The Heart of Your Home
It’s widely said that the kitchen is the heart of the home. As a room that is used both functionally and socially, adapting the kitchen to work for you as your circumstances change is vital to maintaining an independent daily life.
When making your kitchen more accessible, it’s important to consider exactly what accessibility means to you. What are the areas of the room or daily kitchen tasks that cause you the most problems? How would you like to maximise the space you already have? What types of things will you most commonly be doing in your kitchen, and how could they be made easier?
Within Reach: Counters, Cabinets, and Shelves
Future-Proof Flooring
Suitable flooring is an important ,often overlooked aspect of what makes a home accessible. Kitchen floors are best kept non-carpeted in case of spills. Large tiling may be the default for kitchens, but they can also be cold, difficult to maneuver if you use a wheelchair due to the grooves where the tiles join, and certain tile types (such as ceramic) can be breakable if something were to be dropped on the floor.
A lino/vinyl flooring may be a good solution. They are still easily cleaned and flat enough for mobility aid use, while also being a more cost effective option. A lino floor is also not as hard of a surface as tiles, offering a bit more protection should falls, drops, or accidents occur.
If your kitchen floor is not on one level, or there is a step up or down to enter the room, finding a way to level the flooring or installing ramps is an excellent way to adapt the room for comfort and safety. Falls in places such as kitchens and stairs cause approximately 60% of deaths in elderly people, so a flat surface with rails and the ability to support the use of mobility aids is a clear priority in creating a more accessible kitchen space.
Aids for Stability
Helpful Appliances
We rely on appliances for most aspects of what we do in the kitchen. From the fridge and oven to the kettle and microwave, appliances are part of daily life. As such, finding the right ones for you is an important step in making your kitchen more accessible.
Think about the size and height of the appliances you already have. Can you easily reach the top shelf of the fridge? Is there enough room in there for any medications that require refrigerated storage, and if not could a mini fridge for medication be helpful? Is your hob at a safe height for use, and would an electric hob be safer than a gas one? Do you fear burning yourself when using the kettle, due to grip strength, hand shakes, or impaired vision?
One appliance adaptation we can recommend with confidence is swapping your usual kettle for a tipping kettle. We suggest the Uccello Kettle for making the task of brewing up much safer, by allowing the user to tip the boiling water without having to pick up the kettle and pour it freehand.
Take A Seat
Regardless of what mobility aids you use, we suggest making sure there is plenty of obstruction-free floorspace in the kitchen to allow you to move around freely, and make sure there is enough room for a perching stool or any mobility devices you use.
Sitting down while you use the kitchen on a specialised stool helps you save your energy, reduce any pain associated with standing or hunching over to complete tasks for too long, and greatly reduces your risk of falling.
A Helping Hand: Kitchen Aids
If you struggle with dexterity, hand grip, shakes, or coordination, meal times can quickly become a source of dread instead of comfort. Specialist eating aids exist to help take this fear away.
Plate guards, dual-handle cups, and cutlery with specially-designed grips are excellent tools in allowing you to feed yourself independently without worrying about making a mess. Nobody deserves to worry about what meal times may bring, so allow yourself to focus on enjoying your food and fuelling your body.
Food Preparation Tools
Stay self-sufficient in the kitchen. Whether you cook out of necessity or a love of making food, using the following items can make the process of constructing meals safer, easier, and tidier.
The jar opener makes opening those stubborn ingredient jars much easier without exhausting your grip strength. No more wrapping a towel around the rim or risking injury with puncturing holes in the metal lid to release pressure.
Food preparation boards make buttering bread, chopping ingredients, and constructing simple meals easier, even if you’re only using one hand! The curved lip allows you to rest food items against it while you work, and the non-slip feet keep the tray firmly in place on your countertop or table.
A Welcoming Environment
Using the kitchen is a feature of most people’s day, and is an important part of any home. Make sure your kitchen is still a welcoming place that represents your style and personality, as well as being accessible. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because a space must be accessible or adapted with medical needs in mind, it must be clinical and devoid of personality. Whatever your personal style or home decor preferences, include choices to reflect this when planning your kitchen adaptation.
For Kitchens and Beyond: Expert Mobility Advice
Whether you’re adapting the kitchen, bedroom, or entire home, we can help.
Our mobility advisors are ready to listen to your specific needs and guide you through the process of finding the perfect mobility solution. Our customers rate us as a 5-star business, and we strive to go above and beyond to deliver friendly, honest, and expert advice, products and services. Talk to us online, give us a call, or pop in store to chat at one of our four locations in Blackburn, Clitheroe, Chorley, and Leicester.
See all of our home accessibility articles here for more ideas on how to adapt your living space.
