Top Adaptive Home Modifications To Keep Veterans Safe at Home

As a veteran, you’ve sacrificed so much to ensure the safety of your fellow citizens – and now, as you’re aging at home, it’s critical to ensure your own safety. Adaptive home modifications can help you maintain your independence, so it’s important to understand what your options are. The mobility modifications that will benefit you depend on your unique situation, so our accessibility experts have put together this guide to help you determine which ones might be right for you.

Understanding Adaptive Home Modifications

Adaptive home modifications are changes made to a living environment to assist residents with mobility challenges. These modifications adapt or replace existing structural elements to help people safely and independently navigate their homes. Home modifications can be big (like replacing a bathtub with a shower) or small (like installing a grab bar). They make daily activities easier and help prevent falls and other injuries. In many cases, several modifications are installed at once and work together to provide the most safety.

Top Adaptive Home Modifications for a Safer Home Environment

Here’s a closer look at some of the most common types of home modifications:

Entrances & Exits

For veterans who use mobility equipment like wheelchairs and scooters, modifying entryways is critical. The actual entryways should meet ADA regulations for accessibility-compliant door widths to ensure that residents have sufficient space to move through. Most homes will also require wheelchair ramps, outdoor stair lifts, or porch lifts to sufficiently accommodate wheelchairs or scooters.

Stairways

Stairs are infamous for posing mobility challenges to veterans with disabilities, but thankfully, there are many aging-in-place solutions for these scenarios. Stair lifts are especially common here. These come in both curved and straight variations to help residents move between levels with ease. In some cases, where individuals have trouble getting in and out of stair lifts, in-home elevators might be a better fit.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms are notoriously risky places for people with mobility challenges, but a few adaptive home modifications can make a huge difference. Grab bars and safety poles help users avoid falls and remain stable. For those who struggle with getting in and out of standard bathtubs, walk-in tubs work wonders. (We even offer tub-to-shower conversions!)

How to Plan for Your Current and Future Needs

It’s all too easy to make common mistakes when choosing home modifications. One of the biggest traps people fall into is not anticipating how their mobility needs might change over the long term and planning accordingly. Things that don’t present challenges now could become obstacles years down the line, so it’s important to consider this when making home modifications. By working with experts like Next Day Access, you can futureproof your home environment so it will adapt with you.

The Importance of Working with Certified Installers

There’s a reason we offer free on-site consultations – we know how confusing and complicated the process of installing adaptive home modifications can be. That’s why we go the extra mile to listen to our customers’ unique needs and help them plan for the present and the future. Our teams assess your home’s specific layout and make expert recommendations to help you get the most out of the space. We then professionally install each and every adaptive home modification to ensure quality and safety.

Take the First Step Toward a More Accessible Home

At Next Day Access, we’ve installed countless adaptive home modifications for veterans across the country, and we’d love to do the same for you. Schedule a free home consultation at a Next Day Access location near you to get started!