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Apartment Design for Senior Living at Signal Mountain in Chattanooga

By  Signal Mountain  ·  4 minute read

VisitChattanooga.com, the non-profit organization responsible for promoting Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a premier destination, compiled a list of the many accolades Chattanooga, the county seat of Hamilton County, has received. From being one of the best spots to live in Tennessee (U.S. News and Money Magazine) to being one of the best fishing towns (FishingBooker) and being the best area to retire in the south (Southern Living), these are just some of them.

Another excellent reason retirees will love Chattanooga is the senior-friendly apartment design of Signal Mountain Senior Living's memory care, assisted living, and independent living apartments. From accessible floor plans to safe layouts for older adults, we offer all these and more in our retirement village.

So, come and join us today as we explore the many features of our community's apartments that make them a perfect choice for seniors. 

Private and Spacious Layouts

At Signal Mountain Senior Living, we offer several floor plans, including:

  • Studio Apartments
  • One-Bedroom Apartments
  • Two-Bedroom Apartments

Our senior apartment homes allow for privacy, and their spaciousness provides adequate room for beloved belongings and personal treasures that our residents can take advantage of to implement an aging-in-place design.

For example, seniors can decorate their apartments with family photos and put up prized mementos and memorabilia. They can also bring their favorite pieces of furniture. All these can help them make their new apartment look and feel much like their old home, empowering them to adapt positively to changes in their living environments. 

Accessible Floor Plans

Single-floor, stairless units are some of the senior apartment features Chattanooga retirees can expect from Signal Mountain Senior Living. Such design elements, combined with the apartments' spaciousness, help ensure our residents can navigate their way throughout their living spaces with ease. The layouts also provide enough space not just to accommodate mobility aids and walking tools, like walkers, rollers, and wheelchairs, but also beloved pets! 

One reason Chattanooga seniors should consider single-floor living is to minimize the risks associated with stairs. Falls are a perfect example.

According to the U.S. CDC, one in four older people suffers a fall each year, and falling once doubles their odds of having another. Not all fall incidents cause injury, but many do, with about 10% resulting in an injury that forces older adults to seek professional help or restrict their activities for at least one day. 

Heating and Air Conditioning for Personal Comfort and Safety

As beautiful as Chattanooga is, the city's climate is changing. Extreme weather is becoming more common and intense, including heatwaves and heavier snow and rain, says ClimateCheck.com.

Heating and air conditioning systems are seniors' best friends during extreme heat and cold events, as they can help regulate the temperature inside buildings. During frigid days, for instance, heating systems can help keep older adults' living spaces warm. During extreme heat, staying in an air-conditioned room is one of the most effective ways seniors can stay safe and protect themselves from heat-related illnesses (HRIs) like:

  • Heat rashes
  • Heat cramps
  • Heatstroke

At Signal Mountain Senior Living, we've equipped all senior apartment homes with heating and AC. Our residents can also rely on us to keep these comfort systems, along with their entire apartment, in top condition with our maintenance services.

Well-Illuminated Apartment Entryways

All the apartment homes at Signal Mountain Senior Living feature brightly lit entryways. We ensure there's always adequate lighting to help our older residents see their way around better. It's especially crucial during dawn, dusk, and at night.

Well-illuminated entryways can help reduce seniors' risk of:

  • Slipping
  • Stumbling
  • Tripping
  • Potentially falling

Proper lighting can also make our senior residents feel "more at home." It can enhance their apartment home's ambiance and evoke a warm, welcoming atmosphere. 

Fire Safety Features

At Signal Mountain Senior Living, residents and their families can rest assured that all apartments have smoke detectors and sprinkler systems. Such technologies can play life-saving roles during fire events.

When smoke detectors "sense" smoke, they sound out an alarm. The loud sound they emit notifies the occupants of the apartment (and their neighbors) of a potential fire. They can then immediately evacuate their homes and head to the safety of the outdoors.

Sprinkler systems work in tandem with smoke detectors by suppressing detected fires. In the event of a fire, they release water to extinguish the flames. They help minimize damage and give seniors more time to make their way to safety. 

Kitchenettes That Foster Independence

In our retirement village in Chattanooga, TN, seniors enjoy three nutritious, delicious, chef-prepared meals daily. However, we've also designed many of our apartments with modern kitchenettes. In these updated floor plans, residents enjoy refrigerators and freezers. 

By providing our residents with in-home kitchenettes, we empower them to maintain some semblance of independence by preparing meals at home. Meal preparation, cooking, and feeding oneself are all activities of daily living (ADLs). The ability to perform ADLs on one's own is a measure of autonomy, so the more of these tasks older adults can do, the more independence they can retain. 

Cooking also involves tasks that help older adults engage in physical activity that uses various muscle groups. Examples include: 

  • Chopping
  • Peeling
  • Stirring
  • Carrying and lifting
  • Kneading
  • Mixing
  • Walking around

In addition, meal preparation is a form of mental activity that helps seniors keep their brains sharp. During cooking, they have to plan, such as by thinking about which dish to prepare. They also need to use their organization skills (e.g., prepare the ingredients), and they must also remember or follow recipes. 

Ready for Your New Home With Senior-Friendly Apartment Design Elements?

If so, we encourage you to explore Signal Mountain Senior Living, our beautiful, inclusive, and compassionate pet-friendly retirement village in Chattanooga, TN. Here, our independent living, assisted living, and memory care residents enjoy many senior-centric apartment design features, including spacious layouts, accessible floor plans, heating and air conditioning, and modern kitchenettes. We also have many amenities and services, including housekeeping, chef-prepared dining, and wellness, social, and recreational programs. 

So, if all that sounds like the kind of senior living community you want to be a part of, call our friendly team today! We'd love to give you a tour of our retirement village and show you how we can help you age gracefully.