Adapting your home might seem like an overwhelming task if you are an older person or someone who has additional mobility needs but help is at hand for those with long-term disabilities and those who might find themselves suddenly incapacitated. Here are some things to consider when adapting your home for your own or a family member’s disability.
Check for Grants
The very first job on your list should be to check if you are eligible for any grants or assistance to ease the cost of adapting your home. The government website has some useful information for anyone looking for a disabled facility grant and is a good place to start with your enquiries. More information can be found here
https://www.gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants
Get a Free Assessment
If you aren’t sure how you need to adapt your home or what options are available to you then applying for a free assessment on the gov.uk website is the next step for you. This assessment will allow you to consider and apply for help with the different equipment or additional work you might need done in your home. Apply on the government website here https://www.gov.uk/apply-home-equipment-for-disabled
Bathroom Facilities
Depending on your disability, it might be worth considering some bathroom adaptations such as a walk in shower/shower seat, bath lift or rail to help you continue with your own personal care. If your bathroom is upstairs and you don’t have the funds to adapt a room downstairs, stair lifts are an effective way to keep mobile around the upper floors of your home.
Kitchen Assistance
If you use a wheelchair, you might find that the worktops and cupboards in standard built homes are too high or not practical for you. One option is to lower kitchen worktops and build cupboards lower down so you are able to move around and reach things freely, allowing you more independence in your day to day living.
Outside Spaces
Not all outdoor spaces are wheelchair or disability friendly, if you have lots of steps or a particularly narrow path or outside area then adding ramps outside the doors, widening doorways and landscaping your garden and adding motion sensor lights are all options available to you.
Smart Home Options
If you are unable to move around freely, then some smart home options might be suitable for you to help with controlling the heat, light and entertainment within your home and allowing you to control it all from a smart handheld device.
We hope this blog has given you some useful information regarding adapting your home for disability, if your current home is no longer suitable and you would like to find a new home which better suits your situation, we are happy to provide additional help and advice. Contact us here.