How To Adapt Your Home When Mobility Problems Strike?

Whether you’re at a point in your life where you need to adapt your home and make it a better fit for your changing needs, or you are just thinking about the future, it’s good to understand the kinds of adaptations that you may need to make, should mobility problems strike. 

One of the main reasons that older people have to leave their homes and move into specially adapted accommodation is because they have been unable to adapt their homes themselves. However, if you take a proactive approach to the design of your home, ensuring that it is a space that will work for you, regardless of how mobile you are, this shouldn’t be a problem for you. 

The question is, of course: what does it take to adapt your home into a space that is suitable should mobility problems strike? 

For some useful tips, ideas and pieces of advice, check out this useful guide below all about how you can adapt your home to make managing mobility problems that little bit easier. 

Install grab bars 

When it comes to staying safe while moving around your home, grab bars are a useful tool. These can be installed at strategic points throughout your home, such as in the bathroom, on the stairs, in the kitchen, and around the front and back doors. For anyone who is unsteady on their feet, grab bars can be really helpful. Make sure that when it comes to installing the grab bars that you select indoor bars for inside and outdoor ones for outside. It’s also worth making sure that the grab bars you install have hand grips on them, to prevent slips and accidental falls. 

Invest in a stairlift 

If your home has stairs, these could pose a serious problem regarding you being able to move freely around your home. While you could opt to install handrails on your stairs, a safer option may be to have a stairlift installed – there are a number of different stairlift prices and designs to choose from, so whatever your budget there’s sure to be a stairlift option that’s a good fit for both your budget and needs. Of course, if a stairlift just isn’t affordable, then grab rails can also help to minimize risk while using the stairs. However, a stairlift would be a safer option. 

Consider installing an intercom 

Getting to and from the door when you’re unsteady on your feet can be somewhat of a struggle – one of the most common causes of trips and falls on older people is rushing to get to the door. A great way to reduce the risk of needing to rush is to install an intercom system, where you can pick up a phone that is positioned near you to speak to the person at your door, only letting them in if you know them. An alternative option is to install a key safe and give the code to close family and friends, as well as the emergency services, so that should anyone need to get in they can do so.

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