Temporary mobility issues, whether caused by injury, surgery, or illness, can disrupt daily life and create challenges within the home. Often, the easiest and most effective solution is to undertake temporary adaptations to accommodate your current needs that don’t impact the structure or design of a property.

Simple home adaptations can significantly improve your quality of life and help maintain independence during recovery. Temporary home modifications can transform living spaces into supportive environments without having to commit to major changes in your home. 

We’ll walk you through practical adaptations that can make daily life easier, safer and more convenient without making permanent changes…

Assessing Needs and Priorities

The most important stage before making any home adjustments is to assess what your individual needs may be. Temporary mobility issues may change over time, which is why it’s important to evaluate how your specific limitations may impact your ongoing mobility. 

You can begin this process by assessing your specific mobility limitations and the areas of the home that pose the greatest potential challenges to you. Issues can range from difficulty walking and balancing to having limited strength for self care tasks, so try to understand how these might affect your daily activities. 

It’s easiest to begin with considering the high-impact areas first, and how you might need to use them differently. These areas include the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen. You are likely to spend more time in these spaces and accessibility will be a must when in these rooms.

When deciding how your space will need to be adapted to meet your needs, an Occupational Therapist (OT) or Adult Social Services can help you understand what’s needed. Here at the John Ford Group, we always liaise with your OT to ensure your adaptations are suitable, making changes to your home that will support your care. An OT can provide valuable insights into what will support your recovery the best.

Creating a Safe and Accessible Home For Temporary Mobility Issues

Temporary adaptations to your home need to allow you to carry out daily tasks, move around your home in comfort and prevent potential accidents such as falls. Here are some of the key ways to adapt your home for temporary mobility issues…

Entrance and Hallways

  • Remove Hazards: Remove trip hazards like rugs and clutter that could get in your way as you move through your home.
  • Ramps: Add temporary ramps or threshold ramps at key points where there may be steps or thresholds.
  • Doorways: Widening doorways can make it easier to move around your home and get between important areas, such as from a bedroom to a bathroom. 
  • Rails: Adding grab rails or handrails for support can make all the difference to stability and prevent trips and slips.
  • Automatic Lighting: Add motion lights in rooms to remove the need to reach and operate light switches. This also improves visibility, supporting your safety.

Temporary adaptations

Bathroom

  • Shower chair: Add a shower chair to make personal hygiene less fatiguing.
  • Grab Rails: Grab rails near the toilet and shower are ideal for preventing slips and falls.
  • Toilet Seat: Adding a raised toilet seat can make it much more comfortable to use the bathroom.
  • Mats: Non-slip mats in the shower and on the bathroom floor can give you confidence and reduce the chance of falls.
  • Showering: When ground-floor access to washing facilities is necessary, consider solutions such as a temporary shower pod.

Bedroom

  • Bed Height: If necessary, raise the bed’s height to aid your access into and out of your bed.
  • Easy Reach: Place frequently used items within easy reach or use temporary furniture such as wheeled tables to keep essential items nearby.
  • Clear The Way: Ensuring clear pathways around the bed and to the bathroom makes it easier to navigate your home and reduces hazards.
  • Motion Sensor Lights: Motion-activated lighting can make it easier to get up in the night to use the toilet, get a drink, or move around without being hindered by dim lighting or searching for a light switch.
  • Smart Speaker: Add smart speakers to your most often occupied rooms. These can play radio or music, set automated alarms, and connect to smart devices in the home – you can even use Amazon’s Alexa as an intercom to speak to people in other rooms.

temporary mobility issues3

Kitchen

  • Cabinets: Rearranging cabinets for easier access to frequently used things, or consider placing commonly used items on the countertops
  • Shelving: Get a reacher (grabber) for high items or install drop down shelving – this is easier for everyday life even after recovery!
  • Stool: A perching stool for meal prep allows you to maintain a seated position so you can prepare food without worrying about poor balance, fatigue, or pain from standing.

Gadgets That Can Help With Temporary Mobility Issues

Temporary adaptations to your space aren’t your only option. When you are trying to adapt your home for temporary mobility issues, you might find these innovative gadgets useful. 

There are many options for affordable gadgets and technology that can help you during recovery. Such as:

  • Kettle tipper: This allows you to pour hot water from a kettle without holding it upright. It is ideal if you have limited strength or control of your hands and arms.
  • Hostess trolley: This makes it easy to move items from room to room, as it can be easily rolled and can carry otherwise heavy or awkward items, like hot drinks and plates.
  • Overbed table: This is a c-shaped table mounted on casters, so you can move it when needed without strain or assistance, depending on your needs.
  • Transfer disc: This allows you to move from a wheelchair or bed more easily, and it is ideal for moving from a wheelchair to a commode or armchair.
  • Toilet safety frame: This sturdy frame around your toilet provides essential support when moving on and off the toilet.
  • Chair risers – Similar to bed risers, these can increase the height of a chair so that it’s easier to sit down and stand up
  • Motors for curtains – A motorised curtain opener allows you to open and close curtains using an app or smart speaker, so no need to stand and open your curtains manually

Temporary Adaptations For Temporary Issues

Temporary mobility challenges shouldn’t limit your ability to live comfortably and independently at home. When considering how to adapt your home for temporary mobility issues, start by assessing your daily needs and seek advice from your occupational therapist to help you understand the best ways to address them.

The right adaptations can allow you to maintain control of your life and navigate your living space with confidence until recovered. If you’d like to find out how we can help you decide on and install these changes, get in touch today for expert support.