Present trends show an aging Australian population. Also, there’s a push by government authorities to have elderly persons remain in their own homes for longer and thus decrease the pressure on nursing homes and hospitals. It is wise, for that reason, to look at including particular features in houses that will enable older persons to have better and safer use of their homes.

As we get older we get less agile and much less mobile. Even easy tasks like turning on a tap can be challenging. In the event you expect to be living in the home you are building throughout a period of your life when such disabilities are likely to creep up on you, then it is useful to make specific inclusions from the outset. There will undoubtedly be a financial saving if you have pre-empted your requirements and can stay in your house longer without the want for main and high priced modifications. Even in case you do not intend to spend your old age in the house it’s still advisable to make it ‘aged’ friendly since this might be an added selling point when the time comes to move. For sale signs are likely to read ‘Wide doorways and hallways, remote control fittings, easy-access bathrooms, quick grip tap and door handles, low maintenance building and gardens’. These properties will sell for a higher price.

If there will probably be a disabled person living in or visiting your home you may wish to use features which will make your home user friendly for that person.

The kind of disability will of course determine the extent of features you require. It is wise to discuss the particular wants of the disabled individual with health professionals and to acquire facts about items you’ll be able to install in your property.

House features to assist the elderly and disabled:

Single level home with no step-ups or step-downs.

Flat or quite gently graded yard and driveway.

A driveway that’s wide and simple to reverse out of.

Door handles and locks which can easily be reached.

Tap handles that can be easily gripped and which have no sharp edges. Some star-shaped tap handles are pretty dangerous and ought to not be used in shower areas where they could cause injury. Striking one’s head whilst picking up soap that has fallen on the floor is not uncommon. Flick-mixer taps may be hard to adjust for water volume and temperature. Longer, smooth operating levers are easiest to adjust.

Little rooms, for example toilets, bathrooms and shower spaces, need to be big enough so that turning or maneuvering in them is easy. Towel racks and clothes hooks make a bathroom extra convenient to use.

Window locks that will be easily reached. The latch and lock on the window over the kitchen sink and bath tub must be especially low as they have to be reached for over obstacles.

Cupboards that are accessible. Standing on a chair to reach the top shelf can end up in disaster for an older individual.

Light switches and power points which are not too high or too low.

Two-way light switches in passageways and significant rooms. You ought to not have to cross a dark room and risk tripping up just to turn off a light.

Grab-rails inside the bathroom, shower, toilet and anywhere there is a step.

Fold-down shower seats to enable the individual to sit whilst washing.

No drop to the shower recess. A 30mm step-down to the shower is sufficient.

A hand-held shower kit will be extremely helpful.

Bench heights which are appropriate for you. Tall people will have a hard time bending over low benches while high benches are difficult for short people to work at. Cooking appliances that have easy-to-read dials and easy-to-turn knobs.

Floor Coverings that are easy on the feet. Ceramic tiles will be cold in winter and not very good for people who suffer arthritic troubles whilst carpets will need be vacuumed frequently to minimise asthma and allergy troubles. Timber flooring, vinyl or cork tiles are alternatives.

Ornate cornices and picture rails should be omitted. The older an individual gets, the much less able they will be to do household chores like dusting.

The house should be built from materials that require minimum maintenance, e.g. brick, glazed roof tiles, aluminium frames and Colorbond gutters. Roof gables, exposed eaves, timber posts and rendered walls will need ongoing maintenance which, when you can’t do it yourself, will cost you cash.

People with back complications will appreciate semi-recessed hand basins inside the bathroom. These will allow the user to come in close with bent knees under the bowl and not need to lean forward creating anxiety on the lower back.

Suitable features for wheelchair access consist of:

A minimum pathway width of 1m with a non-slip surface. Access-ways should be well lit and sheltered from the weather at the front entry door.

A minimum driveway width of 4m to enable the wheelchair to come alongside the motor vehicle. The driveway gradient really should be no far more than 1:10. The section on which the vehicle is parked on needs to be flat.

The garage or carport needs to have an entry height clearance of 2.5m to allow a car-top wheelchair hoist.

There must be NO obstacles to negotiate. Weather strips at doorways and doormats will need to be 10mm or much less in height.

All doorways should be at least 820mm wide.

The entry ought to have a circulation region of 1.6m by 1.6m.

Lightning is Mother Nature’s electrical power. It is responsible for more deaths per year than tornadoes. Know when there is severe weather approaching your area. Even if that storm is not right over you lightning bolts travel miles out from the base of the storm. You will not be able to dodge a lightning strike but you should know what to avoid, and how to be prepared, when there is bad weather.

Lightning strikes show how vulnerable we are to Mother Nature’s power. Spring, and into summer, is peak season for the nation’s deadliest weather phenomena. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lightning safety information indicates that ‘an average of 67 people are killed each year by lightning. Knowing how lightning enters a house or building and how to stay safe during a lightning storm may help protect you from injury and your personal property from damage.

There are three main ways lightning enters the home – a direct strike, through wires, or pipes that extend outside the structure and through the ground. Regardless of the method of entrance, once in the structure, the lightning can travel through the electrical, phone, plumbing, and radio/television reception systems. Lightning can also travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

To stay safe when you’re inside your home during a lightning storm stay off your ‘land line’ phone, away from windows and doors and avoid doing the wash. Phone use is the leading cause of indoor lightning injuries in the United States. Lightning travels long distances in both phone and electrical wires and can reach you if you’re using or near the appliance. Another direct path for a lightning direct-strike into your home is doors and windows. Concrete garage floors generally have wire mesh running through them so avoiding contact with that surface will also ensure more safety. Washers and dryers have contacts with electrical wires and plumbing pipes, both which can carry the lightning strike surge, but also contain a path from the outside through the dryer vent.

Protect items within your home, also. Remember your pets to ensure their safety. Dog houses, obviously, are not lightning safe and pets that are chained or in a wire kennel can easily become a victim to a lightning strike. Electrical surges produced by lightning can damage any electrical or electronic equipment. A surge protector will not protect this equipment from a lightning strike. Unplug your equipment, before the storm threatens, to ensure protection of this personal property.

Suggested tips from the National Weather Service include:

Outdoor Activities: Minimize the Risk of Being Struck: Most lightning deaths and injuries occur in the summer. Where organized outdoor sports activities take place, coaches, camp counselors and other adults must stop activities at the first roar of thunder to ensure everyone time to get a large building or enclosed vehicle. Leaders of outdoors events should have a written plan that all staff are aware of and enforce.

Helping a Lightning Strike Victim: If a person is struck by lightning, call 911 and get medical care immediately. Cardiac arrest and irregularities, burns, and nerve damage are common in cases where people are struck by lightning. However, with proper treatment, including CPR if necessary, most victims survive a lightning strike. You are in no danger helping a lightning victim. The charge will not affect you.

A little knowledge and some advanced warning of an approaching thunder storm will help protect you from the damaging effects lightning strikes cause and reduce your vulnerability to one of nature’s deadliest hazards.