve fitting a cumbersome stairlift. And for yourself, in the long-term, it’s much better to keep moving than to move to a sedentary lifestyle earlier than is necessary.

And according to research, 78% of people aged 55 or older want to continue to live in their current home as they get older, so it’s important that you can make simple home adaptations should you need them.

Here are some of our top tips:

Flooring

The most important thing to take into consideration is the flooring on your staircase, hallway, and landing. Carpets are often better than wood or vinyl flooring because it provides more grip and is much less of a slip hazard. But it’ll need to be tightly fitted and kept in a good condition.

De-clutter

Things are often added to our stairs to make them look nicer – but they can often get in the way. Unnecessary items in, on or around the stairs can also be a trip hazard, particularly for people who have mobility issues or problems with their eyesight. Make sure you keep your staircase and surrounding areas clear from clutter.

Handrails

If your staircase is more than one metre (1000mm) wide, you’ll legally need a handrail on both sides of your staircase. But it may be worth getting one fitted anyway to help people with mobility issues as they go up and down. They’ll also need to be placed at a minimum height of 900mm.

Check out our handy guide handrails for more information, but whatever you choose, it should be easy for someone to hold onto and sturdy enough for them to grab if they should fall or stumble.

Making sure stairs are safe for the elderly

Making sure stairs are safe for the elderly

Lighting

In the same way that stairs need to be free from clutter, they need to be well lit to ensure people using them can see where they are stepping. Bright overhead lighting with multiple bulbs is the best, with switches at the top and bottom of the stairs so the user can turn them on and off easily when they need them. Consider using easy-to-use rocker switches rather than push buttons or dimmer switches. 

See some of our other lighting tips in our blog on how to brighten up your home with staircase lighting.

Colour

The colour of your stairs and flooring will make a big difference for people with eyesight issues – or even if they may be struggling with dementia. Contrasting colours is key to help people see where one step ends, and another one begins. See our stair cladding range with reversible risers, that are ideal to provide that contrast whislt also making your stairs look great.

Patterned carpets can also make this hard to distinguish. However, be wary of using colours which could be construed as other things by some people with dementia – for example blue could be seen as water and green could be seen as grass. Read our blog about using contrasting colour schemes.