How to Modify Your Home for People With Limited Mobility

If you or a loved one is living with a mobility issue, you are not alone. An estimated one in four Americans, or about 61 million people, have some form of disability that affects their mobility. Limited mobility can be caused by a huge array of issues, from aging to injury to lifelong disability.

What is important is that a person’s physical disabilities do not prevent them from living a full and comfortable life. That is why it is crucial to install the correct home modifications for accessibility. With a few simple changes to your home that take no more than a few minutes, you can ensure that every room in the house is accessible to a person with limited mobility. Read on to find out more.

1. Add Grab Bars and Handrails 

One of the most important home modifications for people with limited mobility is grab-bars and handrails in all the right places. Chief among these is the toilet, which should always have grab bars to make it easier to sit on and get up from.

The CDC reports that falls are the leading cause of death among older adults in America. That is why you should install rails wherever there might be a fall, such as staircases, entranceways, and kitchens. 

2. Accessible Bathroom Features 

Bathrooms are spaces where people with limited mobility will run into many obstacles. Fortunately, there are a lot of simple adjustments you can make to improve the accessibility of your bathroom.

A walk-in shower is the most effective adjustment, as this makes it much easier for a person with limited mobility to wash safely. Handrails around the toilet are also crucial, as mentioned. You can also install buttons and levers to turn off the water in an instant if someone in your household cannot use a faucet. 

3. A Safer Floor for Limited Mobility

If you are struggling with mobility and are undergoing physio training, you need to ensure that your home is a safe place to do this. As this expert guide to improving mobility explains, home stretches and movement exercises are a crucial part of rebuilding mobility after an accident.

That is why you should ensure that your floor is made as safe as possible to prevent falls and slips. You can easily install rubber backing to rugs to prevent slippage. You can also use stick-and-peel traction strips to prevent your floor from ever becoming a slipping hazard.

4. Ramps and Stair Lifts 

Finally, it is crucial to ensure that you can navigate your entire home if you need to, regardless of your mobility needs. A chair lift is an important tool to ensure that you can move up and down the floors of your home.

In addition, a ramp outside the house and inside where needed will ensure that a wheelchair-bound person will have no trouble moving about their own home as needed. 

More Simple Life Hacks for Better Living  

Learning how to live with limited mobility can be made easier with these simple hacks described above. For more easy and accessible life hacks for better living, make sure to consult our handy Useful Tips for more information. 

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