Since Filipino culture is very family oriented, it is natural for homes in the Philippines to be inhabited by extended families consisting of multiple generations alongside the traditional nuclear family, which can include grandparents, cousins, and in some cases children will grow up and raise their own families in the same home (so there’s no shame in living with your parents as an adult). Thus most Filipino house plans often have to take into consideration the needs of the elderly.
If you plan on building a home in which literal generations of your family can live out their whole, lives it is best for your house plans to incorporate the following features (these not only apply to elders as a retirement home but also for very young children as well).
Single Story Living
Since our grandparents no longer have the luxury of mobility so as a general rule of thumb, a bungalow is an ideal design for a small retirement home, but if you really must have a multi-story home, ensure that the house plan includes features that are easily accessible on the first floor, such as sleeping quarters a living room, bathroom kitchen and dining area
Open Floor Plan
When designing a retirement house the general rule is “less is more” that is less clutter equals more space, it will be safer for your grandparents as there are less chances to trip and suffer fall damage, the same also applies to young and hyperactive children
Good Lighting
This is also key in ensuring the safety of our elders since in a lot of cases their vision and hand-eye coordination has degraded, so an abundance of lighting will help them see where they are going and what they are doing. It also helps to have night lights so your grandparents and little kids don’t stumble in the middle of the night
An Abundance of Railing
From guardrails on stairs, to handrails in the bathroom to help deal with slippery flooring, it is a good idea when designing a retirement house to incorporate plenty of safety railing to give your grandparents something to grab onto to prevent fall damage and help with mobility, safety railing also prevents kids from getting to places that they shouldn’t be.
Other Accessibility Features
This ranges from rocker type light switches, lever style doorknobs, and table height electrical outlets, to wider hallway, wider entrances, and access ramps to accommodate a wheelchair. Basically house plans for a retirement house should include features that make our grandparents twilight years as easy as possible.
