Home Accessibility Checklist for Elderly Visitors this Christmas

Making small changes at home can make all the difference if you have any elderly, less ambulant or disabled visitors coming this festive season. Our home accessibility checklist is packed with ideas – from simple swaps to big changes – to make your home more accessible for friends, family and visitors.

Home Accessibility Checklist: Easy Changes

1. Get a small portable ramp for entrance steps for quick, temporary wheelchair access

2. Pop some grab bars or rails on the walls at the front door and back door

3. Get a toilet riser to help with sitting and standing (these can be added under the seat and removed again later)

4. Make walkway routes through rooms wider and easier to navigate by shuffling furniture

5. Make your kitchen more accessible with a kettle tipper, perching stool, wider cutlery and spike cutting board

Home Accessibility Checklist: Medium Changes

1. Swap door knob handles (which require turning) for push handles – which are much easier to open for those with arthritis or lower mobility

2. Connect your lighting to an app to make turning on and off easier (no fiddly buttons or getting up). You can even connect them to a smart assistant / speaker to make it really simple

3. Remove rugs to make movement easier for wheelchair users

4. Add some exterior lighting to make sure any steps or level changes can be seen easily in the dark

5. Fit a second banister / handrail on your staircase

Home Accessibility Checklist: Big Changes

1. Install a step in shower instead of one over a bath, or even better create a wet room

2. Swap your taps for lever faucets which are easier to operate

3. Add a lift to ensure those with lower mobility levels can easily get upstairs

4. Get a riser-recliner chair for visitors

Any changes you can make will help friends, family and visitors to feel more welcome in your home where accessibility is a worry for them – and remember you can always ask them what their main issues are in other peoples homes to get something that will make a huge difference for them.