bathroom

Reply to: also a walk in shower with a bench. A portable shower hose is important when a person cannot stand. Husband broke hip and we had to have all the above except tub installed. Also any stools or chairs that can skid on floor need to have a rubber base on bottom of legs so person can sit without chair slipping out from under them. Outside a bannister is needed - two is better so a person can use them to balance and use stairs. We had to have the stairs to the outside reconfigured - there is now a 3" riser rather than a 5-6 in riser. Made a big difference.

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Reply to: I am a health care professional. I pray none of you have an injury, any health challenge or become infirm with age; but if you do - living in a home with universal design can be a great comfort. https://humancentereddesign.org/index.php?q=resources/universal-design-housing National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) can help you find Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS). CAPS professionals are remodelers, general contractors, designers, architects, and health care professionals. https://bit.ly/2Er1axF Universal Design is for everyone. Design for Independent Living increases quality of life. Most people come to me during a health crisis, just after the 'emergency' and are now trying to figure out how to live in their home during the hopefully recovery stage or sometimes while they try to accommodate to the new normal. Some of the more common things I see that folks wish they had thought of before the emergency: - Adequate and easy to turn on/off lighting. - A bathroom with a shower and a bedroom on the same floor as the kitchen, having laundry on this level is a huge bonus too. - Wider doors, halls and larger bathrooms. - Grab bars or hand rails at every step, curb, stair, and in bathroom near toilet and shower. - Mattress height 18-22 inches off floor. Taller people can go up in height. Most beds are too high. - A sturdy chair with arm rests and a 18 -19 inch seat height. Most furniture is too low. - Levers and return pulls not knobs. - Level floors (Don't laugh, I see many uneven tile jobs out there, and thousands of trippy throw rugs; all are anathema to assistive devices) - Too much furniture and 'stuff' in rooms. - A fairly flat driveway with a parking spot close to entry with an even non skid surfaces. Many slippery uneven front walkways out there. - Covered level surface patio or outside area with low transition at doorway for access. Aging -it is the popular thing to do! We are all in this together. :)

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