Looking for temporary home adaptations? Most homes aren’t set up for people living with reduced mobility. In fact, 93% of the rental properties in this country aren’t suitable for disabled occupants. 

So, sometimes you need to temporarily adapt your home to suit your circumstances. 

Perhaps you’re in the process of selling your home, or you’re recovering from an operation and expect to be back on your feet within a year. Maybe you’re temporarily caring for an elderly parent whilst their own home is adapted for accessible living. 

Need better home equipment but not quite enough to make long-term changes to your property? That’s where temporary home adaptations can help.

Temporary Home Adaptations: An Overview

Gone are the days of medical-looking, unattractive home adaptations that are installed to forever feature in your home.

There has been a surge in the development of accessible products and facilities, not only in the way they look but also in their flexibility and versatility. Lots of products have been created to suit short-term use, where they can be quickly fitted, used for as long as is needed and then removed again.

Temporary home adaptations are suitable for people who are recovering from illness or injury and expecting to regain their mobility or for households welcoming a family member into their home who needs accessible features.

These changes range from small conveniences to life-enhancing adaptations, but they are all empowering and increase independence across the board. 

Temporary Ramps

Getting in and out of a property in a wheelchair or when using a walking aid is challenging enough. Add in the complication of steps, and not only is the process difficult, but dangerous, too.

Steps and even steep inclines or rocky pathways can be tremendously tricky to navigate if you’re living with limited mobility. And this can lead to tumbles and falls, adding serious risk to a basic task. 

A temporary ramp covers the steps or other landscapes to create a smooth and even surface for a user to walk or wheel along. Installing these simple temporary home adaptations heavily reduces the risk of slipping and falling and enables a user to get in or out of their home safely.

Modular ramps are one type of temporary wheelchair ramp that is gaining popularity. Click here to find out why.

Shower Chairs

The second savvy addition to a property in our list of temporary home adaptations is the shower chair.

Simple but effective, shower chairs aren’t fixed down and so can be taken in or out of the shower at your leisure. Their job is to provide a safe place for the user to sit and rest while showering. This is because standing for long periods increases the risk of the body tiring and the individual slipping. 

Shower chairs feature built-in drainage so that the user isn’t sat in a puddle of water, as well as rubber grips on the feet so that the chair remains stable in what can be a slippery environment. Most are designed to be used in a shower cubicle or wet room, but there are products available that can work in a shower-over-bath scenario, too. 

Having a shower chair available to use enables people to wash with dignity and confidence and keeps them safe at the same time.

Shower & Toilet Pods 

Introducing the John Ford Group’s very own addition to helpful temporary home adaptations…

Accessible shower and toilet pods. If you, a loved one or a patient or a customer is confined to the ground floor of their home, but the bathroom is on the first floor, you might think you’re stuck, that you’re destined for a care facility. But shower and toilet pods enable users with reduced mobility to remain at home, where they want to be. 

Temporary shower and toilet pods make it possible to convert a downstairs room into a bathroom. You can read all about them in this blog dedicated to the topic, but here’s an overview of the benefits… 

Easy Installation

A temporary shower or toilet pod can be put up and usable in a single day. Each pod includes an electric shower that needs to be wired to the home fuse board and requires a cold water feed, but this is usually very simple to sort.

Removability

Not just super simple to erect, temporary shower and toilet pods can be taken down just as easily, leaving no lasting mark or damage to your home. As soon as you don’t need the pod anymore, you can call us to come and dismantle it.

Supreme Comfort

Showering and washing when your mobility is limited can be stressful, painful and even unsafe. Our creation, featuring bi-fold front opening doors as well as one half-height wall to allow a carer or family member to assist with washing, enable users to bathe safely and with dignity. 

Flexible Placement

John Ford Group’s answer to temporary home adaptations for bathing and toileting, the temporary pod, can be put in any downstairs room. The most popular footprint is 1.2m by 1m wide, but we stock a variety of shower tray sizes to suit all of the different needs of our customers. 

Temporary Home Adaptations: Things To Avoid

When you’re considering temporary home adaptations, you might go looking for ways to improve your home that are easy-peasy to remove once the need has passed. Unfortunately, there are some products out there that just don’t do the job…

Suction Grab Rails

These sadly lose grip after a while and become a bigger hazard than the one they’re solving!

Seat Cushions

It’s best to avoid using cushions to raise the height of a chair seat. Although it might seem like a resourceful solution, it’s bad for your back and can make standing up more difficult. 

Temporary Home Adaptations Can Keep You Happy At Home

When there’s a need for adapting the home, cost and permanency can be a worry.

These days there are some fantastic products out there that can empower the individuals who need them, and they won’t leave a lasting mark on your home. 

Do you care for someone with reduced mobility? Are you wanting to adapt your home and research the options? Have a look at our comprehensive website. The incredible team here at the John Ford Group react quickly to all enquiries and will be more than happy to help if you have any questions.