Motorized Blinds and Shades Benefits Seniors and the Disabled
BWS Design • Nov 03, 2016

It’s no secret that technology has improved lives. Seniors and the disabled especially have embraced technology. They can now find their way around with the aid of the GPS on their smart phones, work online from their tablets or laptops to pick up extra money, and they use their home automation systems to their best advantage. The elderly and disabled, however, might consider how motorized blinds and shades benefits them. The limitations of seniors and the disabled are being brought to the attention of everyone. Businesses and manufacturers are busily producing items that will help. We, too, are aware of the health problems and limitations of the elderly and disabled. We appreciate a chance to help.

Motorized Blinds and Shades for Arthritic Hands

As the body ages, things like arthritis, osteoporosis and other conditions distort the body’s joints and limbs. Oxygenated blood doesn’t always reach the muscles, limiting their operation. Muscles and joints stiffen up from lack of exercise. Chemical medications might slow the pain, but their side effects are just as bad as the illness they treat. Seniors and the disabled, therefore, need specialized items such as special cell phones with large buttons or lever door knobs instead of regular door knobs. Motorized shades and blinds come with a remote that is easy for seniors and the disabled to operate. These items also can be made to operate by flipping a switch on the wall in the room in which the blinds and shades are located. This also keeps seniors and the disabled with little to no range of motion in their arms or shoulders safe from damaging already damaged limbs by stretching to reach the cords to raise and lower the blinds and shades.

Motorized Blinds and Shades for Hard-to-Reach Windows

Many seniors and disabled move from their present homes into smaller (or larger as the case may be) homes in order to be closer to family members or their health management facilities. Newer homes are being built to make use of windows on all sides of the house for light and architectural beauty. These windows aren’t always designed, though, with seniors and the disabled in mind.  Some are floor-to-ceiling windows, windows over the front door or even skylights. These present special problems for the elderly and disabled, for they must either reach or climb onto something in order to open or close the window treatments. While senior eyes need all the light they can get in order to see, they don’t need the potential for an accident reaching for window treatment controls like cords or wands. We welcome the chance to cover these windows with blinds and shades complete with remote control to help the seniors and disabled manage their window treatments safely.

Motorized Blinds and Shades for Privacy

It is a sad commentary on our life today that there are those who prey upon the elderly and disabled with an eye toward illegally removing their belongings. These people canvass neighborhoods for likely prospects and then plan their move. They look for open windows, piled up newspapers on the doorstep, mail over-running the mailbox, toys left out for days or weeks and so forth. These people also check for closed curtains and blinds. If the week passes without the blinds or curtains being opened, they think the house is ripe for a visit. However, when we install blinds and shades for the elderly or disabled, the remote will be used to open, close or adjust the window treatments at various times of the day. Nefarious planners will move on to the next unfortunate homeowner.

Motorized Blinds and Shades for Reflection or Glare

No one likes to get into the greatest part of the story when all of a sudden the sun decides to reflect off the TV or computer screen. Many people hook up their computers to the TV in order to have a larger surface upon which to read or work online. Nothing irritates people more than having their screen go blank due to excessive light reflecting off the screen. We can take care of that for the seniors and disabled using their TVs and computers by installing motorized blinds and shades with remote control. No more glare!

Seniors and the disabled face so many challenges that it just makes sense to make their lives easier any way we can. We can, and when you contact us to learn more about it, we’ll be happy to help.

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

The Leading Window Treatment Trends of 2024

By Autumn Hooper • 07 Feb, 2024
Each year, styles in window treatments come and go. Trends that were hot last year may carry over to the new interior decor season or may be replaced by something new. In 2024, we are looking at a delightful set of trends in blinds, shades, and curtains that embrace the developing attitudes and popular colors that are already giving the year a unique stylistic personality. At Just Blinds, we are delighted to keep up with the trends, helping homeowners, designers, and property managers to create stunning spaces that align with the latest in window treatment trends. The Hot Trends of 2023 Blinds and Shades Last year in 2023, we saw a great collection of trends, many of which have evolved and strengthened with the new year. 2023 explored the innovations of cell shades and honeycomb shades for the benefits of insulation and light control. Motorization gained a prominant place in both home and office design, and decorators discovered the dynamic possibilities of shades that operate from both the bottom and the top on floor-to-ceiling tracks. Texture saw a real debut with natural colors like wood finishes, linen, dusty rose, and moss green. Though bold patterns also had their day in the sun. The Trending 2024 Window Treatments In 2024, you may recognize a few trends still going strong from the year before, which is good news for those who decorated last year because your style is likely still right on-trend. But we are also seeing new trends developing with elegant enthusiasm. Smart Home Blinds The trend for motorized shades has naturally evolved to favor smart home controls. With a simple voice command, you can take control of all the motorized shades in a room, in your entire home, or set each shade to exactly the height and opacity you desire. Warm Neutrals and Bold Natural Colors Color trends favor a more natural palette. Neutral colors are warmer, even the grays and charcoals have a honey undertone, while natural colors like mossy and forest green are growing stronger in hue paired with a jewelbox of flower petal colors. If you're following the Colors of the Year, you may have also noticed an adoration of ocean blues, and you can match those blues with slightly darker or lighter blinds for beautiful effect. Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Materials Natural materials and textures were popular in 2023, and 2024 takes this trend even further. Blinds made out of recycled materials are now on the rise alongside the growing popularity of blinds made from super-sustainable plants like bamboo, hemp, jute, and grass cloth. These offer natural colors, dynamic textures, and the delight of eco-friendly design. Gauzy Sheer Elegance Sheer curtains and semi-sheer blinds are also in fashion; a classic style that has been floating near the top of popularity for literal centuries. Sheer curtains and blinds maintain privacy while allowing sunlight into the room in a gently diffused glow. They also layer excellently with more robust window treatments. Creative Window Treatment Layering Speaking of layering, we are seeing an enthusiastic embrace of creatively layered styles. Wooden shutters, gauzy curtains, and black-out blinds are among the most popular layers, but decorators are getting creative with how they choose to to layer their window treatments, using both multiple fabrics and structures at the same time. Find the Blinds that Best Suit Your Needs How can you choose fantastic and on-trend blinds that perfectly suit your design needs? Fortunately, the diversity of this year's trends leave room for almost any personal sense of style and the individual needs of each room's windows. Start with the size of your windows and your room's existing color palette. Decide if you want to match, accent, or contrast the colors of the room. Then choose the opacity, privacy, and level of motorized control you desire. This should guide you toward a specific selection that will work well for your room. From there, it's a matter of specific features and your personal sense of style. Reach Out for Expert and On-Trend Advice If you are getting ready to decorate a room and want the perfect window treatments for 2024, we are only a phonecall or a visit away. Give us a call for expert advice in the right blinds or shades for each window in your home. Our on-trend window treatment experts will be glad to help tailor your window treatment design to your personal tastes, the latest trends, and the style of each of your rooms.

Beat the Heat: Best Choices to Keep The Interior of Your Home Cool

20 Jul, 2023
Is your AC bill keeping you down this summer? Is your home too hot? Window treatments can help cool your home, but you need to choose the right ones and use them correctly. Not all window coverings are made equal. Here are some of the best options to help keep your home comfortable and reduce costs this summer: Cellular or honeycomb shades. These are specifically designed to provide a high level of insulation that keeps the heat out of your home. They also don't block the view when completely drawn. As a bonus, you can get them in a wide variety of colors and patterns to match your home and in both top-down and bottom-up configurations. Drapery. Old-fashioned curtains can be surprisingly effective. Choose a medium color and have us add a white plastic backing to reflect heat out of your home. You can also use drapes to block some of the heat without excluding much light, allowing you to enjoy natural light flowing through your drapes. Fabric Roman shades. These are a distinctive option that really dresses up a room, and if you choose the kind with several layers they will definitely help keep the heat out. We have light filtering and blackout options and everything in between. Why Should You Use These Types of Shades or Blinds? The two reasons are to save money and help protect the environment. Good shades keep your home cooler and this means your air conditioning systems don't have to work as hard and use as much energy. In the northern hemisphere, it's most important to have heat-reducing treatments on your southern windows and you can allow more light in through windows that face north. Both cellular and Roman shades can also be motorized and even put on timers to close the shades when you are not there and then let light in when you return. The small amount of energy used by motorized shades is much less than that lost through naked windows. All of these shades can also add to the aesthetics of your room. Cellular shades are great to add a pop of color or a subtle pattern. Both drapery and Roman shades give a soft feel to your windows that then spreads to the rest of your room. What is the Best Choice? The best choice of the three depends on your personal aesthetics. Our designers can help you make the right choice. If you want motorized shades, cellular shades are the lightest and thus use the least energy, and can roll all the way up and down, leaving your windows completely unrestricted. Roman shades are more visible, but can be used to add fabric and color to a room. Many people still love the look of traditional window drapes. Note that you can also combine shades and drapes for the effect you want, both in terms of reducing heat loss and in terms of aesthetics. How Much Can I Actually Save? The amount you save depends on the kind of window covering you use and how much thermal gain your house typically experiences. The larger your windows, in general, the larger the benefit, especially south-facing windows. For example, medium-colored draperies with a white plastic backing can reduce heat gain by as much as 33% for that window. Most window treatments, though, reduce overall heat gain by about 10%. This can significantly reduce your bills, by $100 to $200 a month during the summer. Using the right window treatment can make your home more comfortable in the summer and save money while preserving the environment. For advise on which window treatments to choose for your home and to see our selection of blinds and shades, contact Just Blinds today.
Share by: