The kitchen is the center of any home, but it becomes challenging if someone cannot move freely and safely inside it. If you want to make your kitchen accessible, you can create specific changes for aging in place.
Minor adjustments can make a big difference, but it is also essential to find the key locations or positions where you should make changes. This way, it will be easier for you to make an Accessible Kitchen for the Disabled and Elderly.
Some hazards in the kitchen make it difficult for disabled people to move, and they can also make them fall in the kitchen; therefore, it is necessary to make renovations.
If you are thinking about why it is essential to have an accessible kitchen? On the one hand, the answer is simple: it increases the value of your home, while on the other hand, it gives independence to the disabled and older people.
This way, it enhances their self-confidence, and they get motivated to do their work by themselves and can live a happy life.
You might be thinking about the budget because most of us don’t have that magical budget to revamp our kitchen. But, let’s discuss the kitchen layout that makes the wheelchair users and older adults in your family navigate inside the kitchen quickly.
Remodeling Kitchen Modifications for Aging in Place
Having a complete understanding of your kitchen layout is the first step to planning a perfect kitchen. After making a complete map, you can start making renovations.
Following are the best and required changes that a kitchen needs to make it user-friendly.
Make Storage more Convenient and Reachable
First of all, reassess all the stored items in the kitchen. For example, you should place daily use items, cookware, and cabinets in a position accessible by wheelchair users.
Moreover, place the heavy items on average height so that anyone can easily access them. In this way, they can quickly grab things while cooking by themselves.
In addition to reorganization, you have to make accessible Kitchen Cabinet Modifications to your existing kitchen and storage units. You can add dowels to cabinets instead of stacking.
This will make it easier for the elderly to pick any item from the cabinet effortlessly. Moreover, you can also add extending shelves and sliding organizers that take less space and are more convenient.
Place the Appliances at Standard Height
Even if your electric appliances are free-standing or built-in, placing them on average height is best for you because it will minimize reaching above and lowering yourself while picking.
But, if you want a stylish kitchen and don’t want to place the microwave on the counter space, then you should fix them under the counter.
This way, anyone with or without a disability can reach the microwave, and it will prevent any accident because you can take it out and immediately palace the hot meal on the shelf.
Make Floors Slip-Resistant
When you are working on Disabled Kitchen Modifications, make sure you don’t ignore the kitchen floors.
You know that by making an accessible kitchen, we keep in mind that anyone can use the kitchen comfortably with and without a disability.
Therefore, make sure you use slip-resistant materials on the floor that eliminates the risk of falls. For example, if a person loses his balance and slips on the floor, it can lead him to a severe injury.
Moreover, if the tires of a wheelchair slip of the floor while it is wet, you have to face damage, and it can hurt the disabled person.
Apart from this, always choose those floor that is also easy to clean and maintain so that the disabled and older adults clan them by themselves.
Install Roll Under Sinks
Its name suggests that you should install a sink of an average height, making it easy for wheelchair users to bend their legs under the sink and wash dishes easily.
Furthermore, use modern faucets instead of twist knobs. You can install motion-sensor faucets that will eliminate the grip, and when anyone places their hand beneath the taps, the water automatically comes out.
Wide Entrances
While making kitchen modifications, make sure that you keep in mind that it should be accessible by wheelchair users. Therefore, you have to make a wide enough entryway that can accommodate a wheelchair easily.
Bottom Line!
To conclude all the discussion above, we can say that disabled kitchen modifications have become a necessity for people. The best thing is that all of these modifications come with excellent safety features. Safety.
If you are looking for the most delicate Kitchen Modification in New Jersey, it is wise to choose SPN Construction Mobility. We cover everything from the measurement to the installation process and make your kitchen fully accessible for aging in place.
