Why are adjustable seating solutions becoming popular among seniors?

This morning Margaret had spent twenty minutes setting up the kitchen chair to sit and have her morning tea. As she sat back into the cushion against her lower back she moved forward on her seat to take pressure off her knees. By the time she got to pick up her now cold tea, she had found her perfect spot. There are countless Australian homes of all ages where daily routines such as Margaret’s take place. However in an ever aging population it is becoming increasingly important for homes to be equipped with suitable senior’s furniture in order for people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. This article looks at senior’s furniture in relation to ‘aging in place’.

The shift towards ageing in place

When senior Australians are asked where they want to live as they age, 83% of them say they want to live in their own homes. The challenge for homes of senior Australians is that they were designed for and lived in by families of young children and then a family of working age adults. They were not designed for aging bodies. Standard commercial furniture, such as chairs and sofas, are designed for average body proportions and assume a degree of flexibility and strength that most people lose with age. The result is that most chairs are less than comfortable to sit in for older people and can even become unsafe as people age.

A home where senior citizens reside today is the home of their youth. It is the home of their young adult years. It is the home of their child rearing years. It is the home of their working years. As a result, the typical home where senior citizens reside today was not designed with the needs of senior citizens in their senior or golden years in mind. In terms of furniture, most chairs and sofas are designed and constructed with average adult physical dimensions and physical abilities in mind. They are designed and constructed with average adult flexibility and average adult strength in mind. As people grow older, their typical home furniture becomes less and less comfortable over time. In many cases, the typical home furniture of senior citizens can even become unsafe for senior citizens to use over time.

There is a big push for elderly people to ‘age in place’ in their own homes for as long as possible and now there is a shift in furniture design to cater for the aging population. Much of the current home that seniors currently live in were designed and built for families with young children and therefore not suitable for elderly people with decreased flexibility and decreased strength. Most chairs have fixed seat height and a fixed backrest. Not enough consideration has been given to the height of seats, the depth and height of arm chairs, the amount of back support a chair provides.

Beyond basic comfort

Social isolation can also be combated by providing the senior with the ability to participate in hobbies or other activities of interest to them for long periods of time while sitting comfortably. Many older people suffer from chronic back pain that is caused by a lack of back support from their chairs. In turn, this back pain can cause them to spend more time in bed where they are able to lie down and be comfortable. While in bed, their muscles will continue to atrophy from lack of use, causing them to become less and less able to sit in a chair, thus continuing a vicious cycle.

In addition to these social problems of sitting for long periods of time there are many safety issues. One of the biggest problems of sitting for long periods of time is the risk of falling. This can occur when a person is sitting in a chair that is at the incorrect height. Often this means that the person has to stand up from a crouched position which can be particularly difficult for elderly people as they have less strength and less balance than younger people. In homes where most of the furniture is of fixed height this can mean that the furniture actually increases the risk of falls rather than decreases it. Other problems of sitting for long periods of time are that it can worsen back problems. Many chairs do not have adequate lumbar support, meaning that they put a lot of pressure on the back. This can cause pain in the back and in some cases can even make existing back problems worse.

Engineering solutions for real problems

There are many health problems that affect older people and many of these can be prevented by sitting with the correct support for that individual. By enabling people to sit comfortably for long periods of time, to read, watch TV or participate in hobbies and interests, adjustable seating can also help to prevent social isolation. Many modern adjustable seats now have a number of features that have been included in order to provide support for the user and also to provide them with as much independence as possible. For example, the seat height can be adjusted in order to allow the user to sit with their feet on the floor and to stand up from the seat easily.

There have been tremendous advancements within the lumbar support system found on many current chairs on the market. While simple back rests with cushions were found on many chairs in the past, current designs provide maximum support for the user’s lower back. These designs incorporate adjustable curves that enable the chair to provide optimal support while allowing for the user’s spine to return to its natural position. In addition, many of today’s chairs have independently adjustable upper and lower backrests that allow for optimal support to be provided to all areas of the user’s spine. As all areas of the human spine do not age at the same rate, these independently adjustable backrests allow for each section of the user’s spine to be provided with the necessary support as required.

Perhaps the greatest feature of modern adjustable seating is the assistance that can be built into the furniture. Whether an electric recliner chair for elderly that assists the elderly person to gently lift themselves up from a seated position and stand up, assistance can be built into the seat without the user even realizing it.

Material science makes a difference

Many current models of furniture have addressed some of the older models flaws by incorporating memory foam into the cushioning of the seating and backrest. At one time memory foam was considered to be a high end product and was found in very few products on the market. These days it is found in fact found in most adjustable chairs for the senior person as it provides support without pressure. The skin of the older person is also affected by the aging process and becomes more sensitive to pressure than younger skin.

Chair fabrics have also changed significantly in recent years. The ‘premium’ fabric of old was Memory Foam which has since become a standard feature. The Memory Foam formulations have evolved significantly since they were first introduced to provide the correct amount of support and firmness for aging skin that is now more sensitive than ever before. Other fabric features that have become standard include stain resistant treatments and moisture-wicking properties to name a few. These features provide a number of benefits to users and are now expected as standard.

Control matters psychologically

Allowing seniors to change their seating as often as required allows them to have control of their environment and thus maintain their dignity.

There is also considerable psychological benefit of a senior or person with a disability being able to independently manage seating products in their home. For example, being able to move around cushions to create the best possible seating configuration or pressing a button to automatically adjust the back of a chair to provide the optimal amount of support, support. The former option allows the senior or person with a disability to maintain their dignity by completing an action independently. The latter option allows the senior or person with a disability to maintain their independence by not having to request assistance to complete an action.

It is usually the family members of seniors who first notice that their relatives appear more confident and relaxed once they are using the adjusted furniture throughout the day.

Looking beyond the marketing

There are however many products currently available on the market that specifically target seniors that are mere gimmicks and have been overpriced for the functionality that they provide the user. When shopping for the best adjustable seating for a senior it is wise to look for features and products that have real benefit rather than being overpriced gimmicks.

So what makes for an effective adjustable seat? Effective adjustable seating solutions are generally quite simple. They include a number of key elements which have been designed to address a number of key problems, including height, support and transfer. They need to be designed so that they are not obtrusive, so that they don’t draw attention to themselves. Instead, they should enable people to concentrate on more important things.

As Australia’s population is aging, we at Sofa Select see furniture for the elderly not as consumer goods, but as tools that help seniors maintain their independence and comfort while living in their own homes.