Ageing in place is a term that is all about the ability to live in your own home safely, comfortably, and independently. If I put it in simple words, it means to retain a sense of freedom with some of the best home modifications ranging from kitchen to bathroom activities.
SPN Construction Mobility offers a wide range of modifications and if you are looking for some of the changes, then take a good start from the main activity centre-the kitchen. So, let’s get a bit deeper and see the kitchen modifications that are essentials for ageing in place.
Include the Principles of Universal Designs
The guidelines and the principles on which SPN Construction Mobility works are from the concepts and ideas of Universal Design. It means that the practice of composing and designing one’s kitchen practically so that people with low mobility can easily access that. Therefore, all of our designs help you make your kitchen accessible and enhance its look.
Essential Kitchen Modifications For Aging in Place
With the help of a few practical kitchen modifications, we can make your kitchen more safe and secure. So, let’s have a look at these modifications:
Storage For Disabled & Elderly
The first step to modifying your kitchen is to make it approachable to the seniors and disabled. Now you will be wondering how you can do that? It is simple, making the essential kitchen items accessible to the seniors and disabled.
If seniors have to pick things from a certain height, they might lose their balance, which can cause them a serious injury. In addition to this, if you keep the kitchen shelves too low so that the senior has to bend down to pick a thing, it can lead to back pain. For this purpose, you need the most delicate kitchen cabinets modifications that make it easy to access all the items they need.
So, you have to place all the cabinets and shelves to a moderate height that is accessible to the disabled and wheelchair users.
In addition to this, you have to place the appliances in a place that is easy to reach. Avoid placing the heavy items on high shelves because it would be difficult for the disabled to lift them, and this can cause them an injury. So, putting the things on lower shelves can prevent serious accidents.
If you don’t want to construct your kitchen, you can also make some critical changes to make it safe and accessible for ageing in place. Make essential modifications to your existing cabinets and storage areas. This will help them to grasp the utensils quickly while cooking.
Moreover, there are extending shelves, organizers that are also helpful in these modifications.
Safe & Secure Handles & Faucets
As an old age, their body joints don’t work correctly, for which they need accessible tools and modifications. And for this reason, they may find it hard to pull the cabinet knobs and adjust the water faucet. When they can not deal with these simple tasks, then they need the assistance of others in the kitchen, even in filling the glass of water.
To overcome these problems, you should install those handles which are easy to grasp. So, if you have any round pull knobs, then replace that with the wide drawer pulls because they can easily open the cabinets with them.
As we know, it is the age of technology, so you can also use motion-activated water faucets. But in the case of taps, one should always install small faucets for the disabled and older adults. These faucets can turn off by themselves, which helps the seniors to avoid flooding in the kitchen area.
Add A Work Table
A work table makes it easy to manage things for the seniors as they are cooking, so it would help if they use that table for cutting purposes. Moreover, lower countertops are beneficial for older adults and also for those who are wheelchair users. It should fit a wheelchair underneath and give ease in food preparations.
A wheelchair user can easily adjust himself underneath the table and do his tasks quickly and efficiently. For maximum safety, we smoothen the table's edges so that they cannot hurt the disabled. We place the table in a space so that there must be space left for others as well.
Ensure that the Floors of your Kitchen are Non-Slippery
As we are talking about kitchen modification, so in place of kitchen design, you should also consider the kitchen floor. This is the main thing that people ignore or forget to transform.
Our experts ensure that they give a smooth entrance and exit to the wheelchair users in the kitchen. For this purpose, they make wide entrances to enter the kitchen while sitting in the wheelchair quickly.
Moreover, we make sure that the floors are non-slippery, and therefore, we use those materials that don’t get slick and reduce the chances of falling. We use tiles that give a solid grip to the seniors, and the main benefit of these tiles is that they are easy to clean.
Closing Remarks!
To sum up all the discussion above, we can say that these modifications as mentioned above are the basic ones you must need in aging in the kitchen. If you’re looking for kitchen cabinet modifications near you, then SPN Construction Mobility is here to help. We have a wide range of services for the disabled and senior people that make their life easy, give them independence, and boost their self-esteem. Our team will take a friendly tour of your house and suggest what is best for your kitchen while keeping in mind the space of your kitchen. Before redesigning, our experts re-evaluate the complete layout of your kitchen to deliver the best results. We ensure that you will be surprised with our modifications, and we will make them in a way that will not destroy the overall appearance of your home.