Eight Ideas for Aging in Place Kitchen Design in Lafayette, IN

February 25, 2017 12:23 am Published by Leave your thoughts

For many older or disabled individuals, the kitchen is a site of tremendous frustration and difficulty—especially if they used to really enjoy cooking. The combination of high spaces, deep spaces, poor arrangement and other factors can make even the simplest kitchen tasks too challenging to complete. Fortunately, through expert aging in place kitchen design in Indiana, your kitchen can be transformed into a much more welcoming space. Here’s a closer look at some of the features you might find helpful to install:

  • Pullout pantry: If you’ve gotten used to having a pantry, it’s not something you’re likely to want to give up! But having a very tall or very deep pantry presents challenges to those with balance issues or other ailments. Installing a pullout pantry makes it much easier to view and access the staples you need for your everyday cooking.
  • Rounded edges: Countertops and cabinets frequently have sharp edges that can be extremely painful to bump into by accident. Avoid scratches, scrapes, cuts and bruises by having those sharp edges and corners rounded off.
  • Move the sink closer to the stove: One of the more frustrating kitchen design flaws is having the sink and the stove located far away from one another. This is annoying for just about anyone, but having to carry heavy cookware from the stove to the sink presents particular challenges for older and disabled individuals. Rearranging these components can reduce the difficulties to a considerable extent.
  • Shallow sink: You might’ve appreciated that deep sink when you had a house full of kids and a never-ending supply of dirty dishes. But if it’s just you and your spouse now, if you live alone or if you’re in a wheelchair, a shallow sink can be a much more practical and accessible feature.
  • Countertop microwave: A microwave above the stovetop is not an appealing feature for older individuals whose upper body strength may not be what it once was—and for individuals in wheelchairs, they simply aren’t accessible at all. A microwave can be moved to the countertop or even installed at countertop level to make using it much easier.
  • Increase clearance space: Typically, there’s a three-foot space between a kitchen island and a countertop. When you bring a wheelchair into the room, this arrangement can basically render the kitchen inaccessible. Aging in place kitchen design in Indiana can increase the clearance space to provide more room and restore accessibility.
  • Non-slip flooring: Much like the bathroom, the kitchen is a space prone to spills and messes—and thus the site of many slip-and-fall accidents. We can install non-slip tile and other flooring options to reduce the likelihood of injury and improve traction.
  • Pullout shelves: Deep cabinets pose a similar problem as a walk-in pantry, in that items at the back can be extremely difficult to access for those with mobility or flexibility limitations. Pullout shelves and drawers make it a lot easier to get to those hard-to-reach items, even for those who are unable to stand.

Design Alternatives is committed to providing high quality aging in place kitchen design in Lafayette, IN for older and disabled individuals. To learn more, or to set up a consultation, please get in touch with us today!

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