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  My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| According to today's news, the largest number of homeowners are over age 65. However, this is an age when they start to need modifications to the home, such as wider doors for wheelchairs or ramps.These are very expensive changes just as people are going or are already on fixed incomes. We found this to be true when my mother broke her hip in the middle of the night. They had to work very fast because she had heart trouble. The nature of the fracture required having the operating table at an odd angle. Her bone never healed completely. She could get out of the wheelchair to stand, to transfer to the toilet or the bedside. She could on occasion use a walker, but it was rare that she could walk freely for more than a few feet with a cane or walker. None of the interior doors were wide enough for a wheelchair. She had to park it in the hallway, hobble into the bathroom where she could grip counters and doorknobs and make it into her bedroom. She could only go downstairs if someone carried her wheelchair. It was a split level entrance with a step outside. So my brother built a ramp from the front of the house by the garage, over the existing steps, along the side and up the back to the porch. I looked up the requirements, which is one inch incline per foot of distance. My brother did about 3 inches per foot, so it was difficult to push her up. They had to leave the back door unlocked when they went out. I decided that if I ever built a house, I would make all the interior doors, except small closets, at least 34 inches wide. All thresholds, inside and out, would be barrier free. All bathtubs and showers would have handicap bars firmly attached to wall studs. There would be at least one walk-in shower (not the kids). The bathrooms have to be roomy for people on crutches or walkers to navigate. Light switches and outlets have to be easily accessible. This no doubt would improve the resale value. It would cost less up front than in a later change. I hated that my mom couldn't access all the areas of her home. She was so restricted. These problems could affect someone at any age. I'd like to see more builders take these problems into consideration. More families are beginning to stay together longer. This would help. |
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