Having your loved one injured to the point where they’re dependent on you can be just as painful for them as it is for you. If you’re reading this article and are in this situation, know that you’re powerful enough to live with this health problem or that you’re a very good person working to brighten up your loved one’s days.
Accidents happen, and they can be life-changing. It’s even more disturbing knowing that they weren’t your fault but others’. Be it a workplace accident, an unavoidable mishap, or the NHS’s guilt… Sometimes, it matters who’s to blame so you know who to hold accountable.
However, you’re in your home, and you’re taking care of two souls now instead of only yourself, so you have more responsibilities, one of which is to make your tiny home disability-friendlier. If you’re living in a pinup house, know that you don’t have to give up on your lifestyle. The suggestions below are written with both heart and common sense in mind, so take a look and see if some tips can suit your home and lifestyle.
There’s a Universal Design coined for disabled people
Architect Ronald L. Mace emphasised that there’s a need for a Universal Design for physically disabled people who can’t take care of themselves anymore. It resulted from the caretakers’ willingness to make their homes usable to the greatest extent. A former version of the Universal Design concept was created for people indirectly or directly affected by any type of physical disability. Ronald’s idea seems more comprehensive and promotes the need for both disability-upgraded houses and normal ones to be justifiably expensive.
Therefore, there’s hope. Both large and small houses should be able to accommodate the person in need, especially since people aren’t born with the ability to adapt to their surroundings but instead create and modify the infrastructure to make their lives easier.
Making a home comfortable takes money
Besides having all sorts of expenses with treatments, you have another burden: house remodelling. This is a tip for people who think their trauma is the consequence of the national health service’s negligence and malpractice. When the NHS provides poor care, you have the legal right to sue the national health service for medical negligence and unsafe practices. Furthermore, suing the NHS will help highlight poor healthcare areas, ensuring that fewer patients receive the same incorrect treatment. For example, suppose you or your loved one have been subject to malpractice or rudeness in a hospital or organisation that carries out NHS duties in the UK, hence the suffering, and have the proof. In that case, you might be able to claim compensation.
It would help if you had a path to the front door
Those who rely on standard power chairs or wheelchairs to move and can’t navigate stairs have their ability to live free restricted. Their house and surrounding area become hardly accessible. To empower and ease their burden, a ramp might prove beneficial. It’s one of the most effective ways to give a mobility-impaired person more independence.
To build a custom-built wheelchair ramp isn’t a piece of cake, but maybe you can find an organisation that volunteers to build these for veterans and disabled people. It goes without saying that the tiles should be slip-resistant and skid-proof; otherwise, moving on glossy finishes can be dangerous.
This step can make things easier for both the injured and cared for, and it will give them more confidence knowing they don’t need to be taken out and into the pinup house by someone else anymore.
Everything should be reachable
What most people admire about your lifestyle is the ingenuity with which you’ve designed your tiny home. People with large houses often complain they don’t have enough space or storage.
When a tragedy like the accident of your beloved one happens, you might notice the necessity to redesign the interior to suit their needs.
Everything must be reachable for them, including the bed. And you probably don’t want to trade the dwelling you’ve created so many memories in for anything else, so you two must squeeze your brains out to grasp ways to reshape the interior of your home. Most things must be moved to the height of their eyes. A constructor might help you with advice and expertise, from moving your tiny furniture to other ways that can allow the injured to rest more comfortably.
If the person in need is immobilised, you might want to make everything comfortable and easy to reach for you. This way, when they need a glass of water or to be covered on cold nights, you can grab things faster.
Switch shelves’ places
Kitchen shelves should be adjustable or pull-out style. Adjustable-height shelves enable people of varying heights to live with independence and dignity. When small children are given shelves that are their height, they learn to take responsibility for organising their toys and clothes. You most likely already use pull-out shelves in your pinup home, but now it might be time to switch their places. If you don’t have such shelves, know that such adjustable shelves prove very helpful for people with dwarfism and wheelchair users.
Also, ensuring your kitchen worktops are accessible from a sitting position or are adjustable in height might allow your beloved one to perform some household chores. The low-platform kitchens enable wheelchair users to clean and cook from the comfort of their chairs.
Last words
In today’s fast-paced world, disabling accidents are not uncommon. They cause a slew of issues, and if the house is inaccessible, the frustration, anxiety, and problems multiply. A physical condition should not make you feel alien to your own sweet, tiny home, which is why you should figure out how to put your hands on the financial resources necessary to provide the necessities you both have. Furthermore, if you have disabled friends, you will be able to invite them over for a comfy stay at your home!
