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In mom's kitchen, dining room and living room due to wear and tear. The kitchen is vinyl sheetingthe dining room and living room have a plush wall to wall carpeting. These 3 rooms are all kind of open and parallel to one another. Currently there is a metal "transition" piece between the kitchen flooring and dining room carpet which I would love to get rid of somehow in the process. My dilemma is while mom likes the idea of having carpeting in some of her rooms in the event of a fall, I am concerned about the transition piece which on one occasion contributed to a fall when she was distracted. (This resulted in hip repair surgery.) I would love to hear opinions about carpeting verses flooring for seniors with weak legs, post stroke residual weakness . She uses a 4 wheeled rollator. I have heard that there is flooring that can be purchased with some padding under it. I am wondering if this is a better route to go so that all 3 rooms are one flat level with no transitional metal pieces? She has some degree of vascular dementia as well, some days more apparent than others.

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my aunts nh has what amounts to slightly " corrugated " carpet in the halls that clearly has no foam padding underneath it . it seems to be made of glued down squares that could be replaced if one or more became stained beyond repair . i think you should talk to a mom and pop flooring company . the larger companies hire kids or trophy girlfriends who neither know the business or care ..
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I've noticed with my parents they have a difficult time with threshold covers and curbs and then I had an ah ha moment.... they are looking down through their bi-focals, thus looking through the reading part of their glasses.... no wonder they can't see the threshold covers or curbs clearly.
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That is a good point, freqflyer. but even people who don't wear glasses can have trouble with thresholds if they have dementia -- especially with Lewy bodies.
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Laminate or hardwood are good bets for smooth even surfaces. My laminate has rubber padding beneath it. Nothing ever seems to break when I drop things in the kitchen. While your mom's perception may be that a plush carpet will break her fall, I believe that carpeting of any sort is actually dangerous for elders, causing them the trip more often than if they are walking on a smooth surface. My mom's SNF has some sort of fancy vinyl flooring that looks like wood but is very easy on the feet.
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Nursing homes have tightly woven level loop carpet or vinyl flooring for a reason. The level loop/berber type carpeting is easily vacuumed, patched and vinyl is easily cleaned after accidents. Both floors allow for easy movement of walkers and wheelchairs without a lot of effort required. They are good for people who can only shuffle their feet.

I would look at your choices from the perspective of your mom's needs, which are only going to increase over time.
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If you go with either I wouldn't recommend a thick padding as it will give a bouncy effect which would throw one's balance off.

I remember visiting a home that had extra thick padding on the carpeted stairs, I felt like I was going to fall.
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Speaking from frustrated experience, don't carpet the kitchen! It's a cleaning nightmare.

I would prefer the looks of hardwood flooring in my bedroom, but I think I'm going to leave it carpeted because I'd rather fall on carpet, and I'm heading for that age when falls are a bigger risk. Of course, when I get there I'd reconsider if the carpet makes me less steady on my feet. My husband seemed to do equally well with his walker on carpet, hardwood, vinyl, or ceramic tile. Vinyl or hardwood were easier for pushing him in a wheelchair, but not by much.

With dementia (at least with Lewy bodies) the transition from one surface to another seems to be most confusing. The person may see the slightly raised threshold cover as a huge step.
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