Disabled-Ready Homes

August 27, 2008

New research shows there’s about a 60% chance that your home could one day be home to someone with a disability and it could be you, but you might not be able to get through the doorway.

Most single-family homes last between 75 and 100 years but University of Florida researcher Stan Smith says few homes are actually constructed with disability access in mind.

Smith: “Certainly the vast majority of older people would like to remain in their homes as long as possible; well over 90% would like to do that. And yet, many hit a point where because of increasing mobility limitations, they’re just not able to do that given the ways their houses are constructed.”

Results suggest that incorporating more disability-friendly features during construction could help preserve more elderly independence and keep costs down too.

Smith: “It’s much more expensive to try to build them in after a unit’s already been built or to modify units to widen doorways or add zero-step entrances or even add a bathroom on the ground level.”

And without those features, many older homeowners may abandon their own houses for nursing homes sooner than necessary.