News

Ruby Slippers introduces the benefits of ageless design to North Berwick
12 April 2010

A new kitchen and some simple home improvements make it easier and safer for Mrs Tait to continue living at home independently

Ruby Slippers Solutions Ltd, the ageing-in-place specialists, today completed work for its first client in the North Berwick region.  The Edinburgh-based company designed and sourced the materials for a new kitchen to enable Mrs Tait to continue living at home safely and comfortably following a hip replacement procedure.

Mrs Tait’s new kitchen draws on the principles of ageless design, a concept developed by Ruby Slippers to help people enjoy living independently in their own homes for as long as possible.  The design was developed in close consultation with Mrs Tait and her daughter to maximize the available space with a smarter layout and new appliances that are safer and easier for people of all ages to use. 

Mrs Tait has found it safer and easier to cook on the new induction hob, than her original gas hob, and is able to reach into her new chest-height oven, with its side-opening doors more easily.  The new double drawer-style dishwasher is ideally suited to someone living alone but with a love of entertaining, and easier to unload with its waist-height top drawer.

Ruby Slippers also conducted its Ageless Home Audit service to assess the safety and comfort of Mrs Tait’s home. In addition to the more costly kitchen renovation, the report identified a number of relatively minor adjustments that have made living at home much easier.  Ruby Slippers put in a second banister, giving Mrs Tait safe access to her upstairs sitting room and master bedroom, and by simply replacing the toilet-roll holder with a simple L-shaped design, has saved Mrs Tait a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Mrs Tait is delighted by Ruby Slippers’ design service, particularly by the attention given to creating a kitchen that suits her particular needs and on finding the materials that work best for her home:

“It has been such a relief to find people with so much knowledge about the practicalities of living at home when you’re older and all the products that are out there in the market.  Ruby Slippers has undoubtedly helped us avoid some expensive errors and greatly improved the safety and comfort of my home.

“With a supportive home environment and the right level of care, Ruby Slippers has shown us that I can continue to enjoy living at home with my friends around me.”

Lisa McMyn, managing director, Ruby Slippers, said:

“We are delighted to have been able to help Mrs Tait fulfill her wishes and remain living at home. We believe we should all be able to choose where we live out our later years, whether at home or in a retirement home.  And if at home, then we should be able to make similar choices in terms of style and comfort to those we have enjoyed throughout our lives.”

“It was immediately obvious to me when I set up Ruby Slippers that design for retirement living is a genuine specialty. We are determined to instill a love of product and interior design appropriate for older people here in the UK that we are starting to see in other countries around the world, most notably in the US.”

About Ruby Slippers

Ruby Slippers specializes in helping our ageing population enjoy living at home for as long as possible, providing a one-stop-service from initial planning and design through to the installation of bathrooms, kitchens, stairlifts and through-floor lifts and the provision of handyman services.

Underpinning the service is the 'ageless design' concept the company has developed which combines good design with practical functionality to create stylish, home environments that align with the latest international ageing-in-place design principles and Scottish building regulations.

For more information, please contact:
Nicola Porter on telephone 0131 660 9574 or 07957 875 557.