How To Adjust To Life With A Disability*

 

The home is where the heart is, so it makes sense that you would want it to suit you and your needs. Whether you buy or rent your home, you need to think about making your home a safe and comfortable one to settle into. You make your house look exactly the way that you plan for it to look, and it stays that way most of the time. When life gets in the way, the beauty of the home changes and you need to make it adjust to you, rather than you adjust to it. A disability isn't the end of the world for most people. Often, it means that slight adjustments need to be made for the sake of comfort. For others, though, a disability requires almost a whole renovation of a property - which makes it much harder to adjust to.

You see your home in a whole new light when you have a disability. Your doorways are suddenly too narrow, the light switches and door handle too high. You’ve already looked into the Motability Scheme to change out your car to one that adapts to your needs, but now you have to do what you can for your house. You cannot control the changes that happen in life, but you can control the way that you respond to it. If you have landed with a disability, you need to consider how you can adapt your house to suit your needs. Whether it be due to an accident or a condition that develops later in life, you need to make sure that your quality of life isn’t affected. So, let’s take a look at how you can adjust to life with a disability in the home. There is a lot available out there, so you will be able to find somewhere to begin.

• Make A List

You need a defined list of adaptations that you need for your house. If you need ramps added or stairs removed, you need to add this to the list. If you need to add a downstairs bathroom, you can add that to the list, too. It would help if you did what you can to make your home well-adjusted to your new needs. Never feel like you can’t ask for the adaptations that will make life easy. They are all going to improve your quality of life, and if you know exactly what you want, you can ensure that you have the best in your home. You use the best Motability cars, so you need to employ the same thinking to your house, too.

• Use Technology

Most houses have to have adaptations with a disability, but have you considered the technology you will need for your home? You may need to install alarms and switches in case of a fall that alerts the emergency services. You could also install chair lifts and other assistive devices in the home and make life far easier for you all. Technology is helping the Motability cars out on the road, so there’s no reason that it cannot help your home, too.

• Costs

Adaptations can take a lot of money. Luckily, there are often grants and funding in place to make those adaptations much easier. It would help if you considered that your household income is taken into account, and you can use the help of charities to ensure that you have everything that you require covered. When it comes to grants, you need to get the applications done quickly for a higher likelihood of things going well. The faster you get the grants sorted, the quicker you can ensure that your home is adapted well. You’ll need to give them the list of adaptations you need, along with the work that will need to be done and why. The written estimates that you get from different companies are going to go toward helping you to get your grants and payments you need.

• Medical Advice

Ask your doctor to support your grant application with a letter to explain your changing needs. You deserve to live comfortably, and it involves having as many people fighting in your corner, as is possible. Don’t think about the fact that you will have to share personal details: it’s a necessity to get the grants for home adaptation.

Life with a disability takes some getting used to. However, you don't have to do it in silence! Get help from your friends and family to make sure that you are comfortable at all times. It would help if you were supported now more than ever.

*Contributed by Sam Jones. *Header image Image Source: Pexels

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