As we haven’t been able to travel for the last few months and we’ve all been spending much more time at home, you might be starting to think more about how you travel around your own house.
My previous blog posts on tips for travelling with a disability and the most accessible destinations to visit with your parents have been popular among my readers, so I thought it would be useful to share some tips on getting around the house with you; it’s not like we can go that much further than our own homes at the moment, after all!
4 tips for travelling around your home
Invest in a stairlift
If you struggle to climb the stairs at home, you could consider installing a stairlift. I know a couple of people who’ve had them installed, and they say they don’t know how they ever lived without one.
House lifts for disabled people can be a lot more affordable than you might think and with various payment options often available, you shouldn’t rule it out automatically – at least not due to cost. You may even qualify for a grant to have a stairlift fitted through your disability housing provider.
Add handrails to your walls
Many people who find walking painful or difficult benefit from having handrails around the home that they can hold if they need some extra support.
Common places to install handrails in the home include in the bathroom and, if you’re not opting for a stairlift, the wall that runs next to the staircase.
Install motion sensor lights
Motion sensor lights will turn on when you wake up and the light senses movement, so they can be useful for anyone who might need some time to get out of bed or struggle to get to the light switch very quickly.
Get a walking stick
Whether you need a walking stick when you’re out and about or not, there’s no harm in using one now and then at home if you’re in a lot of pain.
I was born with clubfoot (bilateral talipes) and although my feet were corrected when I was a baby, I still struggle with foot pain if I’ve been standing for several hours at a time. I’ve never used a walking stick before, but I can see how it could help me when my feet have a particularly painful episode.
While I’m not an expert on the topic (in fact, the Age UK website offer some excellent advice on this topic), I hope these tips will be useful to those of my readers with disabilities or accessibility issues of any kind.
What are your tips for getting around the home? Comment below to share your thoughts.
This is a collaborative post.