Home improvements, modifications, repairs and changes can improve the accessibility, adaptability, and/or universal design of a home. Improving accessibility involves things like widening doorways and lowering countertop and light switch heights for someone who uses a wheelchair. Changes that do not require home redesign, such as installing grab bars in bathrooms, are adaptability features. Universal design is usually built in when a home is constructed. It includes features that are sturdy and reliable, easy for all people to use, and flexible enough to be adapted for special needs.
Physical environments in ready-made homes are not always 100% accessible, and they can require modifications to make sure the individual living with a disability can access every part of the house. Before any changes are made to the home, evaluate your current and future needs room by room. Once you have explored all areas, make a list of potential problems and solutions. Modifications can change the physical structure of a home by widening doorways and lowering countertop height, using ramps instead of steps, chair lifts instead of stairs, accessible bathrooms and free-standing showers. Other changes are less extensive and can include grip-friendly doorknobs, switches, non-slip flooring, door push bars, transfer benches, modified shelvings, modified faucets, modified wall sockets, and bathroom grab bars.
Making modifications to your home can help you live independently as a person with a disability. How extensively you would have to renovate varies widely based on a homeowner’s needs and a house’s age and condition. It is a form of intervention meant to enable people living with disabling conditions to continue living in their homes and restore the home as a place that fosters personal and social relationships.
• Bathroom modifications are the place to start. Getting out of a tub can cause an elderly or disabled individual to slip and lose balance. There are walk-in showers that are curb less, so you can roll a walker, wheelchair, or transfer chair in easily. This can reduce the risk of falling. Flooring with a non-slip coating can also help reduce falls in the bathroom.
• Uneven floor surfaces may increase the risk of fall accidents as well. Even out existing flooring or install consistent flooring throughout the home to create easy access everywhere. Removable ramps offer smooth transitions in and out of the home.
• Stairs become a hurdle over time for many seniors with limited mobility or balance. Home modifications such as stair lifts, glides, or additional handrails make each step clear and reachable. Consider replacing lights or installing new lighting to support seniors with limited vision.
• Tile flooring becomes slippery and hazardous when wet. Rugs or other irregular floor types can make walkways uneven. Add rubber backing to rugs to prevent rumpling or hills along the floor.
• Poor lighting is all too common in many older houses. Since many seniors have a decline in vision, poor lighting can increase trip hazards on rugs or other obstacles in darkened hallways. Install supplementary light fixtures in corners and walkways. LED bulbs are brighter than traditional bulbs, and they don’t require constant replacement. It’s a simple but impactful home modification to make for the elderly and disabled.
• Flatten out lips and thresholds throughout the house that limit wheelchair access. Measure doorways and other entryways, and increase the width where needed. Also assure that your loved one can reach cabinets and closets from wheelchair height.
Find the Right Home Modifications
It is important to perform a home assessment to understand how the senior or person living with disabilities lives in his or her environment. The types of home modifications available for these individuals can differ widely depending on their specific disabilities or situation requirements.
