Living with low vision presents challenges, even in the familiar environment of your own home.
Knowing that you could be injured just moving around your house can be incredibly unnerving. However, with home adaptations for the partially sighted, a home can become a sanctuary of comfort and safety.
There are many ways to create a safe home for people with reduced vision capabilities. We explore adaptations for the partially sighted in this comprehensive blog.
Maximise Lighting
Efficient lighting is crucial for the homes of people with visual impairment. Proper lighting helps to reduce the risk of trips, falls and other accidents.
Bring The Outside In
Natural light is important, so allow it to stream in as much as possible. This means removing heavy curtains, cutting back anything outside, like shrubs that might be obstructing light, using sheer blinds and adding skylights to illuminate dark rooms.
Light It Up
Main overhead room lighting should be powerful, with the addition of adequate task lighting for specific areas such as:
- Armchairs for reading
- Kitchen worktops for preparing and cooking food
- Dressing tables and mirrors, for personal care tasks like hair, makeup, and brushing teeth.
Use Technology
Using smart lighting systems, such as motion lights, smart bulbs or voice-activated controls, boosts convenience and makes moving around the home much safer for people who struggle to see well.
Top tip: Having problems with glare? Try strategies to reduce glare from windows and reflective surfaces such as applying anti-glare film or similar window treatments.
Enhance Visibility And Navigation
Adaptations for the partially sighted don’t stop at lighting. You can make plenty of changes around the home to improve the environment for safer, more comfortable living.
Colour Use
Use high-contrast colours to define edges and make objects more distinguishable, like light switches, door handles and stair riser edges.
By laying high-contrasting flooring between rooms you can also distinguish rooms, or use different coloured carpets to portray zones if the living space is open plan.
Minor Adaptations
Handrails and grab rails offer support for individuals with poor eyesight.
Handrails can be installed on both sides of a staircase to give users something to hold onto whilst moving between floors.
Grab rails are shorter bars that can be placed in key areas such as the shower, near the toilet, in the kitchen and by the front door.
Clear The Floor
Reducing clutter on the floor and keeping spaces tidy make for easier, stress-free navigation and minimise the risk of tripping.
Layout
Ensure that the layout of furniture is intuitive and provides plenty of space to move safely nearby. As well as making sure the floor is free from debris, create clear paths in and out of rooms.
Bathroom Safety And Accessibility
The bathroom can be full of hazards. Adaptations for the partially sighted in this space include…
Grab Rails
Install grab rails near toilets, showers, and baths to provide respite for long standing periods.
Flooring
Tiles and lino can be slippy, especially in a humid room. Switch to textured or non-slip flooring to prevent slips and falls.
Shower And Bath Aids
Providing shower seats, benches, or bath lifts are simple adaptations for the partially sighted that make bathing safer and more comfortable.
Level-Access Shower Or Walk-In Bath
Stepping over the lip of a shower tray or the edge of a bath can be tricky when your eyesight is failing. Eliminate tripping hazards with a level-access shower or walk-in bath.
Coloured Tiles
White, high-shine tiles can create glare, so try to avoid these. Instead, consider tiling landmark areas, such as the shower, sink and toilet, in contrasting coloured tiles to help partially sighted users focus on them.
Kitchen Adaptations
The kitchen poses several risks due to the heat and sharp and heavy household items used in preparing and cooking food.
Flooring
The kitchen can suffer humidity, just like the bathroom. Non-slip flooring helps users remain safe during kitchen tasks, even if liquids are spilt.
Appliances
Opt for tactile or talking appliances to reduce users’ reliance on their vision during kitchen activities.
Smart appliances like talking washing machines and microwaves are reliable adaptations for the partially sighted because they provide spoken information and instructions. Tactile devices provide sensory feedback through touch; braille and tactile graphics enable users to interpret words and pictures using their hands.
Decor
Using contrasting colours for walls, cabinets, and worktops helps partially sighted individuals differentiate between areas of the room. Remember to avoid high-gloss cabinets, which can cause strong glare that confuses the eyes.
Lighting
The more light, the better. Overhead lighting should be bright, and LEDs under the cabinets are helpful for task lighting when preparing food.
Storage
Use clearly labelled containers and shelves/drawers for easy identification of food.
Cooking
Protect partially sighted users from kitchen accidents by installing an induction hob or a stove guard. Induction hobs feature significantly cooler surface temperatures and automatic safety features.
Smart Technology For Simpler Living
Smart home technology is fast becoming the top adaptation for the partially sighted. It can help with operating lights, TVs, radios, and other household items that require the user to manipulate fiddly little buttons.
Voice Activation
Smart home hubs like Amazon’s Alexa can be hooked up to anything from security systems to iPads and from heating systems to motorised blinds. Using voice commands, therefore reducing the reliance on a user’s vision, allows individuals to run a household stress-free.
Alexa can even provide instant access to a library of over 40,000 free audiobooks if you state, ‘Alexa, open RNIB Talking Books’.
Simple Shopping
Users can ask Alexa to add items to the shopping list whenever they come to mind instead of having to write things down. How’s that for convenience?
Energy Saving
Smart home hubs can monitor energy usage and integrate with smart thermostats to create schedules that work with the household, reducing the need to look at dials or small screens. Automated lighting systems can be set to adjust brightness depending on natural light levels.
Adaptations For The Whole Home
Home adaptations for the partially sighted can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals with low vision, promoting safety, independence, and a sense of control over their environment.
The John Ford Group have tons of experience implementing life-changing adaptations. See our website to find out more about us.