How to Have a Senior Friendly Kitchen

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By Terria Fleming
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Have a Senior Friendly Kitchen

When planning a kitchen for a senior, think ease of use and safety above all.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

a plan
money to buy needed senior friendly equipment

Step 1

microwave

Seniors often live alone, and because they don't like eating alone, they may eat less and skip meals. To make sure that they eat enough, consider these easy to use appliances, a microwave at waist height so they don't have to reach for hot food above them, a small toaster oven, a jar opener, a kitchen timer, and an easy to use can opener.

Many home accidents that seniors have are connected with cooking stoves, so microwave ovens are safer. And make sure you have plenty of microwavable containers for cooking and heating foods in.

If you have a choice in stoves, purchase one where the dials are on the front and not at the rear of the stove. Seniors often have trouble reaching, and front dials are much easier for an elderly person to handle. Make sure the dials are large and easy to read.

If you shop for a senior, or with one, encourage them to buy some easy to fix meals like frozen pot pies and various frozen dinners that can be microwaved.
Step 2

kitchen lights

Lighting in the kitchen is important too. Overhead lighting should contain three or more bulbs of about 75 watts each. Task lighting should be at least 100 watts.

Use a large dial kitchen clock, and have a kitchen timer too. Encourage the senior to use the timer whenever they are cooking, especially when baking in the oven.

A rubber non-stick mat in front of the kitchen sink can prevent slipping and falling. Get the heavy duty ones like the ones used in restaurant kitchens. Also, any flooring material that is used in a seniors kitchen, should not be highly polished for the same reason.
Step 3

non-slip floor mat

Replace large and heavy pots and pans with lighter and smaller pans. Seniors lose strength as they age, as well as eating less, because they are living alone or as a couple, rather than a larger family unit, so seniors seldom need big pots or pans to cook with.

Make sure frequently used items are not too high to reach.

Keep a grip leveler in the kitchen to allow the senior to reach items on the floor or over their head. Keep it on a hook in the kitchen when not in use.

Comments

vallain said

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on 8/14/2009 Really good advice. I'll check over my Mom's kitchen soon to see if there are any safety problems like you mention. Throw rugs are a tripping hazard, so I'm glad you recommended the mats instead.

SeventhSibling said

on 8/23/2008 Love the "elderly people" sign. Lots of detail. Great advice those of us heading to elderlyville. Thanks for doing the research!

projectmgr said

on 8/7/2008 Have the regular type electric stove wired to an actual timer with a maximum of 30 minutes. The timer needs to be turned on to operate the stove and will automatically shut off after the set time expires. Not too good for baking, but is safer.