Creating Stylish ADA-Friendly Bathrooms
for Discerning Residents
“Which style is the right style?” is a question asked by all who undertake a multi-family housing project, but especially when the building will be marketed to a demographic consisting of Boomers and the Silent Generation. Years ago, care homes, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and continuing care retirement communities often created a living environment that was purposefully outdated. The idea behind it was that appliances, décor and fixtures in a style from 15+ years ago helped residents feel more “at home.” Luckily, in-depth research has since been completed that asked residents what they wanted instead of designing based on assumptions. To that end, an in-depth study into which factors contribute most to a sense of home inside communities for the elderly was conducted in the US, Sweden, The Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia. The researchers concluded that while the look and feel of the facility absolutely must look like a collection of residences as opposed to a medical facility, most residents wanted the space and all within it to feel “fresh” and allow for style and décor updates. Residents want a modern-feeling home, not an old-fashioned one. Today, new facilities seek to integrate décor, fixtures, appliances, and technology that is up-to-date and looks it.
This epiphany in the industry has prompted a radical shift in not only the design of retirement homes and communities, but the fixtures made for them as well. Today, the single person or couple looking to be rid of the upkeep required when owning a home, while simultaneously gaining a crew of people to help them with their everyday needs, are seeking style as well as function in their ADA-compliant shower faucets and more.
The same study mentioned above was one of the first to realize that residents wanted a mix of private space to call their own and common space to share with their neighbors. The study also noted that all both categories of space must be designed with an eye to independence. For example, all areas must be large enough to easily accommodate a person using a walker or wheelchair and every appliance and fixture must be easy to operate by hands and arms with slowed or weakened motor function.
Image credit: Teuco.com.
This new perspective’s impact can easily be seen in the morphing of the retirement community standard, the walk-in bathtub. Yesterday’s style was functional to a fault, leaving no room for beauty. It had an obvious door with a large handle, a seat, a grab-bar, a faucet, and a hand-held shower head, all in a medical style. Today many are as stylish as regular stand-alone bathtubs. They can be found pre-assembled or as separate components. These still have comfortable seats and now shower heads that can be easily aimed. Adding an ADA-compliant hand-held shower head that adjusts for height such as Olympia’s Accent Handheld Shower Head is a bonus. This model has a flexible hose and smooth-operating, ergonomic levers. With all of that said, the look is now decidedly beautiful. Some feature a nearly invisible door that masquerades as a wall panel or even a clear door to show off the beauty of the fixtures inside. Some tub manufacturers such as Teuco combine a beautiful walk-in shower with a bathtub.
Staying in Touch for You
Beautiful, sleek, modern bathtub and lavatory sink faucets built to be ADA-compliant are icing on the design cake. Sleek designs naturally suit ergonomics and ceramic discs allow beautifully designed, ADA-compliant faucets to perform flawlessly. They also look incredible through a clear walk-in bathtub door.
We’ll Save You Money and Time
There are many ways to the same destination. This saying applies to multi-family housing builds just as much as to anything else in life. The ultimate goal is save as much money as possible while delivering a great finished project – that’s simply showing smart business sense. But, finding a one-off deal or sacrificing quality isn’t the only way to get a healthy ROI. We have a better way.
Pioneer works with professionals every day to develop specification packages and plans that save our valued partners both time and money, sometimes in surprising ways. It’s our goal to ensure your project meets or exceeds its expected outcome. We want to get to know you and your company and show you how we can save you money. Please reach out via our website form or call us at (800) 338-9468.
Consider these stunning ADA-compliant bathroom sink faucets and ADA-compliant tub and shower sets for your retirement community build. All our products come with a lifetime warranty because we believe in the quality of our products and prioritize our client relationships. Click each image to learn more.
