Why senior care sites fail older eyes first
Home care and seniors’ residence websites are often built like tech startups: pale grey text, tiny menus, auto-sliding carousels, and forms that ask for life history before a phone number. The people who need you — older adults and exhausted adult children — bounce.
Accessibility is the discipline behind fixing that. The shared technical language is WCAG — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 from the W3C. Level AA is the usual target: meet all Level A and Level AA success criteria, or provide a conforming alternate version (Understanding WCAG 2.2).
This is not a full audit and not legal advice. Some Canadian organizations (for example certain CRTC-regulated entities publishing accessibility plans) face explicit WCAG AA publication rules on those documents (CRTC accessibility plans). A small private agency may not sit in that bucket — yet the same design habits still help your callers. Confirm obligations with counsel if you are unsure; Accessible Canada digital guidance summarizes broader federal digital directions for organizations that are in scope.
The checklist (plain words)
Use this on your homepage, services, careers, contact, and FAQ pages.
1. Text contrast that holds up outdoors
Body text should not be light grey on white or pale green on pale green. WCAG AA includes contrast minimums for text. If you squint on a sunny porch and lose words, families will too.
Quick test: screenshot a page and view it on a phone outside. Fix failing text and icons.
2. Text that can grow
People should be able to zoom browsers to 200% without losing content or controls (WCAG includes resize/reflow expectations). Avoid text embedded only in images for essential info like phone numbers.
Quick test: zoom to 200%. Can you still open the menu, read the address, and submit the form?
3. Hit targets big enough for stiff fingers
WCAG 2.2 includes Target Size (Minimum) at Level AA — interactive targets should meet the minimum size requirements in the spec (WCAG 2.2). In practice for care sites: generous call buttons and form controls beat delicate text links stacked tightly.
Quick test: try every key button with a thumb while walking.
4. Click-to-call is obvious
Put a real tel: link in the header and near inquiry forms. Spell the number in text so screen readers and copy-paste work. Matching numbers on Google Business Profile reduce confusion.
5. Forms that explain themselves
- Visible labels (not only placeholder ghost text).
- Error messages that say how to fix the field.
- Logical tab order.
- No puzzles or memory tests to submit a help request (see Accessible Authentication concepts in WCAG 2.2 for login flows).
Quick test: complete the form using only the keyboard.
6. Keyboard access and visible focus
Every link, button, and control should work without a mouse. Focus should be visible — and not completely hidden behind sticky headers (Focus Not Obscured in WCAG 2.2).
Quick test: Tab through the page. If you get stuck in a widget, fix or remove the widget.
7. Alternative text and captions
Meaningful images need text alternatives. Decorative images should be marked so assistive tech can skip them. If you publish video tours, provide captions.
8. Motion that does not take over
Avoid auto-playing carousels that move content every few seconds. Respect prefers-reduced-motion when you ship animation. People with vestibular issues — and anyone trying to read pricing — benefit.
9. Language a tired person can parse
Use short sentences. Define acronyms (CDHCI, HCA) on first use. Put the action (“Call us,” “Book a tour”) near the explanation. Accessibility is not only code; it is comprehension.
10. Consistent navigation and help
Keep the main menu stable across pages. Put phone and email in familiar places. WCAG 2.2 also discusses consistent help patterns for more complex sites — for a five-page agency site, consistency still wins.
11. Documents and PDFs
If you link to intake PDFs, they need structure too (headings, tags, readable text — not only a photographed form). When possible, prefer an HTML form.
12. Honesty in accessibility statements
If you publish an accessibility statement, describe known gaps and how to contact you for alternate formats. CRTC materials for regulated entities emphasize clear language and WCAG AA for certain published plans and progress reports (plans, progress reports). Even if those rules do not apply to you, copying the spirit — clarity over bravado — is wise.
A one-hour manual test plan
- Phone, latest iOS or Android browser: homepage → contact form.
- Desktop keyboard only through the same path.
- Browser zoom 200%.
- Turn on a system high-contrast mode if available and spot-check.
- Watch any hero video with sound off — do captions exist?
- Ask someone 70+ to find the phone number and careers application without coaching.
- Log issues in a spreadsheet: page, problem, severity, owner, due date.
Automated scanners can precede step 1; they cannot replace steps 2–6.
What this checklist deliberately does not claim
- That completing it equals a certified AA conformance claim for your whole domain.
- That every Alberta agency is legally required to meet WCAG 2.2 AA.
- That accessibility alone will raise occupancy or hours sold by a made-up percentage.
Conformance claims, if you make them, should follow W3C guidance on referring to WCAG and be backed by real evaluation.
Connecting accessibility to care operations
Accessible design supports the same outcomes as good inquiry process: fewer abandoned forms, clearer calls, less office rework. Pair this checklist with a fast acknowledgement workflow (see our inquiry-to-care article) so the usable form does not empty into silence.
Page-by-page priorities for a typical agency site
Homepage. Lead with who you help and how to call. Keep the hero text short. Avoid a slider of stock photos that steal focus from the phone number. If you use a background image, make sure text still meets contrast.
Services. One service per section with everyday language. Separate nursing or clinical claims from personal care and home support unless you truly staff those regulated services. Link related FAQs instead of packing a wall of text.
Careers. Applicants on phones need the same large controls. A short application beats a multi-page portal that times out. State HCA registration expectations clearly when the role requires them.
Contact / inquiry. Put hours, service area, and response expectations beside the form. Tell people what happens after they submit. Offer email as a backup to phone.
Google Business Profile photos and posts. Cropped screenshots of tiny website text do not help. Use readable flyers and real facility or team photos with alt text when you republish them on the site.
Common excuses (and better moves)
“Our franchise controls the template.” Document the barriers, request exceptions for tap targets and contrast, and fix anything you still control (GBP, PDFs, local landing pages).
“We’ll do accessibility after launch.” Retrofitting forms and focus states costs more than designing them once. Ship the first version with labels and contrast already correct.
“Nobody uses screen readers.” You cannot see who uses magnification, voice control, keyboard-only navigation, or high-contrast modes. Families will not email you a WCAG citation before they leave for a competitor.
What to do next
Run the twelve checks on five pages this week. Fix contrast, tap targets, and click-to-call first — they usually move the needle fastest for seniors and families.
Snipe Ventures builds senior-friendly, WCAG AA-oriented websites for Alberta home care agencies and small residences as part of the Get Found Locally package, including a review of existing marketing claims.
Email c@snipeventures.com or visit /senior-care.