For those with reduced mobility, an accessible living environment is essential to maintaining independence and a good quality of life. Routine daily tasks that we take for granted, from getting washed and dressed to cooking an evening meal, can be frustratingly challenging in properties with a standard design.
Take the time to redesign your home with features to meet the needs of those with reduced mobility. Whether it’s for yourself or a loved one, these renovations and changes in furnishings will make your space more accessible, functional and comfortable.
Level flooring and ramps
Ensure easy accessibility from the entrance and throughout the house with level flooring and ramps.
Replace any steps leading up to the property or out to the garden with ramps. These are much easier to navigate for those with mobility aids and enable wheelchair users direct access to the property. Those with houses spanning several floors can make use of stairlifts to take away the challenge of climbing stairs indoors.
The best flooring for those with reduced mobility is materials such as laminate, tiles and linoleum. These are smooth and non-slippery so you can be sure of stability underfoot. Avoid thick carpets that can cause friction and floor accessories like rugs and runners that can get tangled and cause trips.
Widened doors and hallways
Properties are generally designed to save space, especially terraced houses and blocks of flats in towns and city centres. This means that the standard designs often have narrow hallways that can prove impassable for those using wheelchairs or mobility aids to get about.
Invest in widening your hallways and doors so that there is ample space for everyone, remembering to expand the corners as well so those with reduced mobility can turn in and out of rooms with ease. Include room for a railing along each hallway and near the main door for additional support.
Walk-in wardrobes and wet rooms
Once you have upgraded the main areas of the property, focus on the design of individual rooms to make daily routines as seamless as possible.
In the bedroom, a customised walk-in wardrobe from specialists like Hammonds will make dressing a breeze. Clothes can be kept at the right height and stored in the best way for easy access, and you can include space for a dressing area and mirror should you so choose. Having it fitted flush to the wall makes the bedroom easier to navigate, too.
In the bathroom, consider installing a wet room. These are more simple to enter and exit than shower cubicles and traditional bathtubs and look beautiful to boot.
Height-adjustable worktops
In all rooms, height-adjustable worktops help to make life more comfortable and convenient for those with reduced mobility.
Refit your kitchen with countertops that can be raised or lowered to suit the height that best meets your needs. You can also replace cabinets mounted high on the walls with open shelves within easy reach. Remember to keep kitchen appliances close at hand as well.
You can also embrace one of the latest accessible home décor trends – foldaway furniture. Keep seats, trays and small tables on hand in each room, stacked neatly out of sight but ready to use as and when you need them.
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