“If these walls could talk!” It’s a phrase expressing the life in a building – the love, laughter and tears.  The family home must adapt to many changing needs over the years. Toddler years mean stair gates and play spaces. Teenagers may need both privacy and connection. Parents may need or choose to work from home. Empty-nesters may repurpose some rooms to accommodate new hobbies.  And, at any stage, accessibility may become a key requirement.  Sometimes, it’s simply the gradual decline in function associated with getting older – it’ll come to us all eventually.  Some homes are built with accessibility requirements in mind. Others are modified to meet changed needs. 

Trends in accessible home design

Accessibility is really another word for liveability. An accessible home makes life easier for people with different mobility, enabling you or your family member to be more independent when it comes to: 
  • Getting in and out of the house
  • Moving around the home
  • Using the bathroom
  • Cooking food
  • Enjoying activities
Let’s take a look at some of the latest trends.   

Entry

Getting into a house usually involves unlocking the front door using either a key or a code. But what if your upper limb is impaired/limited or can’t easily manoeuvre into a position where you can reach the lock?  Consider installing an automatic door. This can be opened or closed using: 
    • RFID card readers are installed on the door, and the user carries a credit card-sized tag. When this tag comes in range, the door opens. 
    • Remote control – this can be built into the wheelchair using an adaptive switch (which varies depending on your preference); these ability switches activate with the slightest touch.
    • Touch- or voice-activated sensors – several different apps can be set up using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, meaning you can open the door from your device. 

Hallways and living areas

Moving through your home becomes easier and safer when you consider your:
  • Flooring
  • Style
  • Furniture
  • Lighting
Choose flooring that makes it easier for wheeled mobility aids to move. That means choices like non-slip vinyl or low-pile carpet tiles.  Your general living style can also make a big difference—work at reducing clutter. When there are plants, decorative items or rugs on the floor, navigating around the house is much harder, and you’re at greater risk of tripping and hurting yourself.  Minimalistic furniture maximises space for movement, making it easier to get around your home.  Of course, you need to be able to see where you’re going. Consider installing sensor lighting so the lights come on automatically as you move around the house at night. This is really helpful when you come home late or get up at night to go to the bathroom.    

Kitchen, bathroom and laundry

These are some of the most important rooms of the house – it’s here that you create meals, attend to personal hygiene and turn dirty laundry into clean clothes.  You can make these areas more accessible by: 
  • Remodelling to ensure the spaces are wide enough for you to move around
  • Installing worktops with knee clearance so that wheelchair user can get their legs underneath the benchtop when chopping vegetables
  • Installing an oven with a retractable or side-opening door so that someone in a wheelchair can reach inside easily without the risk of burning themselves 
  • Replacing old taps with lever mixer taps. These make it easier to set the water temperature and are easier to turn on and off for people with limited mobility – including conditions like arthritis
  • Underfloor bathroom heating to provide consistent room temperature for those with difficulty regulating their temperature
  • Level-entry showers for people who use a wheelchair or have limited mobility
  • Raising the level of a front-loading washing machine so there’s no need for people with mobility issues or balance difficulties to bend down when doing laundry. 

Outside areas

Spending time outside has many benefits for mental and physical health. That means accessibility considerations should apply to the outside of the home as well as the inside.  Smooth pathways enable you to access the letterbox or the clothesline. Raised flowerbeds enable you to enjoy a spot of gardening.  If you’re lucky enough to have a pool, install a hoist to get into the water and enjoy it. Swimming can be therapeutic for people with disability, enabling greater freedom of movement and a lovely sense of weightlessness.  Disclaimer All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Enabled Designs can consult with you regarding your individual health needs.

How can we help? 

Enabled Designs is an Occupational Therapy practice focused on home modifications and assistive technology. We believe that transforming your home can transform your life – and we’re here to support you.  If you’d like to find out how your home could be more accessible, please contact us.