Whether you’re a senior striving for independent living or you’re a caregiver providing care to an aging parent, home accessibility should be considered a necessity, not a luxury. Home accessibility goes well beyond simply having a wheelchair or a mobility scooter to navigate through the home. And most of the time you can make simple adjustments to your home to achieve accessibility without having to break the bank or move to a new home. Just remember the three R’s of low-cost home accessibility: rearrange, restructure and relocate.
Rearrange Furnishings
A wheelchair, walker or mobility scooter can take up valuable space whether it’s parked or actively being used. Moving furniture around is an easy task that can give your home a more open concept and eliminate or reduce trip hazards. Balance concerns are common for seniors, so the more straight-line areas you have to walk in, the more confident you can be. Consider also removing rugs, coffee tables, kitchen islands and even downsizing sofas or couches to free up some space throughout the home.
Restructure Tasks
After rearranging furnishings, you may find accomplishing everyday tasks are much easier. However, depending on the layout of some households, certain tasks may be difficult to make easier or safer. If doing the laundry, getting the mail, mowing the lawn or other tasks are too difficult to do for any reason, consider restructuring them and having someone else take care of them for you. A neighbor could get the mail for you as they get theirs, you could hire someone to mow your lawn and your children may be more than happy to do the laundry for their aging parent. You won’t have to give up your independent living by restructuring tasks in this manner and most people would be more than willing to help.
Relocate Activities
There may come a time when your home is simply too big for what you need or is arranged in a way that makes doing activities difficult. Whether you’ve gotten older and have mobility limitations or an injury has confined you to a wheelchair or mobility scooter, it doesn’t mean you have to find a new home. If the bedroom and office space are on the top floor and the kitchen, dining room and living areas are on the bottom floor, consider relocating some of the rooms temporarily if possible. The more activities you can accomplish on one floor, the less moving you’ll have to do and can continue independent living as a result.
Next Day Access believes you should live comfortably in their homes without limitations, and sometimes all it takes are minor adjustments. We offer an extensive line of mobility products and devices to help you navigate your home as simply as possible. If you’ve realized your home is not quite as accessible as you need it to be, think about the three R’s and contact us to schedule a free home assessment.
