Barriers Removed?

What is a barrier?

·         Steps,

·         Narrow doorways,

·         Small bathrooms, with a bathtub only

·         Knob hardware on doors or Kitchen and bathroom fixtures 

·         Plush thick carpet,

·         Lighting (lack of it or old florescent lighting)

·         Sharp 90 degree corners on cabinet that if you don’t lean on it carefully or your hand slips, may cause you harm

·         etc..

      1.       These could be some barriers you might have in yours or a loved one’s home!

2.       What can you do to pre-plan for the future?

In your planning for a new homes, plan a,

·         Level entry to home from parking or garage area

·         Wider hallways, and doorways, using Lever hardware with return on the lever

·         Clear space in and out of rooms (for turning with canes, walker or wheel chairs)

·         Roll in or transfer shower on main level

·         Lever hardware on faucets and shower valve.

·         Hand held shower with slide rail (not a slide rail that extends out into your shower area. Slide rails are only put in the wall with a couple of small screws. There is a relatively flat one that doesn’t give a false sense if you are to slip.

·         Grabbars and hand rails or at least install backing

·         Install grabbars instead of towel bars etc..

·         18” high toilet, so you won’t have to bend down so low to use the toilet.

·         Front or side controls for range or cook top so you don’t have to reach over hot burners to adjust your stove

·         Side by side refrigerator so more items are at a more convenient or reachable level

·         Contrasting colors for grabbars or hand rails so your eyes will pick them up, more easily

·         More light in each room and less dark surrounding so that items can be seen more clearly

YOUR, Existing home
              
                   What is the Disability?

           Age, Stroke, Heart attack, MD, M/S, etc.

                              Evaluate the need, with a concern for,
                           
                                      What are today’s, needs?

What will work today and hopefully keep working tomorrow?

 What is your goal? Does living in your own home fit into your goal?

      ·    Try and stretch your need planning to at least a 2 Year window

a.       What was your access and ability in your life, 2 years ago?

b.      What is your access issues, Today?

c.       And what do you think your access issue will look like in 2 years

·         Upper and lower body strength, grasp, vision, dexterity.

·         What will work best, with the amount of room or rooms available

·         Money,

a.       What kind of funded or personal assets are available,

b.      What can you fit into that goal to stay at your home?

Some simple Solutions!

Hand held shower with slide rail

Get a shower chair for yourself

Remove glass shower doors and replace with shower curtain

·         Glass doors look nice but are a hazard if you were to fall in the tub or shower. If you should fall then time is usually the issue and the doors many times will need to be removed quickly to extricate  you or if you did break the glass in your fall, then one mess creates another etc,

·         18” toilet

·         Lever hardware on doors and faucets

·         Swing clear hinges to open doorways for clearer entry, these hinges will give you back the 1 ½” width that you takes up each time you open it. These work great!

·         Grabbars and hand rails replace towel bar to remove this handhold

·         Ramps, Threshold and exterior, long or short aluminum or wood

·         Threshold ramps rubber or aluminum.

·         etc.