Using a wheelchair comes with difficulties in certain places, as not all areas are easily accessible. These areas may need specific features and structures to assist people in wheelchairs. Even using a wheelchair around the house can also be a challenge, and specific measures are required to make the home safe. Here are five tips for making a house wheelchair-safe.
Install Ramps
Wherever there are stairs in or around the house, you must put ramps in their place. Ramps are vital parts of making a house wheelchair-safe, allowing access to different levels of the home and make moving through the house simpler. Metal ramps with rubber strips are relatively simple to assemble, so implementation shouldn’t cause problems.
Place Necessary Items on Lower Shelves
People in wheelchairs often have difficulty reaching objects on high shelves, and using a pole-reacher creates the risk of an object falling and injuring the person. Placing necessary items on lower shelves will make grabbing those items easier for people in wheelchairs.
Install Safety Rails
Safety rails are essential when you’re making a house wheelchair-safe. These rails offer great help for individuals who are at risk of falls or who have trouble moving around, especially when combined with the use of items that detect falls. Safety rails are essential on and around stairwells, in bathrooms near the toilet and shower, and in kitchens by the sink.
Reconstruct the Tub
The tub walls will make getting into and out of the shower difficult for people in wheelchairs. If you reconstruct the bathtub by knocking down the walls closer to the floor, it will be a straightforward process of getting out of the wheelchair and into a shower chair.
Get Rid of Doorknobs
For people in wheelchairs, finagling with a doorknob to get into a room is annoying. Having to turn the knob before pulling or pushing the door—all while attempting to control the wheelchair—will cause a great deal of hindrance. Removing doorknobs and making doors easy to open and close with just one push will simplify entering rooms.
Using a wheelchair around the home takes time and effort, but with these tips, moving around the house will be an easy process for you and yours.