The way that you live right now might be normal, but life happens and when it does, it can take your breath away. Accidents and injuries can occur and if you are dealing with the fall out of that and it has led to you needing extra help in the home, the chances are that you now need some help to plan how to make your house more accessible. You can speak to someone about ensuring that your house is easy for you to get around, but the obstacles in your home are something you do not see until you cannot use your home as effectively as you need to.
All of the things that you took for granted once might be your new challenges day to day, and you should consider the adaptations that you have to make to ensure that your house is accessible for you. A disability can change your day to day life, and it can change the way in which you live it. You need to be able to get around your house easily, and a big part of this will be in adapting it. You might have to invest in a few building changes, as well as the installation of a residential home elevator if you have more than one floor to contend with. The good news is that there are several solutions out there that will help you to do it. Below, we have the tips that you need to make your home more accessible.
- Ramps are better than stairs! If you have stairs leading to the front of your home or the back door, then the best thing that you can do is to replace your stairs with ramps and make it easier on yourself to get in and out of the house. You will use a lift for the stairs inside, whether you have a residential home elevator or a stair chair lift, but your outside could use a ramp upgrade! You can even use foldable ramps to cover the steps and make it more accessible to you day to day.
- Install a stair lift. We have just mentioned this one — a stair lift will help you to go from floor to floor without needing to crawl up the steps. If you find your stairs to be a difficulty, you might install a stair lift to be your newest aid to your mobility in the house. You can make your whole house accessible, which gives you that feeling of being more independent.
- Consider adding the elevator. The residential home elevator is going to be a bigger cost than you might have considered, but it is one that you need to think about because firstly, it makes your house more luxurious and worth more, and secondly it is a good way to get around without worrying too much. It is going to make your home accessible to anyone who chooses to buy it, too.
- Upgrade your bathroom. From adding rails to the shower so you can comfortably stand up, to adding toilet raisers to help you to get onto the toilet with ease. There are obstacles in the bathroom like tiles that will be a little more slippery. Adding non-slip flooring and using step-in bathtubs can help you to move around a lot more easily, and you’ll reduce your risk of falls tenfold. You need ease, not anything hard. Upgrading the bathroom is a good place to start.
- Add handrails to the rest of the house. From the hallways to the kitchen, adding handrails is the best thing that you can do if you are prone to falling or you have low mobility. Handrails will help you to get from room to room and it will ensure that you can lift yourself into a standing position wherever you are in the house. You will give yourself some peace of mind and you’ll be able to get around in a way that allows you to stay at home for longer.
- Get rid of doorknobs. When you are dealing with a disability, you need an easy way to get from room to room and door knobs can be an inhibitor. Push and pull bars and swinging doors will help you to move around and it will all work to allow you to get in and out of the doors of the house without struggling.
- Move the furniture around. You need enough access in a wheelchair to feel like you can move room to room without bumping into things. Arrange the furniture so that there are not any narrow passages or hard turns. You might also choose to move some items to lower shelves for easy reach, too.
