12 Barriers to Living Independently – and 36 Ways to break them down!

dreamstime_s_16263077 There are a range of actions you can take to modify your home for safety and accessibility for years to come. Job One is usually making the environment safe to prevent falls or other accidents, as outlined in our article on Basic Safety Tips. Once basic safety steps have been implemented, further steps may need to be considered to overcome barriers in the home. The following Table identifies some commonly experienced problem areas and solutions ranging from smaller to larger in scope and investment.

Difficulty standing up from low surfaces	Smaller Investment: Increase furniture height by applying furniture risers to the legs Medium Investment: Place a self-powered lifting seat cushion on existing chair Larger Investment: Purchase an electric recliner chair
Difficulty getting on and off the toilet	Smaller Investment: Purchase an elevated toilet seat or place a platform/pedestal under the existing toilet Medium Investment: Replace existing toilet with an elevated ADA-height toilet Larger Investment: Purchase an electric lifting device that raises and lowers the user onto the toilet
Difficulty getting in / out of bed	Smaller Investment: Install a bed rail Medium Investment: Install a standing pole beside the bed Larger Investment: Purchase an adjustable height bed
Difficulty transferring into / out of the bath tub	Smaller Investment: Purchase a bathtub transfer bench Medium Investment: Cut a walk-through in the existing tub to turn your bath tub into an easily accessible shower Larger Investment: Remove tub and install a no-threshold shower
Difficulty standing while showering	Smaller Investment: Purchase a portable shower chair Medium Investment: Purchase a portable shower bench Larger Investment: Install a permanent shower bench
Difficulty managing medications	Smaller Investment: Purchase a simple plastic (weekly or monthly) pill-box organizer Medium Investment: Purchase a pill-box with a clock and reminder alarms Larger Investment: Purchase a medication monitoring service, which contacts family if pills are missed
Difficulty turning door knobs	Smaller Investment: Attach a doorknob extender to existing doorknob Medium Investment: Replace existing knob-style door handles with lever-style handles Larger Investment: Install electric door openers
Reduced hearing	Smaller Investment: Vibrating wristwatch with alarm, or an amplified phone Medium Investment: Attach a strobe light device to the phone and doorbell Larger Investment: Infrared stereo & TV amplifier systems
Difficulty walking up/down stairs	Smaller Investment: Install railings along side all stairs Medium Investment: Install a stair lift, vertical platform lift or Telecab Larger Investment: Install an elevator
Reduced visual skills	Smaller Investment: Install motion sensing night lights by the bed and motion detector lights at front & back door Medium Investment: Purchase table lamps that have metal halide bulbs to increase light quality for reading Larger Investment: Install a skylight or Solutube to increase natural light
Doorways are too narrow for a walker / wheelchair	Smaller Investment: Install fold-back hinges to increase door width up to 2″ Medium Investment: Have a contractor widen the existing doorframe and install a wider door Larger Investment: Widen doorframe and install pocket or sliding doors for easier access
Difficulty accessing home with wheelchar	Smaller Investment: Purchase a portable threshold ramp Medium Investment: Install a modular metal ramp, or construct a wood or concrete ramp Larger Investment: Install a vertical platform lift or elevator
Feeling unsafe or unstable in the bathroom	Smaller Investment: Standard stainless steel grab bars Medium Investment: Grab bars to match your bathroom fixtures Larger Investment: Flip up style grab bars, or grab bars designed to look like towel racks, toilet paper hold etc.