Adapting the Home Environment

• Consulting your loved one

  Your loved one may benefit from accommodations made to improve the safety of the home and increase their ability to live independently. It is vital to seek their views on adaptations that may affect them.

• Improving visual cues

  Increasing the number of visual cues around at home can help your loved one be more aware of their environment and carry out their daily tasks more independently. You can use visual cues such as:

  1. Visual doorbells or fire alarms with a light bulb that lights up when the doorbell or alarm rings.
  2. Kettles with light indicators to alert users when the water is boiled.

  Improve accessibility in your home with these tips. You can also consider adopting some Smart Home Technologies to promote independent living for your loved one.

Support your loved one’s daily routine by making your home more safe and accessible.

• Ensuring the safety of your loved one

  Taking precautions and removing hazards can help your loved one navigate your home safely. Depending on the nature of their disability, you can:

  1. Apply slip-resistant treatment to floor tiles¹.
  2. Create clear paths for wheelchairs/other assistive devices to access key areas of the home(e.g. remove small steps in the house, keeping pathways to emergency exits unobstructed)².
  3. Choose knock-safe furniture, or cover/pad sharp corners of furniture.


• Improving accessibility in your home

  Installing assistive devices and reorganising your home will allow your loved one to better access things and places. Depending on the nature of their disability, you can:

  1. Ensure sufficient wheelchair manoeuvring space in the home (e.g. by removing walls or pillars where possible).
  2. Replace door knobs with push and pull bars or press lever handles.
  3. Install ramps for easy access to the home, as well as its kitchens and toilets .
  4. Place handrails next to or at key areas such as the bed, enabling them to get up independently and carry out their daily routines.
  5. Store items on lower shelves or cabinets so that your loved one can reach them while in their wheelchair³.
  
  

  Improve accessibility in your home with these tips and programmes such as TOUCH Community Services' Safe Home Scheme. You can also consider adopting Smart Home Technologies to promote independent living for your loved one.

• Support for your caregiving duties

  Re-organising your home can also help in your caregiving duties. For example, placing frequently used items such as diapers and wet wipes in easily-accessible locations. Using baskets/containers to transport these items can minimise the number of trips you take for a single task³. You can also use hoist systems to transfer your loved one easily.

Watch this video to learn more about making your home safer for your loved one and the grants available.

When adapting your home to improve mobility and safety for your loved one, it is important to consider their needs and preferences and involve them in the process. It is also critical that you reorientate your loved one whenever changes are made.

• Ensuring the safety of your loved one

  Creating spacious, unobstructed walking paths for your loved one can reduce the risk of accidents occurring in your home. These will also be helpful in cases of evacuation due to fire or other emergencies.

• Improving accessibility in your home

  Simple modifications and actions that can help your loved one navigate your home more easily include:

  1. Placing braille or tactile labels on objects⁴.
  2. Returning objects back to the same spot after use.
  3. Using contrasting wall colours to better distinguish the areas of your house⁵.

  Improve accessibility in your home with these tips. You can also consider adopting some Smart Home Technologies to promote independent living for your loved one.