Archive for the ‘Bathroom Styles’ Category
Bathroom Remodeling – Good Accessibility for the Disabled
It can be very stressful for the family when one of your loved ones becomes disabled. His sense of mobility is lost and is very much dependent on you to move around. Going to the toilet or anywhere in his own home becomes a hassle. So why not allow him to regain a little of his confidence and mobility by remodelling the bathroom in your home to make it more disabled-friendly?
Safety, ease and comfort are of paramount importance. All you need to do is make the toilet more accessible with specially installed supports at strategic locations to facilitate movement around the toilet. This can be done even if you are staying in an apartment with small toilets. Ensure that the entry door is at least 36 inches wide and there is a floor clearance of five feet in diameter for a wheelchair-bound individual to manoeuvre with ease inside the bathroom. The floor should be smooth yet non-slippery for a wheelchair.
The toilet seat should be raised to between seventeen and nineteen inches as the disabled find it very difficult to bend their knees. Place suction type or adhesive non-slip mats around the shower stall floor and bathtub as these areas tend to be very slippery. The bathroom should be well lit at all times. The light switches should be about four feet from the floor and the electrical outlets should be about 28 inches from the floor.
The bathroom mirror should be long for a wheelchair-seated person to view himself. Install roll-in shower stalls or roll-in bathtub for better comfort and convenience. Hand grab rails should run near the bathtub, inside the shower stall and beside the toilet. This is a common bathroom design idea that is used worldwide.
The sink should be of pedestal type, wall-mounted or one that has open access so that a wheelchair can roll under the counter. All cabinets and counter tops should be easily accessible and handles on doors and windows should be easily operable. Last but not least, install an emergency alarm system that can be operated with a push of a button.