A well-designed outdoor space can do wonders for seniors and those with Alzheimer’s disease. Aged care facilities has been well founded in most cities including Newcastle Lake Macquarie. Facilities such as independent living centres, skilled nursing homes, dementia or memory care units, and hospice facilities have traditionally included some form of outdoor space.
The keys and often the greatest challenges to successful aging are to remain physically active and socially engaged, and to retain a sense of self. There are many measureable health outcomes for seniors and the outdoors. Even a short stay in a deck or pergola can lower blood pressure, improve vitamin D absorption, improve stability, and help with better sleep patterns.
Boredom can be remedied with sensory stimulation and interaction with nature. Nature can aid the feeling of helplessness with providing a space for temporary escape (actual or visual), and the feeling of loneliness can be decreased in a garden that provides multiple places for socialisation. Below are deck and pergola tips for aged care facilities in Newcastle Lake Macquarie.
Easy Access
The entrance/exit to an outdoor space—the threshold—is perhaps the most important factor to consider when designing an outdoor space for the elderly, and this largely comes down to one single detail: the door. Doorways are high on the list of residential complaints. Often they’re hard to open, or locked. They don’t have windows and therefore inhibit visitors from viewing the garden (…what’s the weather like?). Perhaps the door has a lip that makes it difficult for seniors in wheelchairs to cross the threshold on their own.
Shade
Another factor involving the threshold is the comfort (or perceived comfort) when entering or exiting the garden. Creating a transition or “comfort zone” between the indoor and outdoor space is key. Aging eyes have difficulty adjusting from indoor light to outdoor sunlight. Providing shade at the entrance/exit in the form of an awning or patio will increase the transitional comfort.
Structural Component
This brings us to the next factor: plant material. I didn’t mention a pergola with draping vines as a possibility for the transition space. That’s because it’s a detail that is strongly discouraged in outdoor design for seniors. A pergola or draped plant material creates patterned shadows on the ground. This is referred to as “visual coiffing” in design. Seniors react to changes in paving colour, or deep shadows on a path as if they were a change in depth. This may lead to stumbles, fear, and discomfort. Simply avoiding structures such as arbours or trellises will alleviate this issue.
Colour Scheme
Plant selection for the garden is fairly straightforward. Use a variety of trees, shrubs, flowers, and vines and place them where they can be touched and smelled. Aging eyes can see highly saturated colours—such as oranges, reds, and yellows—more easily than blues, purples, and greens. Also, certain plant material such as herbs and traditional shrubs (hydrangeas, roses, etc.) help to stimulate memory as they often bring deep-rooted and cherished memories to mind for those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Colour choices are not just important when it comes to plant material, they’re also important for paving, our third factor. Since aging eyes have trouble with glare, use non-glare paving surfaces such as tinted concrete. Other satisfactory surfaces include rubberized asphalt and stabilised decomposed granite.
Enhancing your home’s curb appeal results in additional living space that can increase the value of your home. If you live in an area where the weather allows outdoor living throughout the year, an exterior entertaining space can be of even greater benefit to your family or can be a particularly good selling point, if you are considering putting your home on the market at some point in the future. Below are different ideas that will enhance your home’s curb appeal.
Installing Decks and Pergolas Enhance Home’s Curb Appeal
Decks and pergolas may vary in function but they both serve their purposes. Decks are a great place to throw summer parties, barbeques, and family get-togethers. Guests can visit with each other while enjoying the warm weather and fresh air. And decks enable you to better utilise your yard space, so guests can have more places to relax or play games. Pergolas, in one hand, provide shade. The size of the beams and their spacing will determine exactly how much shade is provided, though a pergola on its own can never create a fully-shaded space. There are pros and cons to this. Although you aren’t receiving full shade, for example, you are able to see the sky and view the stars at night. If you would like the space to be fully shaded, just add a fabric cover to the beams. You can also add shade to your pergola by installing a climbing plant with thick, lush leaves and blossoms.
Installing Patios and Verandas Enhance Home’s Curb Appeal
A personalised patio allows you to experience your home life in a new way, but it all starts with the design. Perhaps you would like a patio that is focused around having BBQs with your friends on the weekend, but you would also like the patio to offer a nice space to relax with your kids. It’s important to consider what you would really like to do, and how something like a patio will improve the quality of your life.
On the other hand, the veranda is an extension of the house. It can house a kitchen, a living room or even a room. It can be partitioned or completely open and offers a natural extension to your home by turning to the outside. With its large glazed areas, the veranda offers a panoramic view of the outside and allows an immense contribution of light. The conservatory also allows less use of electric light sources.
Adding decks, pergolas, patios or verandas create shelter from the hot sun, and when placed in a strategic position, you can cut up to 40 percent off your cooling bills by preventing the sun’s heat from penetrating your house. A house that stays cool to begin with doesn’t need environmentally unfriendly methods to cool it down, making a veranda quite the sustainable option. This ultimately enhances the curb appeal of your home.
Enhance your home’s curb appeal with Nathan Brown Building. We are a fully licensed builder providing services for all types of residential and commercial works. We also offer bathroom renovations, extensions and renovations. We pride ourselves in high quality home renovations and additions and offer skilled building services and repairs.
Newcastle Lake Macquarie homes in New South Wales boast of its humid temperature along the nearby coastal lake. Such area is very much suitable to host outdoor living spaces. You can simply lounge and relax within the confines of your property all the while immersing yourself to the beauty of nature. You can start an outdoor living area with a deck and pergola. Below are the benefits of adding a new deck and pergola for your Newcastle Lake Macquarie home.
Aesthetic Appeal
Whether you choose a natural wood or composite finish, your decks and pergola can add an aesthetic appeal to the exterior of your home. Decks come in a variety of colours and finishes. With all of the design options, you can likely paint or stain the deck to complement your home’s current design. For instance, many homeowners will match the colour of their deck with the colour of their window shutters. When you coordinate your deck with your home’s design, you can create an exterior design that looks both natural and appealing.
On the other hand, a pergola creates visual interest, particularly if you have flowering and fragrant vines growing up and over the rafters and down the vertical posts. You can also dress up a pergola by hanging planters or other design elements from the rafters. Draping all-weather fabrics from one vertical post to another adds a soft flowing effect and a romantic appeal to your landscape while providing even more protection from the elements, a definite advantage over an open patio.
Maximises Space
Another reason why decks are so popular is that they can increase the space of your home. During the warmer months, a deck can essentially extend the usable space of your home for activities like eating, relaxing, and cooking on the grill. When you add patio furniture, bird feeders, and potted plants, decks also provide a place to enjoy nature on your property. Most decks have usable space underneath them as well. This area is an ideal place to store outdoor equipment that may otherwise clutter your yard or garage.
Adding a pergola maximizes your usable outdoor space by adding an area for outdoor furniture that is somewhat protected from the elements, particularly if one wall of the structure is attached to your home or an outbuilding. This creates a windbreak and shelter from the rain. A freestanding pergola can still afford you the same benefit by building it in a protected area, an advantage over a patio that can’t be moved.
Functionality
Decks and pergolas may vary in function but they both serve their purposes. Decks are a great place to throw summer parties, barbeques, and family get-togethers. Guests can visit with each other while enjoying the warm weather and fresh air. And decks enable you to better utilise your yard space, so guests can have more places to relax or play games. Pergolas, in one hand, provide shade. The size of the beams and their spacing will determine exactly how much shade is provided, though a pergola on its own can never create a fully-shaded space. There are pros and cons to this. Although you aren’t receiving full shade, for example, you are able to see the sky and view the stars at night. If you would like the space to be fully shaded, just add a fabric cover to the beams. You can also add shade to your pergola by installing a climbing plant with thick, lush leaves and blossoms.
Have Nathan Brown Building install your deck and pergolas. We are a fully licensed builder providing services for all types of residential and commercial works. We also offer bathroom renovations, extensions and renovations. We pride ourselves in high quality home renovations and additions and offer skilled building services and repairs.
