subject: How To Redevelop Your Home To Accommodate A Disability [print this page] Living with a disability can be difficult and being comfortable in your home can be just as difficult. It is because of this that many people choose to redevelop their home so they can be happy in the place they are meant to be. There are many ways that you can alter your house to make it more comfortable and there is financial help available for this.
The flooring in your house can be very important and the type of flooring you install should vary depending on the disability you or another person has. For someone in a wheelchair the floor needs to be hardwearing and seamless. The use of a wooden floor would be great here as it is likely to last a long time and would be very good when moving about. A wooden floor would also be good for blind people as they can hear people coming easily. If someone has dementia it is important to have a floor with no patterns. Try to keep the floor one colour throughout the whole house. For people that just have poor mobility it is important that the floor is non-slip so that they do not fall at any point.
People with poor mobility will have trouble ascending and descending the stairs which is why it is important to have a stairlift. These are extremely safe with most coming fitted with a seatbelt and these are fitted to go up and down your stairs no matter whether they curve around or not. If someone is in a wheelchair and you have a relatively big house with an upstairs you may want to look into getting a wheelchair lift. These normally have enough room for one person and a wheelchair to go up and down whenever need. The only problem with these is that they are expensive which is why they are rare. But you can also have them fitted outside if your garden has a lot of steps up to the house.
The kitchen is a very important part of the house but it can also prove dangerous to people with disabilities. If someone is in a wheelchair try to have room underneath the work tops for a wheelchair to get into so that they can use the stuff on the worktop. If you have a gas oven you should ask your gas company to modify your stove to make the scent of gas much stronger just in case the pilot light goes out. A clever little thing you can do is slightly prop up the front of you fridge, the reason for this is that it can be used to make sure the door automatically closes on its own and even the slightest tilt can do this. Try to make sure that the food preparation area is away from the sharp knives so that injury can be avoided with dementia patients and other mentally disabled people. For easy access you should replace all knobs on cupboard doors with handles as these are easier to open. Finally with the kitchen make sure there is always a fire extinguisher around just in case.
The bathroom is another room that can be completely modified to suit the needs of a disabled person. With people in wheelchairs and people with poor mobility the whole bathroom can be changed so that it is safe. The bath can be taken out and replaced with a shower that is in a corner of the room and requires no step. This essentially makes the whole room a walk in shower with a dividing shower curtain. The floor can be replaced with a completely safe non-slip surface which can work with people with most disabilities. In the bathroom make sure the temperature of the tap water is limited as this can prevent scalding.
The house in general can be changed to help everyone get about. For example handrails can be installed all over the house and these can provide support when getting up and moving about. These come in handy in the bathroom as getting on and off the toilet can be challenging for some people. Another change that can be made throughout the house is one for wheelchairs. These are little concrete ramps that can help a wheelchair user get in and out of a house.
Local authorities can provide grants which can help you pay for these changes. As well as this the government also provide grants for the same reason and this is added to any benefits that you may receive.
