The Loving Hands Group

Healing arts for happy hearts

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Home safety remodeling for senior adults

April 4, 2012 By Judith Eugene

For senior adults with mobility challenges, simple everyday activities like bathing, cooking, laundry and climbing stairs can become increasingly difficult. Unfortunately, most Heights-area homes are not designed to support the decline in physical ability that often occurs with age.

To enable seniors to continue living safely at home, several home improvements can be made. Some are simple and others are more complex, depending on the layout of the home and the needs of the individual. Following are just some of the options available.

In the bathroom, install grab bars near the toilet for stability, and in the bathing area to help prevent slipping. Installing a taller toilet makes it easier to sit down and get up. Add a walk-in door to the bathtub, or replace the tub with a step-in shower. A fold-down seat and a hand-held sprayer make bathing easier.

In the kitchen, convert the lower cabinets to pullout drawers for easy access to frequently used items. Install lighting under the upper cabinets to provide more illumination on the countertop. Faucets with lever handles and pullout sprayers make clean up easier.

For those with difficulty climbing stairs, add exterior ramps at the front and side doors of the house. Install an electric chair lift on interior stairs. If space permits, install a full bathroom on the first floor, and convert a dining room or den into a bedroom, for first-floor living. A stackable washer-dryer unit installed in a first-floor closet facilitates laundering.

For seniors confined to wheelchairs, widen the interior doorways of the home for easier passage. Replace the bathtub with a roll-in shower, and the vanity with a wall-mounted sink. Install a flip-up countertop in the kitchen at wheelchair height.

The benefits of these remodeling projects are many. The cost is usually far less than that of nursing-home care, and some of the costs are tax deductible. It brings great peace of mind for families to know their loved one is safe at home. Most important, it enables the senior to retain the dignity of independent living for as long as possible.

It is best to plan ahead and get these remodeling projects done before an accident occurs, so that the family is not dealing with construction and a family crisis at the same time. Architects and construction companies experienced in safety remodeling can perform a home safety analysis to help plan the remodeling project.

Click here to read the full article in the Heights Observer.

Filed Under: Blog

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Welcome to The Loving Hands Group

We are a collaboration of professional artists and holistic healing arts practitioners who teach a unique selection of educational and life-enriching classes, activities and therapies.

We serve senior adults, people of any age with disabilities, and their caregivers. We work with them individually or in groups, bringing our programs directly to them wherever they live, work or play throughout the northern Ohio area. We also provide community-integrated activities for people of all ages and abilities. Through video platforms we are also able to serve individuals and groups worldwide.

Providing empowerment through education, The Loving Hands Group helps keep people fulfilled, engaged, optimistic, healthy and happy. We believe that all people should have equal access to programs that help them live a stimulating and full life.

At the Loving Hands Group, we bring the world to you!

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We provide attorneys, social workers, physicians and other referring professionals with a provider source for companionship and life-enrichment services for their elderly clients or clients with disabilities.
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The Loving Hands Group

2959 Hampshire Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

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216-408-5578 [email protected]

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