Looking up home adaptations. Am I Googling the Wrong Thing?
I teach vital wheelchair skills to people who need to improve their skills, and I also share my experience of living with a disability.
Am I googling the wrong thing? Recently, I was asked to share information about home adaptations with a client. Things around the home that would make life easier for someone with additional challenges.
This subject is constantly changing and developing to help improve independence and quality of life. It’s hard to keep up-to-date with developments.
So, I wanted to do some research.
Looking up home adaptations. When I Google ‘Disabled Home Adaptations,’ most results come up with age-related websites. These websites offered advice and guidance on possible adaptations for a property. Some of these changes would work for individuals with a range of different needs.
I’m disabled, but I’m not old.
It seems it is a misconception. When you use the word disabled in a search on the internet, the results appear to be age-related. It is as if people who fall under the category of being Disabled are only associated with age.
How wrong can that be?
I can only think that this search criteria singles out people ‘the search engine’ thinks need to use these items, which might be correct in some circumstances.
But, if someone has an injury or develops a disability for whatever reason at a young age. As I did. Some of these items are designed to support someone to be more independent but look very clinical. They look like they are made for a disabled person. I don’t want that!
Stylish designs.
However, by searching for these items, you can find aesthetically appealing furniture that can help individuals live. Although these elements are more eye-catching, they may come at a premium price. Albeit not supplied by your local social services,
Personal Experiance.
At my time of release from my rehabilitation at the National Spinal Injuries Centre in Stoke Mandeville. I returned to live with my parents. Which I was grateful for. My bedroom had been moved downstairs, and the front room had been converted into my bedroom. This was because we already had a bathroom downstairs. A shower seat was attached to the wall. I transferred onto it, and there was a pull-down rail I used to prevent falling. This pull-down rail was not very pleasing to the eye. At the time, I was glad to be discharged from the hospital and home.
Finally, My Gaff
After six years of my parents from my room, I had the chance to move out. Get my own place. Have some parties, be the lord of my manor,
This was a new chapter in my life. I was working and driving but knew nothing about home adaptations for living. So, social services visited before any significant changes were made. Six months later, I moved in.
Because I use a wheelchair, I needed space underneath my kitchen worktops to get my legs under them. At first, this seemed very convenient.
Then, after some time spent cooking and sharing platters with friends and family. It dawned on me that all my kitchen utensils were covering the worktops. However, there was some cupboard space in the corner. Most of the average kitchen cupboards had been removed or not even fitted. In order to get my legs under the worktop surfaces,
I realised, I only needed space under the hob, sink and a small area of worktop where I could chop and prepare food. There is too much junk on the worktops!
At the time. My wet room looked like it had been picked up and removed from the National Spinal Injuries Centre. Then placed directly into my home. It was functional and did its job.
As Years Pass.
Now I have a new wetroom and kitchen. The kitchen still has some space under the worktops. Albeit not as much as it had, I designed it myself to make it functional to my needs. My wet room still has a drop-down shower seat and grab bars. However the grab bars come with more style then just a white powder coat finish. Again, this was something I found myself with no involvement from social services.
