Choosing Chairs for the Elderly
Elderly people spend most of their time sitting as their mobility decreases with the passage of time. They always look for comfortable sitting. You may have noticed that your older relatives always complain about uncomfortable sitting because they feel pain and suffering while sitting on them. Or they may have bad experiences with uncomfortable sitting. They will often even sleep during the day to avoid further discomfort. But rest assured there are chairs that even the fussiest elderly citizens will find comfortable, you just have to know what to look for.
There are a ton of options that are available for you to choose the best types of chairs for elder people. Sometimes you may face difficulty while deciding the best chairs for elderly people. It is important to be well informed in order to perform better decision making. If you get it wrong, it may cost you thousands of dollars. This article is all about choosing the best chair for elderly people, and the key benefits of using comfortable chairs. So let's dive into it.
The Significance of Proper Seating:
We need to work against gravity to sit upright with the correct posture. Sitting upright has a number of benefits. As we get old, our muscles also become weaker, and they tend to fatigue more rapidly which leads to tilting towards one side.
Poor posture leads to a number of health issues, and it has negative effects on a person's health and fitness. It can cause all sorts of issues, from continuous lung problems to urinary tract infections. If they do not sit properly, they may fall from the chair or they may feel pain and discomfort all day. Poor seating also affects older people’s breathing and can be extremely dangerous for the overall health of the elderly.
1. Comfort
Comfort is indispensable for older people and if a chair is not comfortable it is of no use. All other factors are of secondary importance. A comfortable chair can improve the overall health and experience of an elderly person's life.
2. Wheels
Wheels make movement throughout a home or facility much easier. Wheels give easy access to the family members of patients so that they can move patients through several corridors and places. Wheels also promote social interaction of family members with the patient and the patient never gets bored and uncomfortable.
3. All Features Should be Adjustable
If a chair has multiple options for adjustability, it is a big plus for that chair. It must have adjustable height and width options for older people. It must have options to accommodate the age and weight of a patient.
4. Head Support
There may be a few patients who struggle to keep their heads stable. These people will need further head support from a structured head pillow. You may provide them with other head support which supports their neck, head, and spine. Poor head control may have potential breathing and feeding impacts. It is significant to support the head of a patient.
5. Foot Rest
19% of our body weight goes through our feet. If the patient has reduced mobility or is immobile, they will need to be able to load their feet either on a leg rest, footplate, or the ground to ensure stability and to manage pressure redistribution throughout the body.
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