• The number of senior citizens is rapidly increasing, which consequently signifi es an increase in the number of people having sight, hearing or memory diffi culties, people with hampered mobility, and people who fi nd it increasingly diffi cult to process information. Elderly persons experience a greater degree of risk whilst performing daily tasks in their kitchens. Moreover, they are more susceptible to infection and illnesses, necessitating greater care to achieve hygienic conditions within their kitchens. The goal of our research was to determine
ispitanika. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju kako ljudi ne znaju da bi uz prikladniju opremu brže, lakše i sigurnije mogli obavljati svakodnevne zadatke. Starije osobe u kuhinji prije svega imaju probleme s održavanjem higijene -68 %, s neodgovarajućim rasporedom kuhinjskih centara -56 %, s neadekvatnom rasvjetom -32 %, s nepropisno dizajniranim namještajem -72 %, s problemima slabijeg pamćenja -75 %. Vjerujemo da je potrebno projektirati kuhinjski namještaj prilagođen specifi čnim zahtjevima starijih osoba.Ključne riječi: kuhinja, starije osobe, oprema, dizajn, sigurnost, ergonomija quality of life in general. The majority of fl ats are designed for young, fi t, and active people. Many senior inhabitants do not possess these attributes, meaning that even performing the simplest home tasks is more taxing for them. Furthermore, inappropriately designed housing space can lead to health issues such as backache or injuries from accidents. Research has shown that adapting living space to the needs of the elderly can reduce the risk of injury by 30 % -50 %. The age of the furniture and equipment in their homes also plays an important part in determining functionality. According to research, 60 % of the senior population lives in homes that have not been renovated or refurnished for over 20 years, contributing to lower safety and comfort levels, (Home Remodeling..., 2006). Comfort is crucial for the elderly, as they spend most of their time at home. Over 14 % of English elder citizens live in unfi t conditions, in homes that are in dire need of renovation and adaptation (Boyo, 2001). Yet only 10 % of them decide to modify their existing furniture and equipment to refl ect their special needs (Gilderbloom et al, 1996; Katsura et al, 1989). They often refrain from renovating due to fi nancial concerns, lessening mobility and fear of the upheaval of renovation work. Furthermore, the research also shows that the elderly also suffer from inappropriate room dimensions including rooms that are too big for them (West and Emmitt, 2004).According to data issued by the Statistical Offi ce of the Republic of Slovenia, citizens over the age of 60 accounted for only 11.84 % of the changes made to residences in 2008. Other data suggests that senior citizens rarely decide to change their home environments, which contributes to a lowering of comfort levels and environments ill-suited for accommodating residents with special needs, and to lower safety levels. Most people are also ...
