93% of homes do not meet accessibility standards

As you become older, it’s normal to make changes to your lifestyle and your home in order to be comfortable and maintain your independence. Many older people even decide to move to a new house, somewhere that is better suited to their needs, however, how easy is it to find a home with great accessibility?

According to a recent article published on Access and Mobility Professional, 93% of existing homes do not meet the lowest threshold of accessibility. This means people will have to adapt their existing house to make it the perfect home to grow old in, including adding stairlifts, handrails and maybe even widening the doorframes.

Recognising the impracticalities of the housing market, national housing associations have joined together to try and make it easier for people to live independently for longer. Johnnie Johnson Housing, Karbon Homes and Anchor Hanover have founded Invisible Creations, a new business that focuses on product solutions to aid mobility.

The chief executive of Johnnie Johnson Housing, Yvonne Castle, tells Access and Mobility Professional: “We all have a desire to create adaptations that aren’t the ugly looking ones that are in the marketplace at the moment. We should all be able to age in our own homes and be proud of how they look. That’s the aim of our joint new company Invisible Creations. It’s an exciting time for innovation in housing.”

Sarah Jones, Anchor Hanover’s chief financial officer, also comments: “As England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for older people, we understand the importance of attractive adaptations in the home which can enable people to live independently for longer. We are proud to be supporting Invisible Creations in developing new products that provide more choice in how these adaptions are made, so more people can have a home where they love living in later life.”

If you’re looking to navigate your home independently as you become older, then contact us today to learn how we make the process of installing stair lifts and homelifts as easy as possible.