Home Modifications Make You Live Easier With Your Home

Home modifications are based on the idea that housing can be adapted to make it easier for everyone to live in their home regardless of age, level of mobility or condition of health. Many state and local governments have programs to provide loans and grants to help you pay for home modifications. It may be more affordable to make the home modifications in a progression of stages.

There are financial options available for making home modifications. Depending on your disability you may qualify for assistance for home modifications through your state's Medicaid waiver program, vocational rehabilitation agency or worker's compensation program. The main findings of the empirical analysis are that the demand for home modifications is fairly income-inelastic, home modifications and personal care are substitutes to some degree, the demand for home modifications increases with years of schooling, and that particular health conditions and the use of other assistive devices are important determinants of the demand for modifications.

Modifications

Modifications that may apply to most or all rooms are replacement of rotating door knobs, installation of outlets at a higher level, adjustable rods and shelves in closets and storage. Modifications to the bathroom will help avoid injury and is our most requested service. Modifications to the kitchen primarily involve making surfaces and appliances more accessible. Home modifications are changes to the living environment that facilitate independence, ease of use, and safety in routine activities. Home modifications can contribute directly to the well being of a frail older person or a person with a disability by reducing the need to relocate.

Older people tend to live in older homes that often need repairs and modifications. Examples of home modifications include widening the door so a person in a wheel chair could get through it, installing a hand-held shower, grab bars or a high toilet in the bathroom, putting lever handles on the doors, using rocker light switches, wrapping pipes to prevent accidental burns, or adding a ramp. Lifts or environmental control units can also be considered home modifications.

Bathroom

The bathroom is the most commonly adapted environment, with the kitchen the second, although, this occurs more often for cosmetic reasons. Typical alterations include kitchen and bathroom modifications and the addition of interior and exterior lifts and ramps. The bathroom and kitchen typically produce the greatest challenges. The configuration of most existing bathrooms will limit the size of the shower to the tub area (standard tubs measure 30" to 34" x 60").

When remodeling, a 3 or 4 piece sectional unit can be used and assembled in order to get the shower through the door openings and into your bathroom. The size of most existing bathrooms limits the options to a tub to shower conversion. The tub drain is usually the same elevation as the bathroom floor, requiring jack-hammering and removing the concrete, center and lower the drain, install a rubber shower pan and the new shower floor flush with the existing bathroom floor.

Your house can become more accessible with a few minor home modifications. Making your home accessible with simple home modifications, such as swing away hinges, can improve your lifestyle and the ability to live at home.

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