Lifestyle

How To Make Living At Home In A Wheelchair All The Easier

We all know how important it is to try look after ourselves. Staying fit, keeping a healthy heart and all that. But few people can answer the tough questions. The questions that we face when our lives take a different turn. Like when we need a wheelchair. If you need one or someone in your family does, there are some changes you might need to make to the home and your lifestyle. These are just a few of them.

disabled-wheelchairPhoto by moritzs320

 

The entrance

Obviously, it’s important that anyone in a wheelchair is able to get in and out of their home by themselves. If they’re in full control of their senses, giving them a place they can be independent is the main objective with the home. This means making doorways and hallways wide enough to allow for free movement. It can also mean installing ramps so a wheelchair can get in and out without help. Electronic systems can also make it easy for you to speak to and see who is at the door before releasing the lock.

 

The kitchen

There’s a lot of stuff that’s normally done in the kitchen. Cooking and preparing food makes up the bulk of it, usually. But washing in the sink and eating at the table are important, too. Fitting a new kitchen can be exactly what’s needed. Keeping things on a lower level so they’re easily accessed is a vital part of making the kitchen accessible. Sinks should also have hollow spaces underneath so they can be used by everyone.

 

The bathroom

For anyone with mobility troubles, the bathroom can prove a difficult and dangerous part of the home. Transference from chair to toilet seat or shower should be made as safe as possible. Using non-slippery surfaces for the floor is one way. Arm bars that allow wheelchair users to lift themselves on a steady anchoring point. Even if there isn’t a lot of space, there are still changes that can be made to make the most out of them. A shower could be designed to even allow wheelchairs inside them, for example. Privacy and safety are both needed in the toilet. So someone can use it without needing assistance, make sure a safety cord is installed.

 

The garden

The garden is an excellent place to make more accessible. It can be just that lovely piece of relaxation for anyone. Wooden decking around the grass and flower beds make it easy for anyone to get around. If the wheelchair user is fond of gardening, there are all sorts of ways to make them able to keep up with their hobby. For one, you can raise garden beds to their level. Secondly, pots on walls and hanging baskets are already widely popular and available.

 

Mobility

The ability for anyone in a wheelchair to reach any part of their home is important. There are a few different ways to go about it, as well. Transferring from the chair to a stair lift, for one. If you want to make getting around the home easier, however, lifts are becoming more popular. There are all kinds of lifts by Terry Lifts and similar services. They accommodate anyone with limited mobility as well as specific models that can fit wheelchairs. This takes a lot of the work away that you might have using a stair lift.

 

Staying comfortable

Naturally, it’s not just about how able you are to use the different parts of the house. It’s also about how comfortable you are within the home. Whether you’re wheelchair bound or helping someone who is, there are plenty of ways to do more for comfort’s sake. A change of clothes might be in order, for one, Zipped and intricate clothing will be significantly more trouble than those you can just easily pull on, for one. Adding more onto your wheelchair, like lap pads, cup holders and a little storage can make a big difference too.

 

Staying fit

Since you’re relying more on particular parts of your body, staying fit is more important when in a wheelchair than ever. You might not be able to address caloric intake and outtake as much through exercise so you should put more effort into diet. There are also plenty of aerobic exercises that are wheelchair friendly. Even swimming is a popular choir for wheelchair bound people. Keeping an active lifestyle full of things to do (like the gardening mentioned above) is important. Letting your fitness slide can complicate all sorts of issues, whether you’re in a wheelchair or not.

 

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