Is Multigenerational Living Set To Rise In Popularity?

You can barely go a day without seeing something in the news about the housing crisis in the UK at the moment, so it will probably come as little surprise that people are reconsidering how they live and looking at alternative options.

AOL recently highlighted a study by online estate agent Tepilo.com, which found that three in five Brits would consider buying a home with other members of their family and creating a multigenerational household.

What’s more, one in six actually said they would love to live in this kind of home. However, the biggest concern with having this sort of larger household was a lack of privacy.

To make multigenerational living bearable, having separate living spaces was an important factor, as were separate bathrooms and kitchens.

This does make sense though, especially as older members of your family may benefit from the likes of walk in baths that aren’t so appealing to those from younger generations.

In fact, having this kind of bath was recently cited as one of the best adaptations for older people to make to their homes, because they can help prevent slips, trips and falls in the bathroom, New Zealand-based publication GrownUps stated.

Founder of Tepilo.com Sarah Beeny commented: “I think some people are starting to turn off from the fast-paced, technology-led way of life that’s become the norm, and wish they could return to more traditional values.”

Although she did add that for multigenerational living to really take off in the UK, there would need to be an increase in larger fit-for-purpose properties on the market.

How To Make Your Home Disability Friendly

There may come a time in the future where you have to adapt your house to make it more disability friendly. Perhaps your circumstances have changed, perhaps an elderly relative is coming to live you, perhaps one of your children has an accident. There are countless reasons why you might need to do this later down the line – so having an idea of what might need to be done at home is certainly advisable.

Let’s start with the outside of the property. You may need to make some changes to your garden to ensure it’s easily accessible and not hard to navigate your way around. Avoid using cobbles or loose gravel and stones in the driveway as this can make it hard for people to cross, while concrete or paving would be better for wheelchair access, for example. You might also need to install a ramp leading up to the house.

Inside, doorways may need to be widened if you have to accommodate a wheelchair inside. Review the doorknobs that you have on the doors as well – use handles instead of knobs as these are easier to pull down than to turn. Keep thoroughfares in the house free from clutter and easily accessible, and consider installing handrails in the hallway and going up the stairs if required.

The bathroom is one area of the house that might need a bit more attention. Consider installing safety rails, a panic button, mini walk-in baths, walk-in showers and so on – if you need any advice
on this matter, get in touch with us at Practical Bathing. It needn’t be overly difficult to make these changes to your home, especially if you have the help and advice from professionals like the Practical Bathing team. Give us a call now if you want to find out more.

Have You Heard Of DisabledGo?

If you’re disabled and often find it quite hard to travel to new places because you’re not sure what sort of accessibility options different towns and cities have, then you might find the DisabledGo website particularly useful.

This has been running for more than 14 years, publishing detailed access information for thousands of venues across the UK and Ireland, whether that’s cinemas and restaurants, pubs and shops, hotels and hospitals, railway stations and universities… the list goes on.

The aim of the site is to maximise choice and independence for disabled people by helping them access their local area, as well as places they want to visit. The site has been developed by disabled people for disabled people, with each venue visited and surveyed properly before it goes on the site.

The site itself is incredibly user friendly – all you have to do is decide what kind of place you want to visit, then type it into the search box on the DisabledGo website. Enter the postcode and your radius of search, and you’ll soon be on your way.

A recent study from the organisation, published in 2014, found that two-thirds of retail staff were given no training in how to help disabled customers, while under a third of department stores had accessible changing rooms. And 40 per cent of restaurants had no accessible toilets at the time.

Commenting on the survey, DisabledGo chairman Barry Stevenson said that many retailers have significantly invested in improving their accessibility options in the last decade, but more needs to be done.

For small walk in baths, check out the Practical Bathing website today.