By Anna Hazard
Available at Premier Lift Products
Introduction
Dumbwaiters are particularly beneficial in multi-level households that have users with more severe strength or mobility issues as they bypass the necessity of having to carry laundry either up or down the various stairs. This greatly reduces the risk of injuries due to strain, tripping, or falling and thus is the safest method of dealing with laundry that is generated and cleaned on different levels of a home. In addition, the dumbwaiter can also be used to easily transport other small & heavy objects between the different stories.
Otherwise, navigating a multi-level home with a full load of laundry for an aging-in-place household may require the installation of a more expensive wheelchair style stair lift or residential levator instead.
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By Anna Hazard
Introduction
When it comes to readying the laundry room for proper accessibility and safety, more consideration should be kept in mind than simply the layout and equipment within the room itself. In particular, the various methods used to transport the laundry to and from the washing machine and dryer is of high concern considering the various dangers inherent in hauling a heavy load over an extended distance.
This becomes particularly important with the common degeneration of muscle mass, increasing limited mobility & balance issues, and the possible presence of other impairing health concerns such as arthritis that often naturally develop with age.
By Anna Hazard
Introduction
Cleaning the laundry tends to become more problematic as one ages due to increasing physical limitations including strength, dexterity, visual, and mobility problems. This makes normal laundry related chores such as carrying baskets & hampers, lifting piles of dry or wet clothes, operating complicated equipment, and using a wide variety of chemicals more daunting if not outright more dangerous. This can be further exacerbated due to utility areas such as the laundry room often tending to be lacking in amenities.
To properly prepare a household for aging in place, the basics of laundry room design (such as storage, lighting, equipment operation, and space concerns) should be implemented in order to make certain that doing the laundry and other related tasks remains safe, convenient, and easily accessible. This can be done by planning ahead and incorporating features that will accommodate potential future concerns caused by the aging process.
By Anna Hazard
Introduction
The final section of our series on accessibility and safety modifications for the bathroom focuses on ableware and daily aids that will be helpful in completing bathroom related tasks such as bathing & grooming.
While a few of the more general aids such as one-handed toothpaste dispensers or back-scrub shower brushes may be found at local stores, the bulk of these items may need to be purchased from specialty ableware stores. In addition, most of these tools are relatively inexpensive and small enough to be stored within the bathroom when not in use. |
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