How Colour Impacts Older Adults: A Guide For Essex Mums

As we age, our relationship with colour evolves, and it becomes more crucial in our daily lives. Essex mums with older parents should take note of the role colour can play in their loved ones’ lives. 

Of course, everybody knows that colours can influence moods, often tinkering with their wardrobes to optimise those benefits gladly. Still, colour can go beyond clothing and these rudimentary understandings, with wider impacts inside the home, especially as we age.

For those of you with older family members, you should know that the value of colours can become more significant in later life. Only in later life can some people realise how much they underappreciate, and perhaps even underestimate, everything different shades offer. You may need to understand that sooner if you want to move older parents in with you. 

This article has been crafted to help you understand some unique concerns that your parents have regarding colour that you may not have even considered. Before they move back over to Essex or into your home, it can be helpful for you to have a good understanding of these points! 

How Care Homes Deal With Colour

Looking to care homes is a good idea to understand the weight that colour holds later in life. They don’t just slap a coat of paint on a wall they think will look nice. No, their efforts are far more strategic than this. 

Sadly, older people can be more likely to suffer from dementia, as the condition is exceedingly rare in younger people. It can’t be cured and can be caused by various diseases, so there’s a rather lot for care homes to contend with here when looking after affected residents. Their use of colour is just one way they try to help them. There are plenty of care homes in the Essex area that you can find and learn from. There will also be staff you can meet and speak to.

Dementia affects eyesight and comprehension. In response, care homes will give each of their rooms its own colour palette and be sure to contrast the shades used to draw more attention to the essential items, furnishings, door frames, and utilities. In that respect, it can be considered a way to communicate and better aid mobility while preserving the patient’s independence as much as possible. 

There’s more to learn about the use of colour in these settings too. Certain colours can have different meanings; e.g. green is often associated with nature, while orange can apparently stimulate appetites. Care homes put a lot of thought into their use of colour and avidly research the subject. If you have parents living with you or are considering a care home as an option, this information can be very useful! 

Colour Can Be Disorientating 

One doesn’t need dementia to have vision trouble and subsequent difficulties perceiving colour. Colours can start to be perceived differently anyway. 

Pale colours can cause a lot of confusion and be tough to discriminate between in later life and can be viewed as just being white for some. Additionally, bold stripes can make certain older people feel disoriented too, and it can lead them to be sure that they’re moving patterns when they obviously aren’t to everyone else. 

So, colour can cause distress in these circumstances. Disorientation could also lead to accidents and injuries, depending on the extent of the confusion. It’s important not to make troubling sight and comprehension-related situations worse; paint can play a role in that. Ask your parents if they struggle with bright and vibrant colours before you move them into your Essex home.

The Texture Of Colour Needs To Be Considered

It’s not just about the hue of the paint but also the texture of it. Not every finish is great for all levels of perception.

For example, it’s quite common for older people to become more sensitive to light and glare in their daily lives. Any glossy paints are likely to be culprits in those struggles, as they can have a shine to them. So, it can be a good idea to avoid such coatings – care homes definitely do, which can, once again, indicate what practices to follow. Repainting your home in Essex could help your parents settle in easier.

If you’re on board with this idea so far, that will leave us with matte and eggshell paints or anything else on the flat side. They might not look as shiny and glamorous, but they’re far superior coatings for helping older people navigate a space and comprehend what’s around them. 

Colour Toxins Can Affect Their Health

Some paints have a lot of fumes. Younger people can generally get over an accidental whiff of chemicals (though you shouldn’t ever snort paint), but it can be a different story for older folks. 

They may have difficulty breathing already, but inhaling paint can cause headaches, hallucinations, and even comas. There’s a lot at stake here regarding well-being. 

According to the Evening Standard, paints are one of the common pollutants found in a home, so understanding the gravity of these situations is important. If your parents live with you, they may spend more time at home, so they can’t be submerged in the fumes. Care homes also understand that, and if they do, so should you! 

All the paint products you use around your parents should be of premium quality with clearly highlighted reductions in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and general emissions. Look for label information. If you have doubts, enquire before making a purchase. Ensure your Essex home is clear of paint toxins. Not all paint manufacturers are fully subscribed to these ideas yet, so you may need to look around for the right paints to use around your older parents.  

Nichol & Hill operates as a care home supplier with a specialist knowledge of care homes and the nursing home industry. They have more information and articles about home furnishings on their website.

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