Need To Make Your Home Wheelchair-Accessible? Tips For You
Posted on: 1 December 2019
If you have a home that needs to be made wheelchair-accessible, either for yourself or for another member of your family, you may be unsure of where to start with the process. There are many steps to take when you need to make it wheelchair-accessible. The key is to get to know some of the major steps to take in the process to get you started. Then, you can get started as soon as possible and have a home that is accessible to your family member who now uses a wheelchair.
Remove Clutter and Major Obstacles
Wheelchairs are generally wider than a person walking on their own. Because of this, you will need to deal with clutter in your home as well as major obstacles that may exist. For example, if you have furniture that is close together, you will want to spread things out to allow a wheelchair in between. A coffee table may need to be moved further out from the couch or removed, or two couches may need to be further separated.
Clutter like piles of books, throw rugs, or other stacks of items that block hallways or walkways may also need to be redistributed and/or removed entirely. You want to have enough room for the wheelchair plus a little wiggle room to make it comfortable for the person to maneuver throughout the house.
Get Ramps for Outside and Possibly Inside
One of the most important steps you will need to take when making a home wheelchair accessible is to install ramps where there are stairs. If you have stairs coming into your house or inside of your house itself, you need to find ways to make it so a wheelchair can get in. In many cases, this involves ramps.
Small staircases into the house and inside of the house can be replaced with ramps. There are many types of ramps to install, depending on your needs and the design of your house, to ensure that you can accommodate a wheelchair.
Make the Bathroom as Safe as Possible
Bathroom accessibility and safety can be an issue for people in wheelchairs. Because of this, you want to make the bathroom as safe as possible for a wheelchair user. This can involve installing a large walk-in shower rather than a bathtub/shower combination. A walk-in shower that is flush with the flooring can include a sturdy shower chair to make it more accommodating.
Installing shower bars to help a person move from the wheelchair to the shower chair can also be quite helpful. You also, of course, want there to be room for the wheelchair near the toilet and the shower for easier accessibility.
Now that you know more about making your home more wheelchair-accessible, you can get the process started as soon as possible.
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