Every home can benefit from these accessories

Keeping older or physically challenged adults safe and independent in their own homes has become a top priority in recent years. Since the kitchen and the bathroom are the two places where a great number of accidents occur, it’s no surprise that the majority of attention is directed at these two spaces.

Universal Design is the study of the ergonomics of the family home and how a mobility impaired person will safely live and work in that space. Sometimes it’s only a family member who has a leg injury and can’t access the bathtub, or a senior who just had a hip replacement and may be using a walker or wheelchair for awhile.

Universal Design specifies modifications to the home to make it safe and convenient for everyone, and current manufacturers are designing grab bars of all sorts of shapes and finishes, no-threshold showers, and no-touch faucets, as well as two level kitchen countertops so anyone has a convenient level to meal prep.