Since Australia has an increasingly older population, it is important for many businesses to ensure their premises are safe for them. A good thing about outdoor furniture is its stability, which makes it ideal for older people, even if you use it inside instead of out.
Business managers or those who design interior space for any business, be it an accountants office, a medical centre or accommodation often don’t think in terms of the age of their clients or guests.
This can be especially true of some hotel or motel rooms where the only seating apart from the beds is high stools that can be difficult for older people to use safely. Many older people get a bit dizzy when they stand or sit and doing so from a stool that does not allow your feet to touch the floor can be quite dangerous. Older people get much more tired when driving and if they stop overnight, they need to have really comfortable chairs to sit on.
The bed is for sleeping on
Many motel rooms are set up so that the only place to watch the TV from is the bed. This is often not comfortable, especially when there is not headboard to lean against. If you lean against the wall and bed is on wheels, it will gradually slide away from the wall. If you sit on the edge of the bed there is nothing to support the back or neck, plus you have to have your neck at an awkward angle that can be painful for those with arthritis or a whiplash injury.
Furniture is not that expensive these days. It is easy to go to the furniture store and pick out comfortable chairs that are not too low and thus, difficult to get out of for many elderly people. A comfortable two seater sofa that does not collapse in the middle when two people sit on it is not that expensive, so why put your customers at risk of discomfort?
People like to be comfortable when travelling around on holidays, whether they are grey nomads or a younger generation. Travelling is tiring and having uncomfortable accommodation only makes it worse. People will not return to your motel if they can’t sit down somewhere comfortable during their stay.
Other safety issues
Many motel rooms also have scuffed carpets or loose mats. Both of these can cause elderly people to fall because they may not notice the edge of the carpet sticking up. In addition, the shower stall has a smooth floor that can be slippery when wet. It doesn’t take much to provide a shower mat with grip to make the area safer. Better still, have a shower recess with an inbuilt grip area on the base. This will save any worries about mould build-up from wet grip mats in the shower. It would also be good to have grab rails in the shower for older guests.