If you are a wheelchair user or live with someone who uses a wheelchair, you may know how difficult it is to movea wheelchair throughout the house if there are not enough space or accessible areas. There are many ways to make it easier to live at home with a wheelchair that are easy to accommodate. Below are 5 ways to adjust your home to be wheelchair friendly.
1. Install ramps
When you have steps that lead you to the doorway, installing a ramp is a great way to eliminate the hassle of using the steps. It is a big improvement for wheelchair user to enter the house quickly. Before installing ramps, check your area if it is required to install rails at a certain height.
2. Enlarge doorways
Navigating through narrow doorways is a big problem for wheelchair users. In order to fix this issue, you would have to have your doorways enlarge by cutting a large opening to make it wider.
3. Floor choices
Not all flooring styles are wheelchair friendly. Carpet and rugs can make it difficult for wheelchair user to move around due to the rough or thick surface. It is best to use soft carpeting or hard floors, such as wood and tile, in your house.
4. Install grab bars
Grab bars is a great tool for wheelchair users to have stability to prevent the risk of falling. They are best installed in the bathroom especially beside the toilet and in the shower. In general, grab bars are useful in other parts of the houses when stability is needed.
5. Adaptive equipment
Adaptive equipment comes in different shapes and sizes. These equipment help wheelchair user do certain tasks independently when they are in the kitchen or in the bathroom. For example, you can design a kitchen with equipment to allow wheelchair user to independently move or grab objects. You can also add a shower chair in the bathroom. Click here for more details about shower equipment.
For more detail suggestions on how to make your home to be wheelchair friendly, check out the image below. The image provides great advice for each room. Click on the image for a clearer view.
