NJIT expert recommends 16 easy, affordable ways to make homes safer for people with disabilities

NJIT expert recommends 16 easy, affordable ways to make homes safer for people with disabilities

03 Feb 2005

Environmental psychologist Richard Olsen, PhD, a research professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), has developed 16 easy and affordable ways people can make their homes safer and more comfortable. The information may help baby boomers planning retirement homes. Olsen regularly studies ways to improve living environments for the aging and people with disabilities and Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our studies consistently illustrate that with several simple, relatively inexpensive modifications such as reorganizing the kitchen cabinets or installing anti-skid strips on the stair tread, people can create safer and more comfortable living environments,” said Olsen who also directs the health and aging division at NJIT’s Center for Architecture and Building Science Research.

These ideas emerged from two current projects. One, funded by the Health Care Foundation of New Jersey, consisted of 25 interviews and assessments of low-income, older individuals caring for a family member with dementia or grandchildren. The researchers then implemented a series of low cost home modifications.

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the other project. Researchers assessed the abilities and homes of 80 older people with intellectual disabilities. Recommendations from these studies include the following:

Double railings: If your home has stairs, install a second set of railings. “The other railing offers more support to climb up and down plus allows some people the important opportunity to use their dominant hand,” Olsen said.

Grab bars: Install grab bars in and around the tub. The bars enable people to climb into the tub or shower more easily.

Shower and tub seats: A seat in the bathtub enables someone to sit up in the tub rather than pulling herself up from tub floor. In a shower, these seats work well, so that no one has to stand and lose their balance.

Hand held shower head: An individual can sit in the tub/shower and wash himself or the caregiver can wash him more easily.

Raised toilet seats and grab bars at toilet: “These are inexpensive and they really can help someone get on and off the toilet,” said Olsen. “Many people tend to grab a built-in paper dispenser for help, but this is dangerous. They are not grab bars and can pull out of the wall.”

Good lighting at stairs: Sufficient lighting at both the top and bottom of a stairwell is important. “Any place you are making a transition from one level to another should be well lit,” said Olsen.

Anti-skid strips on the stair tread: Strips available at hardware or home improvement stores prevent slips and falls. They also highlight the edge of the stair tread.

Re-organize kitchen cabinets: Frequently used items should be within easy reach so that no has to reach, bend over or, worst of all, use a step stool. The goal is to prevent anyone from losing his balance.

Light switches at room entries: Sounds simple, but make sure every room of the house has a light switch adjacent to or near the entry. “It is easy to lose your balance or trip over something when you are walking through a dark room to turn on the light,” said Olsen. Eliminate thresholds between rooms: Again, threshold represent another tripping hazard.

Install threshold or mini ramps: For easier wheelchair access at high thresholds on exterior doors install a threshold or mini ramp, which will make it much easier to get a wheelchair through the door.

Lower closet pole and shelves: It’s easier to access clothing if the poles and shelves are within easy reach.

Keep washer and dryers on the main level: A good idea to keep in mind if you are building a new property.

Get rid of throw rugs: “At times throw rugs can be a real problem,” Olsen said.

Clean up clutter: This is obvious, the less things people have to take care of, the easier it is for them to function.

Olsen often lectures about how people can create better living environments for children with disabilities and people with Alzheimer’s disease. Olsen’s two texts, both supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, are filled with good advice–ranging from ways to make kitchens safer to how best to talk an upset person. The books are A House For All Children, Planning a Supportive Home Environment for Children With Disabilities (2000, NJIT Press) and Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Homes That Help, Advice From Caregivers For Creating a Supportive Home (1993, NJIT Press). Olsen has produced a video, also called A House for All Children, describing how six New Jersey families altered their homes to make them more suitable for people with disabilities.

New Jersey Institute of Technology, the state’s public technological research university, enrolls more than 8,200 students in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 100 degree programs offered by six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, New Jersey School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, Albert Dorman Honors College and College of Computing Sciences. NJIT is renowned for expertise in architecture, applied mathematics, wireless communications and networking, solar physics, advanced engineered particulate materials, nanotechnology, neural engineering and eLearning.

Sheryl Weinstein – sheryl.m.weinstein@njit.edu
New Jersey Institute of Technology

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