AccessibilityPro.com

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Safety, Comfort and Independence

Accessibility Professionals helps you to arrange your home to maximize your independence.

Our mission is to assist seniors, disabled individuals, caregivers and health professionals such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, and nurses to explore and make changes that help you to age-in-place and to live with dignity.

Accessibility Professionals goal is to provide summarized information and best practices in home safety. We encourage you to explore the wealth of free information provided on this site and use it to live more safely, comfortably and independently.

Call us Toll Free at 1-877-947-7769 at anytime to discuss your specific needs.

Accessible Bathrooms

Accessible and ADA showers are easier to get in and out of than conventional showers or bathtubs.

Installing a barrier free shower stall with the shower floor level with the bathroom floor allows seniors, the disabled and people of all ages to enjoy safe and comfortable bathrooms without sacrificing style.

Eliminating the 'curb' helps people with limited mobility to enjoy a walk in shower or for a wheelchair to be rolled directly into the shower.

In most cases, an accessible shower is used for residential bathrooms and ADA compliant showers for commercial buildings, see Accessible Showers and ADA showers for more information.

Home Safety Tips for Seniors

As we age, we all wish to maintain our independence and self-dignity.

There are two primary issues facing the elderly and their caregivers when making a plan to stay in their homes, they are the design of their homes and the support they receive no longer meets their needs.

Making home safety modifications for the ease of access is easier than ever before. Today, aging adults can enjoy living safely in their own home as long as possible.

Home safety for seniors is a very serious issue as the result of an unsafe environment can often result in serious injury or death.

The #1 risk for an independent living senior is a fall, which can have devastating effects. Falls account for 4 of every 5 injury-related hospitalizations by seniors and 20% of deaths related to an injury can be traced back to falls!

According to the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), each year more than 1.6 million seniors are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for fall-related injuries caused by incidents such as slipping on a wet bathroom floor, loss of balance on stairs, or tripping on a rug.

Over 50% of seniors falls occur in or around the home.

The statistics are frightening and acting on fall safety tips is a high priority health care concern for independent living seniors.

The good news is that in recent years many accessible home products have come to the marketplace. The Universal Design movement has made great strides in making homes easier for everyone to use. The American Disabilities Act introduced guidelines which protect the rights of the disabled to access public facilities and businesses.

10 Simple Steps for a Safer Home

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help yourself or an aging loved one to be safer in their home. The simplest projects often offer some of the biggest benefits. These steps enhance your quality of life by enabling you to enjoy the full use of your home and maintain your personal independence. Click on the blue highlighted areas for more information.

1. Remove tripping hazards such as throw rugs and clutter in walkways. Arrange furniture so that it creates open space and clear passage. Place bed, telephone, etc. where they are easily accessible. See article, Remove Home Hazards. It is also important to keep your home brightly lit to avoid tripping. See article, Low Cost Ways to Improve Lighting in the Home.

2. Add bathroom safety features, such as using non-slip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors and install grab bars. Having a handicap accessible bathroom is an important element of home safety as many falls occur in the bathroom . See articles Bathroom Safety for Seniors, Bathroom Safety Grab Bars, and detailed descriptions of Handicap Access Showers, Walk in Bathtubs. and ADA and Accessible Shower Bases.

3. Improve Mobility into and throughout your home . This includes safety of outdoor walkways, entrances, doorways and stairs. Assistive Devices such as a cane or walker can also help your balance and mobility. Wheelchair home safety products such as portable handicap ramps help you move freely into and through your home. See articles A Clear Path, Doors, Entrances and Walkways.

4. Most homes don't have the features and conveniences to make them appropriate and safe for seniors . By planning ahead you can make more economical decisions on what and when to make changes in your home. Improvements in remodeling technologies have resulted in many new home accessibility products, one example can be found at Accessible Kitchens.

5. If you choose to remodel to increase the convenience and comfort of your home, how you select, hire and manage the independent contractor often defines a successful project. See article, Hiring a Contractor.

6. For seniors living alone, a personal medical alert system allows a senior in distress to call for help. See article, Elderly Medical Alarms and Elderly-Medical-Alarms.com.

7. Exercise regularly to increase body strength, flexibility and improve balance. Regular exercise can also help prevent depression in seniors.

8. Review all medicines with the doctor or pharmacist (both prescription and over-the-counter) to reduce side effects and interactions. Have vision checked. Be prepared for visits and be aware of the different types of health care professionals. We also recommend a geriatric home safety assessment be performed by a professional such as an occupational therapist. Be aware of elderly medical products that assist in independent living.

9. Consider home health care to assist senior in higher risk activities, such as bathing. Many levels of personal, psychosocial and domestic care are available including live-in health care.

10. Don't overlook the family caregivers, caregiver burnout is a huge and growing problem, see articles Eldercare - Caring For an Aging Parent, Caring for the Caregiver and Mothering Our Mother.

The Accessibility Professionals Team has helped many people and organizations transform their homes, workplaces and public facilities making them easier to use.

Accessibility is all about helping people of all abilities to live safety, comfortably and independently.

The information provided by Accessibility Professionals is not and should not be taken as advice or treatment from a doc­tor or health care professional. Never disregard professional, medical or health care advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site.

Call us Toll Free at 1-877-947-7769 to discuss your specific needs.