ACHIEVING BETTER ACCESS OUTCOMES IN THE HOME

STUART BARROW Occupational therapist

For anyone living with spinal cord injury (SCI), access around the home can be a challenge. Physical barriers to wheelchairs and walkers can impact on rehabilitation, enablement and inclusion. How can you adapt your home, so it becomes a positive environment?

Here I share a few tips from 20 years of experience assessing clients with SCI…

Access Between Floors

Home life without tackling stairs can help normalise a complex time. Access to upstairs rooms can still be achieved by choosing a homelift. When you consider the alternatives, such as costly ground floor conversions, or stairlifts which require potentially risky transfers, I often recommend homelifts as the most appropriate and cost-effective solution. One such client is racing driver and full-time wheelchair user Aaron Morgan.

In 2006, Aaron sustained a T6-7 spinal cord injury after a motorsport accident. Upon returning home, he was unable to get upstairs without assistance, until a homelift helped reinstate self-reliance and confidence.

“All the stress of worrying about getting upstairs has gone,” Aaron explained. “I no longer need to rely on someone helping me. It’s lovely that I can tuck my stepson in and read him a bedtime story – I’ve not been able to do that before. It feels like I have the same freedom in my home as I have on the track.”

Supplier tip: stiltz.co.uk/

With seamless access between floors solved, we can consider other rooms in the house too.

Tackling Thresholds

If your home has a threshold or steps then they should be replaced with either a temporary ramp, concrete slopes or a platform lift. Ideally all doorways should be widened to 900mm and doors that open automatically can add a real advantage. Consider parking provision and its access to your home – can you introduce drop kerbs, hard standing, clear lighting or a wider driveway?

Supplier tip: portaramp.co.uk/

“I have the same freedom in my home as I have on the track,” says racing driver Aaron Morgan.

Assisted Bathing

A successful bathroom layout provides both suitable space and practical access for a wheelchair or mobility aid user. Baths with powered bather transfer seats enable safe bathing or if a wet room is preferred, carefully positioned grab rails will offer stability and safety. Shelving and storage within easy reach also reduce risks of falling, along with additional lighting and anti-slip flooring.

Supplier tip: g360bathrooms.co.uk/

Easy Access Bedrooms

You could consider relocating a bedroom to the ground floor or installing a

When access to the room is achieved, the bedroom design is worth thinking about. Are the carpets too thick for easy propulsion? Can you have custom built accessible wardrobes, motion sensing lights and a profiling bed?

Supplier tip: theraposture.co.uk/

Sci Sitting Rooms

Many considerations associated with other rooms are also true for the lounge –from suitable furniture and clear lighting to space and no clutter. Furniture at the right height for wheelchair transfers will help avoid unnecessary risks and powered adjustment, such as rise and recliners, will maximise postural comfort and flexibility.

Supplier tip: recare.co.uk/

These suggestions all highlight how an accessible home is intrinsically linked to successful living with SCI.

Occupational therapist and product supplier assessments in the home can be critical for determining which adaptations are suitable and allowing time for your own research is always invaluable. By making an informed decision, your SCI outcome will always be more positive.