Keeping Your Home Safe & Accessible
Without Spending a Fortune
by Jan Blaustone
If you aren’t ready just yet to design and build that
dream home with perfect accessibility, there are a lot of things you
can do in the meantime to solve everyday dilemmas.
Besides providing low-cost solutions to some of your
home accessibility problems, these suggestions are also geared to safety.
The Centers for Disease Control reported that in 2003, more than 1.8
million seniors (age 65 and older) were treated in emergency facilities
for fall-related injuries, and more than 421,000 were hospitalized.
Of those who fell, 20 percent to 30 percent suffered moderate to severe
injuries, reducing mobility and independence.
This problem isn’t limited to seniors. Unsafe home configurations
can lead to falls for people with neuromuscular diseases, which can
lead to injury or further loss of independence. These solutions may
help you address some common challenges and help you stay as healthy
and independent as possible.
Although Medicare and private insurance don’t cover
most of the assistive devices and techniques listed here, they’re often
inexpensive to buy or replicate at home. Rather than waiting to make
changes after an injury, or when your mobility becomes limited by disease
progression, consider implementing some of these ideas right now.
And be sure to check the ads, articles and “Product
Peeks” in Quest for sources and other ideas.
Let’s take a tour around the house and see what we can
do.
OUTDOORS
Need a safe, secure ramp into the house without making
a costly, permanent change that may devalue your home’s worth? Consider
a prebuilt, portable ramp.
One seamless 36-inch-wide, lightweight aluminum ramp
with a nonskid surface and (optional) powder-coated handrails runs about
$230. Ramps that can easily be added to or removed from your home are
available from several companies for $80 and up.
For easier access into and around your back yard, consider
adding a stone pathway. Pavers require no cement and come in a variety
of shapes and colors from your local home improvement or garden store,
starting around 50 cents each. For a wiggle-free installation, embed
them slightly in the ground … a quick job for the neighborhood teen.
DOORS
Have a doorway you can’t fit through now that you’re
using a wheelchair? Before you hire a demolition crew, try replacing
your door hinges with wrap-around or swing-clear specialty hinges. They’re
reversible for left or right opening doors, and add a few inches to
your clearance. Available in a variety of finishes at hardware stores,
the hinges range from $20 to $25 each.
Speaking of doors, do you find your round doorknob difficult
to turn, especially when using one hand? You can replace such knobs
with L-shaped lever handles or, for about the same cost, you can buy
an easy-to-install knob adapter. Adapters that fit over most round doorknobs
sell for only $12 to $25. (Lever handles make much easier work for your
service dog, too!)
FLOORS
Hard-surfaced flooring is best. But whether you have
tile, wood, concrete or carpeted floors, be sure to eliminate throw
rugs and move exposed electrical cords. They can trip up your step or
get caught in your wheels.
BATHROOM & HALLWAYS
Grab bars are a sensible addition to any home, but not
all walls were built with the necessary reinforcement to install a common
grab bar.
Instead, try a portable grab bar like the Grabit (great
for traveling), a 13-inch bar you can position anywhere - even in a
car. It mounts by flipping two levers that provide a powerful suction
cup hold to any smooth surface; it sells for $65.
A second option is a unique fastening system that permanently
installs a grab bar into any wall without the need for additional structural
support. This one-of-a-kind fastening hardware called WingIt installs
in minutes and exceeds applicable federal regulations, national building
codes and ADA guidelines. Price per WingIt is $12 to $25.
BATHROOM
Yes, there are toilet options other than portable buckets.
The universal, raised toilet seat is most economical and lightweight,
selling for as low as $20, and it’s great for traveling. It’s dishwasher-safe,
and will raise existing seat height by 2 inches to 13 inches.
If you want to install a toilet (go for the tall 18-inch
elongated style) in a new location without drilling into your flooring
and incurring expensive plumbing costs, there’s a solution for you,
too. The motorized Qwik Jon pump system by Zoeller is used with a variety
of toilet styles without the need to destroy flooring, thereby reducing
construction costs.
It pumps in any direction, is leak-proof and odorless,
and fits just about anywhere. All you need is a level surface for this
freestanding system that can be hidden; approximate dimensions are 42-inch
height, 18-inch depth and 24-inch width. The cost is about $600.
Other than grab bars, there are three key ingredients
to safe and accessible Showering 101:
- a hand-held showerhead
- a shower transfer seat
- a nonslip rubber shower mat
Hand-held showerhead packages can even include a vertical
slide bar. They range from $16 to $300 (most are under $100) at your
local home improvement store and on the Internet. They’re easy to install,
and the pulsating models are wonderful for hands-free hair rinsing.
A sturdy transfer shower bench with backrest and reversible
armrest is indispensable for use in a tub or shower stall. Many types
are offered, starting at retail stores from $65 to $150. More specialized
or long-lasting ones, made of rust-proof stainless steel, with sliding
bench and toileting features, go for several hundred dollars.
For mats, look for a half-inch thick rubber floor mat;
it’s ideal for heavy wheelchairs and provides a secure hold in slippery
environments. A 2-by-3-foot model sells for $18.
SAFETY TIP
Don’t forget to keep a cell phone
attached to your wheelchair, especially while in
the bathroom.
BEDROOM
Bed too tall?
Many beds today are very tall — 24 to 30 inches including
an 18-inch mattress set — and, without an elevator seat, they can be
difficult to transfer to from an 18- or 19-inch wheelchair seat. A common
$50 metal bed frame is lower than a modern bed-room set frame.
Bed too short?
If you hav e an older 12-to-15-inch mattress set and
need to make your bed taller for an easier transfer, furniture risers
are your answer. They come in wood or heavy-duty plastic, and you can
stack them to achieve your desired bed height. Available at home improvement
stores or online, they sell for $10 to $25 for a set of four. They also
work great on sofas, tables and large chairs.
Another common problem in transferring to or rising
from a bed or sofa is having nothing to grab onto for support. A portable
handrail can be your solution. Several designs are on the market; some
include a caddy for remotes, books and such. They usually have a frame
that fits between your mattresses, making a secure, firm hold for gripping.
Very abundant online, they sell for around $50.
KITCHEN & STUDY
Whether you’re working in the kitchen, working at a
desk, reading in bed, or simply eating a casual meal, a portable table
is a must-have. There are a variety on the market that tilt in either
direction, raise and lower easily, move on wheels, and aren’t bad-looking.
Prices begin around $45.
KITCHEN & BATHROOM
Reaching kitchen or bathroom faucets and then being
able to work the levers can be frustrating when your motor skills are
impaired and/or you’re at standard wheelchair level.
First, try getting closer to the faucet by simply removing
that little vertical bar in between your kitchen cabinets. (Be sure
to wrap your plumbing with insulation tape so you won’t nudge your knees
up against a hot pipe.) You should be able to get considerably closer
by putting your feet into the cabinet.
If hand dexterity is an issue, replace your faucet with
a lever faucet, single handle or even a touch-free faucet. While most
lever faucet handles ($30 to $80) are relatively inexpensive, a touch-free
faucet costs about $350. But you can get an adapter for about $100 from
your home improvement store or online to make most existing faucets
touch-free.
Top 10
Tips for Keeping It Clean
- The Roomba robotic FloorVac by iRobot took
the world’s floors by storm a few years ago and, for $280,
I rushed out and bought one. As a three-dog pet owner, I was
skeptical but hopeful. While the hands-free vac-uum criss-crosses
my home, I find that it isn’t as efficient as a human-powered
vacuum. But if I run it once or twice a week, it eliminates
my need to sweep up dog hair on virtually all hard-surfaced
flooring.
The little carpeting we have ends up
in stripes of clean vs. dog hair, but it’s a small job to
touch up. Must-have accessories include infrared sensors creating
“virtual walls,” the fast charger (under 3 hours), and the
scheduler that lets you program when you want it to clean.
The Roomba Scheduler complete package includes all these options
and more, selling for $330 at specialty and department stores.
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- What’s even better than a
hands-free vacuum? A robotic floor scrubber, of course!
The clever iRobot
people are at it again, this time offering the Scooba. Scooba
offers “four cleaning steps in one pass: preps, washes, scrubs
and dries all by itself.” The only downside I see is that
it isn’t suitable for unsealed wood floors or laminate flooring.
Slightly heavier than the Roomba (6 pounds), the Scooba weighs
9 pounds and sells for $400.
- For
a floor cleaner in a lower price range, try Euro-Pro’s Shark
Cordless Intelligent Sweeper, which sells for as little as
$20 online. Using three speeds, it claims to brush up any
kind of mess, wet or dry, in a 13-inch path. It’s cordless
and has a height-adjustable handle. Though it has to be pushed,
it’s lighter than a regular sweeper and doesn’t require a
dustpan.
For a scrubbing
floor cleaner, try one of Hoover’s Floor Mates. The 3060,
designed for hard floors, vacuums, scrubs clean, and sucks
it all back up. Unfortunately, it is not cordless but it’s
much easier to push than a mop. Tile and grout cleaning applications
are a plus, too. It retails for $245 but you can pick it up
online for as little as $178.
- Speaking of floors, here’s
an ingenious way to scrub carpet stains, including pet stains,
without bending over. The Stain Stomper carpet spot removal
towels by Orange Glo really do remove old or new stains. While
they’re designed to be stomped on, instead I place a sheet
over the stain and simply roll over it several times in my
wheelchair. Like magic, the stain is gone when I lift the
towel with my grabber.
- Moving on to laundry, if you’ve
been struggling with a heavy bottle of detergent it’s a no-brainer
to try a concentrated laundry soap — there are dozens of kinds.
I can get 32 loads out of the lightweight All Small & Mighty
bottle, making for very few spills.
If you’ve replaced
your top-loading washer and drier with front-loading models,
lucky you! The best complement to a front-loading system is
the pedestal. They come with storage drawers and raise your
appliance off the floor by 2 feet. Whether you build pedestals
yourself or buy one for about $150 to $170, it makes diving
into your washer and drier after lost socks effortless, especially
from a wheelchair.
- Bathrooms are where most accidents
happen, and cleaning them is part of the problem. The good
news is that it’s a whole lot easier to clean them now than
it was even one year ago. If you haven’t tried the Mister
Clean Magic Reach extender system for shower and tub cleaning,
do so. For about $15, it’s like an arm extension and works
fairly well even with little scrubbing.
Some people simply
use a sponge mop to clean the tub or shower. There are also
toilet wands to make that chore easier. A clean throne makes
a happy queen.
- Working at the kitchen sink is no fun. But
recently I discovered the Black & Decker Power Scrubber and
it’s changed my life! Maybe not, but the power scrubber is
one incredible helper for those of us who have limited arm
and hand strength. Lightweight, submersible, and easy to grasp,
it scrubs, brushes and scours my sink, dirty pots and pans
magnificently on only four AA batteries. It’s just $20.
- Now that your house is clean, how about a
couple of tips for easier care of yourself?
Who wants to lift a heavy iron and deal
with an ironing board no matter what your condition? For several
years, I have relied instead on Wrinkle Releaser by Downy.
Just a few light sprays, a slight tug or two, and the wrinkles
virtually disappear. It really works … too bad it’s only for
clothes.
Spraying a small amount of fabric softener
mixed with water can also combat wrinkles. After spraying,
you may need to smooth out the garment and hang it to dry.
- Make washing and bathing easier with an ergonomic
finger clip shampoo brush, loofa shower mitt, or extended
handle shampoo brush and back scrubber. These handy gadgets
start about $3, and are available online or at several nationwide
stores that sell bath products.
- Once you’re clean, there’s nothing like drying
off, or simply drying your hair, with a heated (or not) blast
of ionic air. Powerful blow-dryers are available as freestanding,
pivoting, hands-free units from various stores, or grab the
Salon Pro Ionic Conditioning Hair Dryer for $50.
Other hands-free dryer stands (without
dryer) can be ordered for around $20 to $30.
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