HANDICAPPED HOUSING

Michael Holigan: Thanks to science and better health care people are living longer. And older people want to remain independent. When the American Association of Retired Persons asked senior citizens where they want to live, 85% said they want to stay in their current homes for the rest of their lives, even though they may live alone and become more frail. In many cases it is possible for seniors or disabled people to continue living on their own if they modify their homes to meet their new physical needs. Sometimes changes are simple. Right now the front steps to this home are too precarious for the elderly owner to use without fearing she will fall. Later on, we'll show you how the $150.00 spent for handrails will make the difference in a senior citizen getting in and out of her house. And we'll show you a number of other inexpensive changes that can make an existing home safer and more accessible to the disabled. But first, let's take a tour of a special house built with Rita Cottrell in mind. Because of spinal meningitis Rita has been in a wheelchair for 25 years. Her daughter, Alice, an interior designer, drew the plans for this townhouse. It is a good example of how a little planning can allow a disabled person to remain at home. The house even includes an elevator which connects three floors.

Rita Cottrell: It's extremely important to be as independent as I possibly can. I can't use my legs at all. But I have...I'm able to use my hands.

MH: In her kitchen, Rita can do almost everything herself.

Alice Cottrell: She does her own cooking, so that's why we have, you know, a large kitchen so she can cook whenever she'd like to.

RC: Well, as you can see, my daughter designed these cabinets so that I can come and get all of my cooking utensils out.

MH: Rita's cabinets would be hard for her to use if she had to bend and reach to find pots and pans buried in the back. To make them more accessible her daughter put cookware in low, under the counter cabinets and installed the shelves that pull out. Rita's stove is built into a countertop that is also lower than usual. You'll notice that the standard counter is 36 inches high. Too high for Rita to reach. Her cooktop sets on a 32-inch countertop instead and it's open underneath so she can turn around in her buggy and sit in front of everything she needs for cooking. The kitchen also has a pullout garbage pail. And light switches lowered for Rita. Many of the conveniences are so subtle the average person visiting might not realize the house was designed for a disabled person. Some of the features would be great for any home. The mechanized window blinds for example. With a remote control, like the one used for a TV, Rita can raise and lower living room blinds and enjoy a spectacular view of the downtown skyline. Her daughter also installed a low pile commercial grade carpet that doesn't pack down and show tracking marks from the wheelchair.

AC: I wanted her to feel independent.

MH: Rita has the independence of selecting her own clothing because of a closet big enough for her wheelchair with hanging bars she can reach. Her bathroom doesn't look unusual, but it is.

AC: Well, what we did was we eliminated the bathtub that was originally planned for up here and I laid it out so we could have the drive-in shower for her. So what we do is we pick her up out of the wheelchair and raise this arm up, then put her in the shower chair and wheel her on in and then she can take her shower independently without anyone being in there with her.

MH: And that's not all.

RC: Alice has designed this so that I can turn my buggy around and get my knees under here and do my own hair and turn on and off the water and brush my teeth, dry my hair, 'cause all the drawers are accessible to me.

MH: Of course, not everyone with disabilities can afford to build a new home. But by lowering or repositioning appliances and including pullout features everyday homes can become more accessible. And remember the handrails we showed you earlier? This is the kind of change that most anyone can make. The materials cost $150.00. In this case, a nonprofit agency is installing them for free.

Dawn Cano (214-590-4455): This is one of the most common things that seniors probably need, or

people with disabilities because, you know, if you are losing leg strength and maybe frail or whatever health reason, you would really need something to hold onto getting in and out, up and down these steps.

MH: Dawn Cano is the caseworker who recommends the handrails after checking to see what would make this home safer for its elderly residents. Inside she also found doorways too narrow for a wheelchair. So a carpenter will have to widen them to 32 inches. She recommends other simple changes for the bathroom.

DC: One of the things that we implement usually all of the time is grab bars in the bath area. Again, senior citizens actually sometimes may even be a little scared to get into the bathtub area because they're afraid they may slip and, you know, we can make it to where they won't slip by adding a bathmat, grab bars. You can buy these at any hardware store. They're anywhere between $15-25.

MH: Grab rails are normally one to one and a half inches in diameter. They are a do-it-yourself project, but you need to be sure that you hit the stud. If you're just in the tile or the sheetrock it could pull loose when you put weight on it. For as little as $30.00 you can also buy a good handheld shower head that gives a disabled person more control of the water. A seat that raises the toilet and has handgrips makes it easier to use. The changes may seem small, but they make a big difference in a disabled person's life.

Man: So how do you like it?

Elderly Female: Oh, this is nice. Wonderful.

Contacts:
Injury Prevention Center: 214-590-4455
Better Shelf Co.: 972-578-1760

Episode 57 1997 - 98 Season

| Kitchen Makeover II | Handicapped Housing | Refinishing Tile | Private Mortgage Insurance |

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