Government urged to build mobility-friendly homes

There have been calls for the government to build homes more suitable for those with disabilities and mobility restrictions. The Leonard Cheshire charity has said that there is a worrying shortage of suitable homes for such individuals after carrying out The Hidden Housing Crisis report.

Among the concerns with such houses is that there are not enough homes with appropriate facilities to supply current demand, with such facilities including wide stairs that are suitable for stairlift companies to install such mobility aids and homelifts.

“Homes are built with the future in mind”

Chief executive of Leonard Cheshire Disability, Clare Pelham, said of the report’s findings in this article, “We must make sure that the next generation of homes are built with the future in mind. For a very small investment today, we can make sure that the homes of tomorrow give disabled and older people freedom and comfort rather than despair.”

The report found that 11 per cent of adults surveyed have problems with their mobility, where 72 per cent of which find that their own front door is inaccessible and 63 per cent don’t have a large enough bathroom to fit a wheelchair. Statistics such as these have seen increased concern over the state of housing and the number of houses suitable for elderly and disabled residents.

There has been a lack of action in the building of such suitable housing, as highlighted in the report, and this has left many elderly and disabled UK residents in a situation that lacks dignity and comfort.

With the number of bathrooms too small to accommodate a wheelchair at an alarming figure, it puts the number of properties able to house walk in shower and bath designs also at an abysmally low percentage. Pelham hopes that the report will encourage political parties to make a pledge to improve the number of houses suitable for mobility-restricted residents.

Image Credit: jimmy brown (flickr.com)