Understanding some of the features that will make your home more comfortable and practical as you grow older may be useful when planning a new home.
At SLA's Display Village Innovation Precinct, our Platinum Level Livable design will show you what elements you may need to consider when creating a home that will age with you.
Livable Housing Australia’s (LHA) Platinum Level provides the highest level of accessibility and liveability.
The LHA Platinum Level provides design elements that would better accommodate aging in place and people with higher mobility needs. This level requires more generous dimensions for most of the core livable design elements and introduces additional elements for features such as the living room and flooring.
The 15 design elements in the LHA Platinum Level are:
- A safe continuous and step free path of travel from the street entrance and / or parking area to a dwelling entrance that is level
- At least one, level (step-free) entrance into the dwelling
- Internal doors and corridors that facilitate comfortable and unimpeded movement between spaces
- A toilet on the ground (or entry) level that provides easy access
- A bathroom that contains a hob less shower recess
- Reinforced walls around the toilet, shower and bath to support the safe installation of grabrails at a later date
- Stairways are designed to reduce the likelihood of injury and enable future adaptation
- The kitchen space is designed to support ease of movement between fixed benches and to support easy adaptation
- The laundry space is designed to support ease of movement between fixed benches and to support easy adaptation
- Ground (or entry level bedroom space) here is a space on the ground (or entry) level that can be used as a bedroom
- Switches, power points, and power point’s light switches are located at heights that are easy to reach for all home occupants
- Home occupants can easily and independently open and close doors and safely use tap hardware
- The family/living room features clear space to enable the home occupant to move in and around the room with ease
- Windowsills are installed at a height that enables home occupants to view the outdoor space from either a seated or standing position
- Floor coverings are slip resistant to reduce the likelihood of slips, trips and falls in the home.
Visit the Display Village in Whitlam today and explore more ways to make your home more practical.
