Areas to Prioritize When Making Your Home Handicap Accessible

If you or a family member requires a wheelchair for assistance with mobility, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting around your own house! Whether you are making aging-in-place preparations or are just beginning long-deferred home renovations, there are a number of steps that you can take to make your home more accessible for yourself or your handicapped loved ones. Making the proper changes to your home can drastically improve quality of life, and make daily tasks substantially easier to surmount!

When you are preparing to implement handicap accessibility measures at your home, you should think primarily about how you can enhance the independence of yourself or your loved one. For instance, if there are certain areas that a wheelchair-bound individual needs assistance to access each and every time, you should address those before moving on to other parts of the home. Working with a qualified handicap accessibility contractor in Pennsylvania is the best way to ensure that you are creating a home environment that is safe and easy to access.

When you are addressing an altered state of mobility, here are some of the areas that will most likely need to be handled first:

• Entrances:
  Most homes have staircases or other barriers to entry that can be insurmountable for wheelchair-bound individuals without assistance. Installing ramps, lifts or other accessibility measures at entrances should always be prioritized.
• Doorways:
  Many doorways have a doorjamb or similar measure that is designed to create a better seal to lower energy costs. You should analyze the doorways in your home, and determine whether they may pose a problem for wheelchair access.
• Flooring:
  Carpeting can bunch up underneath wheelchair wheels and creates a substantial amount of additional drag, which can make getting around the house a tiring experience for wheelchair-bound residents. Tile and hardwood are ideal solutions.

• Kitchens:
  Your countertops should be lowered, and appliances should be installed in easy-to-reach places. Ultimately, your kitchen should be customized so that it is safe and convenient for the handicapped individual’s use.
• Stairways:
  For most people with limited mobility, stairways can be terrifying. You should install lift systems as soon as possible so that you or your handicapped loved one will be able to access the entire home without a problem.
• Safety bars and more:
  Finally, there are a number of peripheral measures that you should consider installing at your home. For instance, safety bars and wheelchair buffers may be wise investments to protect your home and yourself.

For nearly a decade, WSL Incorporated has been the premier handicap accessibility contractor in Pennsylvania. Our team specializes in implementing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, and we are certified aging-in-place experts. Additionally, we are able to make U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) recommended home renovations for injured service members. If you or your loved one are dealing with altered mobility, you can rely on WSL Incorporated to help you address your specific and individualized needs. You can count on us to deliver sensible accessibility solutions that help restore independence and more.