Good flooring choices for someone with mobility issues

[Storygirl]

My 84 year old dad is moving from his house, which has hardwood flooring in the living areas, to a condo that is carpeted. The plan is to change the flooring before he moves in, because the carpet is older, and he has neuropathy in his feet and legs and walks with a cane. He doesn't have feeling in his feet and lower legs any more and has foot drop (he wears braces for this). I'm not sure that it's the best choice to put hardwood into this condo, cost wise, although it is what he is used to and is an option. He can ask a flooring specialist for opinions, but I thought I'd also ask the hive.

[lmrich]

A high quality laminate would be a good option. 

We have a medium quality in our upstairs hallway. I love it. So easy to clean. 

[Innisfree]

Whatever you choose, use the same surface throughout the home, no changes which produce bumps like moving over a threshold or from smooth flooring to carpet. Those sorts of things were murder for my mother when she used a walker. I've heard cork can be good, but no personal experience with it. I'd want something with a little 'give' if possible, and like AM said, not rock hard, but not slippery either.

[kbutton]

We have luxury vinyl planks throughout our whole upstairs. They are cushier than hardwood, and they are super durable and easy to clean. The floors can get wet. 

If you have to use transition strips, the metal ones are more friendly to walkers, wheelchairs, and vacuum cleaners. Sometimes they look less industrial, but here is an example: https://www.lowes.com/pd/M-D-2-in-x-72-in-Fluted-Silver-Carpet-Trim/3305906

 

[KungFuPanda]

We did LVP when we moved DS downstairs. Hardwood it pretty, but I didn’t want to spend all that money to be sad when it got damaged. Medical equipment can be rough on surfaces. Ours has only been in a year, but it still looks brand new, is waterproof and seems impervious to power wheelchairs, patient lifts, and dog claws. It has more texture and traction than a varnished wood floor, so that might be good. 

[Annie G]

Whatever smooth surface fits the budget. Whether it’s wood, LVP, vinyl- the important thing is that it’s smooth (not like carpet) and has no transitions he could trip over.  

[JanetC]

And while you're fixing it up for him, get an eldercare consultant to recommend other improvements and just go ahead and put in reinforced stair railings, grab bars in the bathrooms, etc. If it's all already there when he moves in, you don't have to fight about installing them later.

[prairiewindmomma]

If he has foot drop and is already walking with a cane, a walker will be next for stability. The wheels will pick up fine grit rocks from outside, and scratches are likely.

I would go with a vinyl product...whether LVP or LVT...it will be softer and warmer than actual tile, easy to vacuum/sweep/mop and less likely to scratch than laminate.

[GailV]

Dh, who has foot drop, likes the laminate we have.  It drives me nuts because I worry about liquid spills getting into the cracks.  I wish he would consider going with LVP for future flooring.

 

Edited to add:  I was thinking about liquid spills because I imagine they will happen, and your dad won't be zipping around to get them cleaned up. 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2018 by GailV

[Ottakee]

Agreeing with the others....my mom in a power wheelchair has LVP flooring and it looks great and is easy to clean.

[gardenmom5]

check with the condo's rules - some don't allow hardwood because of noise for lower level units.   and you can't put hardwood on a slab.

there are the vinyl plank "tiles" that look like hardwood, there's porcelain tile . .

 

but again, check with the hoa for the condo about what type of flooring is allowed.    if he has to have carpet - berber has a fairly tight surface that can work for mobility issues.

[Storygirl]

Thanks! I have heard about vinyl plank but have no experience with it, so it's good to hear some opinions.

If I were in his place, I would probably be using a walker at least part time already, but he is stubborn about it and often does not even use his cane, which bothers me, of course. He can move steadily while walking but is wobbly when standing still and, of course, can trip. He's had one ugly fall (thankfully only his nose was broken, but it was gruesome and required many stitches) a few years ago, and a more minor one this summer that required stitches in his arm. He still works and has a more active social life than I do, so he is out and about every day.

Because he is wobbly when standing still, a floor with less give is helpful. The carpeting feels unstable to him. But we don't want slippery, either, of course, so that's something to factor in. I'm not sure about the status of the kitchen and bathroom flooring, because I haven't seen the condo myself yet, but I will suggest redoing all flooring and not just the carpet, in order to get rid of transitions. I don't know if he will go along with that, but I will bring it up.

As far as I know, there are no restrictions on what he can put in -- he says he is allowed to do anything he wants, and there is a lot of variety in the units that he looked at, because owners had customized. But we will check the guidelines.

He does use grab bars, and I know there are some already in the bathroom, but we will discuss if we need to install more. He is not on the first floor, but there is an elevator, so he won't have to do steps. He does have some steps at his current house, so that is an improvement.

He only has a balcony at his new place and is giving up a yard with a pond, which he has loved. But his fall this summer was by the pond, and I think it's better for him to not have the yard work (avid gardener) and the hazard, though he is giving up the beauty, which has been important to him. His balcony is large enough for a picnic table and potted plants and has a nice view, so he can still sit outside.

If the contract on his current house goes through, he will have only 4-5 weeks to move out, so I'm hoping we can get flooring in quickly after we close the sale  for buying the condo.

[Carol in Cal.]

Avoid shiny floor tiles--they get unbelievably slippery when wet.

I'd be inclined to stick to hardwood (either regular or engineered.  Not the 'distressed' kind, which is hard to clean and has some tripping hazards) since that is what he is used to.  So what if it gouges?  This is his life he is living out.  He should be able to enjoy it.  

If you decide to consider LVP, which is the only alternative to hardwood that I would even consider, find a local place that has it installed and take him there to walk around before you decide.  Locally that is pretty commonly used in the produce department of some grocery stores to look 'rustic' but be more practical to maintain than actual wood, for instance.  He really needs to weigh in on how this feels to him, more so than folks saying how it *should* feel.  Avoid carpet--it will trip him, and when he changes to a walker it will be harder to use on that surface.

NO THROW RUGS.

If you want a good surface that doesn't get slippery for a bath mat or a getting out of bed mat, try one of the patterned kitchen cushioned pads from Williams Sonoma.  They have very gentle, flat lying edges (no tripping) and are extremely cushy.  (The Costco ones look the same but are not nearly as effective.)  Just try one, where he is right now, and see whether it is comfortable for him or not.  He is in his body and he needs to feel this for himself, but I think those things are absolutely great, and since a lot of falls occur getting out of bed, a little cushioning there might prevent a bone break down the road.

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

and you can't put hardwood on a slab.

Engineered hardwood can be installed on a slab. We have it in this house and I like it much better than the "real" wood floors we had in previous houses.

[nevergiveup]

I always recommend rubber flooring.

I have Nora rubber in my entry and plan to put it throughout my kitchen when we finally get it remodeled.  It is easy to clean, soft underfoot, and looks wonderful (not institutional).

[kbutton]

5 hours ago, Storygirl said:

Because he is wobbly when standing still, a floor with less give is helpful. The carpeting feels unstable to him. But we don't want slippery, either, of course, so that's something to factor in. I'm not sure about the status of the kitchen and bathroom flooring, because I haven't seen the condo myself yet, but I will suggest redoing all flooring and not just the carpet, in order to get rid of transitions. I don't know if he will go along with that, but I will bring it up.

He only has a balcony at his new place and is giving up a yard with a pond, which he has loved. But his fall this summer was by the pond, and I think it's better for him to not have the yard work (avid gardener) and the hazard, though he is giving up the beauty, which has been important to him. His balcony is large enough for a picnic table and potted plants and has a nice view, so he can still sit outside.

For reference, LVP is 3D printed, and as such, much of it has a texture that helps with it being less slick (very different from older types of laminate), but various brands and designs have different textures. Ours is not slippery. I am sure if it's really wet, that might be different, but it's not as slippery as sheet vinyl when it's wet. We have flooring made by Shaw, and we got a commercial grade. People usually have to walk on it a bit and look really closely to realize it's not hardwood, but it does sound different when you walk on it.

I would ask around at a specialty place vs. a boxed store. We went through a flooring store to get ours, and they had a lot of really helpful information to convey.

Does he do flower gardening or a veggie garden or both? Just curious--I know houseplants don't always scratch that itch, but maybe he can do some indoor gardening. Or use a tower garden sort of thing on his balcony. 

[KungFuPanda]

8 hours ago, Storygirl said:

He only has a balcony at his new place and is giving up a yard with a pond, which he has loved. But his fall this summer was by the pond, and I think it's better for him to not have the yard work (avid gardener) and the hazard, though he is giving up the beauty, which has been important to him. His balcony is large enough for a picnic table and potted plants and has a nice view, so he can still sit outside.

 

Making the transition to using different equipment can be terrifying. We knew my son would need a wheelchair and dreaded it. However, when he got his first power chair it wasn’t at all what we  expected. It was freedom and ease of movement. It’s like transitioning from walking everywhere to getting a car. Suddenly the whole family could move at a normal pace. We’d been getting slower and slower each year. 

If there’s a community garden, outdoor space, or even on his balcony, there are loads of plans online for wheelchair accessible garden boxes. Even if he’s doing this from his lawn chair it can keep him safe, active, and happy. I offered to build one for my son but the punk had zero interest. 

Between balcony and indoor plants, it may be enough to keep him happy for a while. A community plot can be inexpensive and get him around peers who share his interest. 

[Innisfree]

13 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

If there’s a community garden, outdoor space, or even on his balcony, there are loads of plans online for wheelchair accessible garden boxes. Even if he’s doing this from his lawn chair it can keep him safe, active, and happy. I offered to build one for my son but the punk had zero interest. 

Between balcony and indoor plants, it may be enough to keep him happy for a while. A community plot can be inexpensive and get him around peers who share his interest. 

Seconding all this. Even a small water garden might be possible on his balcony, using something like a whiskey barrel planter with a liner inside or various other designs. He may not have to give up having a pond entirely.

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Gardening-Containers-Small-Indoors/dp/0806981989/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540349576&sr=8-1&keywords=Water+gardening+in+containers

[KungFuPanda]

Just now, Innisfree said:

Seconding all this. Even a small water garden might be possible on his balcony, using something like a whiskey barrel planter with a liner inside or various other designs. He may not have to give up having a pond entirely.

https://www.amazon.com/Water-Gardening-Containers-Small-Indoors/dp/0806981989/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540349576&sr=8-1&keywords=Water+gardening+in+containers

Or a fish tank! One of those hydroponic garden things with the fish on the bottom. I haven’t researched it yet, but I’m intrigued. 

[Storygirl]

Thanks, everyone! I like the gardening suggestions, and I may even come up with some Christmas and birthday ideas for him related to a new way of gardening. Long ago, he did some vegetable gardening, but in recent years it's just been flowers. Oh, and tomatoes, sometimes. He may not be interested in community gardening, but I'll suggest it.

[PeterPan]

On October 23, 2018 at 8:35 AM, Storygirl said:

My 84 year old dad is moving from his house, which has hardwood flooring in the living areas, to a condo that is carpeted. The plan is to change the flooring before he moves in, because the carpet is older, and he has neuropathy in his feet and legs and walks with a cane. He doesn't have feeling in his feet and lower legs any more and has foot drop (he wears braces for this). I'm not sure that it's the best choice to put hardwood into this condo, cost wise, although it is what he is used to and is an option. He can ask a flooring specialist for opinions, but I thought I'd also ask the hive.

I missed it if you're still looking for the original question of flooring. I would replace the carpet but put in a very low looped, berber style carpet. It will be comfortable underfoot, slightly cushioning if he falls, sweeps easily for whoever is doing the housekeeping, warm and pleasant. In the kitchen area and baths vinyl. None of these floorings are expensive, and I can tell you they're what are in the assisted living I've been in. 

Has he considered moving into assisted living instead of a condo? Does he receive assistance for housekeeping, cooking, etc? Many people find their health actually IMPROVES in assisted living, because of the vibrant social options, the consistent meals, opportunities for movement (therapy, exercise), etc.

[Storygirl]

My mom lives in a skilled nursing facility that has other levels of care, including independent apartments and assisted living. He seriously looked at moving into an apartment at the same place, but it is extremely expensive, so even though it had a lot of attractive amenities, he chose a more affordable option. He doesn't need assisted living at this point. He does hire a housekeeper, and he doesn't cook, though he still eats well. I try to stock his freezer when I visit him (I live a couple of hours away), and he has a lot of other opportunities to eat with friends or family. His new place will be nice for him, because he has numerous friends who already live there, and it seems to be a pretty social community.

Believe it or not, he still works close to full time. My brother runs the business now (accounting), but my dad still goes in every day for most of the day. He just got an award for being a 50 year member of his Optimist Club, and he's been treasurer of the club for quite a while. He goes to the high school basketball games (has had season tickets for around 50 years) and has weekly standing social engagements with a couple of groups of friends. He stays busy! He's much more social, on his own, than I would have guessed he would be, because it was my mom who was the social butterfly, and he's always been the quiet one.

[J-rap]

Well, my dh has severe foot drop (requires a brace at all times, but even then, easily catches his foot on things), and either a smooth, hard floor or low carpet is best.  I actually prefer the low carpet, because I figure if he falls it won't feel as hard, and also if you have a hard floor you'll probably have a rug here and there, and rugs are a hazard.  

[maize]

We have cork, I think it could be a good choice. Smooth surface but softer than other hard flooring options.

Ours is showing a fair bit of wear after 6 years but that's because my kids are really hard on it (i.e. practicing Irish hard shoe dances etc.) Normal adult usage wouldn't be a problem.

[maize]

Natural linoleum is gaining in popularity again and could be a good option. Again, a little softer underfoot than hardwood or laminate.

[Storygirl]

We ended up going with a luxury vinyl plank and put it everywhere, except for the bathrooms, which have tile floors and are not being remodeled. I really like it, and I think Dad does, too.

We paid to have it installed, and it took 3+ days to rip out the old flooring and put in the new. The timing was tight, but the floor was finished a few days before the movers brought his things in. It really improves the look of the condo, which needed the update, and it seems easy for him to walk on, so far.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Storygirl

[Faith-manor]

Between Ds's wheelchair and walker when he was healing from the accident, and then my mom living here for a while when she was using a walker, our hardwood floors took a terrible beating. Terrible.

I think that if I were doing this, I'd lean towards LVP/Vinyl. You can put no skid tub stickies on them to create a non-slip walkway if needed, and get a nice pattern that won't show so much of the wear and tear from durable medical equipment. I've watched my mom stumble from catching her toes on the carpet now that she doesn't lift her foot on the bad ankle high enough. So I would not be inclined towards carpet. 

Physical therapy recommended wall to wall carpet after my grandmother had a stroke. Of course there was no way to make that work for sanitation in the bathroom. She did not do well with the transition from carpet to vinyl, and frankly, she dragged her foot and seemed to stub her toes into the carpet causing her to be wobbly. I did not think that carpet made her less of a fall risk than a "slippery" surface. I suppose that with the really good carpet pad she put in that maybe she was less of a broken bone risk on that carpet. 

I have seen a lot of advertising for cork floors as a really good option. I don't have any experience with that, but am curious about it as my mom needs to replace some flooring in her house and recently got a settlement from an insurance company and wants to get flooring this spring so I'm going to have to be thinking about this soon.