Luckily, adapting a house or apartment to become significantly easier for a loved one, yourself, or even a regular visitor to navigate is a lot simpler than it was just a few years ago.
Whether you need to make smaller adaptations to the property on a temporary basis or larger and more permanent changes to certain areas of your home, you have come to the right article.
Below is an outline of how to adapt your home to become more accessible.
Replace Stairs with Ramps
First and foremost, installing a smooth and unobstructed ramp attached from the ground to the front door will instantly transform the simplicity of accessing the property.
However, ramps are significantly more complicated, in terms of variety, than you may first think and there are actually five different types of ramps to choose from:
Suitcase Ramp: A lightweight ramp that folds into a suitcase shape for easy transport
Portable Ramp: The ideal short-term solution for any size or height of door
Modular Ramp: Perfect for unique or more unusual front doors
Threshold Ramp: Ideal for uneven ground and can bridge elevation differences by six inches
Permanent Ramp: The usual choice for installable ramps, but these do require a professional
Install Handrails
Perhaps the simplest, yet the safest, way of adapting your home is to install strong and durable aluminum handrails from a supplier that specializes in aluminum railing installations, such as Aladdin Inc.
Handrails will ensure that, from lowering themselves into the bathtub to steadying themselves on the stairs and along the landing, anyone living with a disability will feel much safer and more secure in your home.
Get Rid of All Liners & Rugs
Whether the person who is living with a disability is using a wheelchair to get around your home or crutches or another form of walking aid, it is exceedingly important to not only ensure that the floors are and remain free from obstruction, but also that there is little chance of slips and trips.
Large and small rugs alike are all liable to increase the risk of falling, so for the sake of walkers and wheelchairs alike, make sure both the rugs themselves and the liners underneath are safely stored away. There are other ways to make the flooring more interesting without causing a potential health and safety issue.
Replace the Handles
From the cabinets to drawers and the doors themselves, one thing you may not have thought about that will make a huge difference to accessibility is to replace any and all doorknobs for levers.
Doorknobs can sometimes be difficult to use for people without accessibility needs, so make things easier for everyone and install door levers (alternatively referred to as French door handles) instead. If you are able to do this without hiring a locksmith and either watch videos on the internet or even ask a handyman you know to show you how to do it yourself, you will save yourself a considerable amount of money.
