5 Tips for Making Your Home More Accessible

Your home is meant to be the place where you are most safe and comfortable, but if your accessibility needs have changed over time, then you may need to also amend the way that your home runs. While it might seem like an overwhelming task to make your home more accessible, it can be much more manageable when you have an idea of what needs to be done. Here are five tips for making your home more accessible. 

Adjust where your plugs and switches are

Bending and reaching can put a lot of unnecessary strain on your body, and some plugs are simply not possible to be reached because furniture has been placed in front of it. To counteract this problem, it is possible to have your plugs and switches adjusted – for example, light switches can be lower so that they can be reached from a sitting position, and plug switches can be raised to a level where you can use them without having to bend.

Consider getting a walk in bath

Getting in and out of the bath can be difficult and dangerous at the best of times, but especially if you are somebody who struggles with mobility. The water on the bottom of the bath makes it incredibly slippery, which means it is very easy to fall. Age Co Mobillity offers a range of walk-in baths and showers, which enable you to get in and out of the bath or shower much more safely, helping you to look after yourself independently. This change will take the most work out of any on the list, but could be the one that proves to be the most beneficial to you.

Remove unnecessary and obstructive furniture

When you are trying to navigate around your home using any sort of mobility aid, it can be difficult to maneuver yourself around the furniture if there is not a clear walkway. Because of this, it is important to organise your furniture in such a way that it isn’t going to cause an obstruction, which can be dangerous and painful to walk around. Keep your living space as clear as possible so that your home remains safe and accessible.

Buy multiples if you live on more than one level

We live in a time where we are told to scale back on clutter and be minimalist in the way that we buy things, but the reality is that it isn’t always possible to do that when you are disabled. I like to buy multiples of certain items so that I can make my life a lot easier – for example, I will keep a toothbrush and toothpaste both upstairs and downstairs, so that my hygiene doesn’t need to suffer if I am unable to manage the stairs on that day. Anybody with a chronic condition will understand that there are good days and bad days, so planning when things are good is the key to managing when things are bad.

Throw away the rule book

Ultimately, when it comes to making your home more accessible, you need to do whatever works for you and makes your life run more smoothly. For example, you don’t need to stand at a kitchen counter to chop your veg for cooking – you could sit at your kitchen table or even use a coffee table in the living room if it makes you more comfortable, and then take a big pot of your chopped veg through to the kitchen when you’re done. Try not to worry about doing things the way people say they are supposed to be done, and concentrate on doing things in the way that works for you and your body.

What steps do you take to make your home more accessible to you? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below.