Top tips for designing an accessible household…

If you or one of the family are unfortunate enough to suffer from a physical health condition then you will need to think about how to choose household items and furniture to best assist you. Some of these things are fairly obvious and some of them not so much. Let’s look at some of the various items that are most useful for helping out with this.

Chairs & Seats

If you are unable to be on your feet or move around a lot due to a health condition then it makes sense that you are going to end up sitting in the living room more than you would otherwise have planned to. So you are going to want to make things as comfortable as possible, you can get a recliner to make comfort a priority and they even exist with fridges in them now.

Bathroom

How accessible is your bathroom? Until you’ve had to deal with a physical health condition you’ve probably never had to think about this, but it’s important to be able to wash with as much independence as possible. Think handrails and especially walk-in showers, which are a must

The Bedroom

It’s good to ensure that you get the best night’s sleep possible and especially if you are coping with additional challenges this is true. Make sure the bed you have is low enough to get into and out of without too much issue and it’s also greatly important to have the correct mattress, The Dozy Owl has more on buying a mattress for back pain.

Kitchen Appliances

The kitchen is a particular challenge, especially if you are in a wheelchair, but you can get custom worktops that are lower to allow you access to making meals, etc. This will be an expensive conversion though as it will require completely remodelling the room.

 Stairs

If you live in a two-story building then getting upstairs can become a particular challenge. You could take the view of living mostly downstairs, but why should you limit yourself? There are solutions to this problem. Why not consider looking at the possibility of a stair-lift. There are plenty of different options for what to buy, so be sure to consider the reputation of the firm installing it, how much are they charging? Do they include the cost of installation as part of the advertised cost, and does this include sales taxes? You need to know what you are getting before you make a decision or sign anything.

Access

The last thing you need to consider is access to your house itself, and for the most part, this can be fairly simply done as all it really requires is a ramp and some handrails. But unless you are sure you have the skills to do this yourself then you should be certain that you hire a competent contractor to carry the work out to the required standard as if it’s not legal then you may be required to take it down and start again.