[Greatescapes]

Hi

We are buying a villa for rental in Lanzarote and would like to make it accessable for disabled users. I have thought of the extra wide doors, level ground and ramps around the villa where required.

Grab bars around the loo and roll in shower + seat in the bathroom.

Lower shelves and mirrors + hoist above the bed.

I would also like to make the pool accessable, so an automatic hoist seems the most practical for in and out of the water. Does anyone have experience of these and are there prefered types? Does the water in the pool need to be of a minimum temp for enjoyment, say 23c?

Also how important is the height of the loo and bed? Do some wheel chair users require a certain height for transfer?

We are keen to get this right. So any suggestions would be more than welcome.

I have been interested in making our villa user friendly, after seeing a wheel chair friend trying to cope on a previous holiday. Us able bodied folk take so much for granted!

Thanks in anticipation!

[Greatescapes]

Hi

Was I asking the impossible that someone may be prepared to give some advice on my post?

Is this the wrong kind of site to ask such things, if so is any one prepared to point me in the right direction?

[Joed]

I'm a para and can walk with aids, so my accomodation needs would be minimal. But I can speak to the pool temperature question. When I was attending aqua therapy, they kept the temp at 92°F, if I remember right. This helped to prevent muscle spasms triggered by chilling or a hyper-response to temperature change.

A physical therapist could probably answer some of your questions about lifts, etc.

Also, some 'knee-holes' under cabinets, etc. would enable a wheelchair user to pull right up to a surface or work area.

A hand-held shower head would add facility in the shower. Place the wall mount low for hands-free showering while in a seated position.

I don't know what they're called, but it's a safety device installed on the hot water line to prevent surges in temps, preventing accidental scalding in those with decreased sensation. I think the 'point-of-use' water heaters regulate the output temp too.

Electrical outlets that are placed higher, say under the chair rail height, would be helpful.

A phone in the bathroom would be a good idea...maybe a phone with an internal intercom feature that will ring up a second phone on the premises in case assistance is required.

I hope some of this helps. I know there are a lot of things to consider that go well beyond what I can come up with for a project such as yours. I hope someone will come along that can offer up suggestions about the equipment you've asked about.

Best Wishes!

[Greatescapes]

Hi Joed

Thanks so much for your reply. Your suggestions are very helpful.

I will have to find out what sort of control we could have on the hot water as this is a very valid point.

I have covered most of the other suggestions except for the phone in the bathroom which we will look into.

I have made contact with a firm in the US that are selling pool hoists. The ones Uk companies have to offer are very cumbersome and crane like! (more for leisure centres etc.)

Thank you again for your help.

[AHolland]

I think some of the slow response is because a lot of us are out on holidays. I just came back a day ago myself. Joed and yourself have pointed out a bunch of features and I will put in what I would want to have as a manual chair para. I will also try to point out a few features for the more restricted quads. Some might be repetitions.

Dining room table with about 30" of clearance under the table. I only need 28", some need less, but larger people need a dining table higher. Watch out for legs/pedistals etc that will impare the wheelchair person from getting under the table. A four leg post design is usally the best. For the longest time I have a standard junk table sitting on 4 cans or tuna to give me the added height I needed.

A kitchen work area near a sink where the wheelchair person can roll under to make a meal or do other chores.

Doorways min 32" wide, preferrably 36" wide. Accessibility for all areas of the accomodation.

roof mounted track system in the bedroom so people who cannot transfer themselves into bed can be lifted and slide into bed. A cheap way to do this is go down to your local farm hardware supply store and pick up a barn door track system and rollers. Around here they cost $17.00 for 8 feet and $20.00 a roller enough to carry 350 lbs. Medical supply stores charge hundreds more. You may or may not want to suppply the lift system. They can be expensive, but a used onw would be okay, or you may just have the track system and have potential clients bring their own.

Accessibility into the accomodation with ramps using a 12:1 as a maximum slope. I have real problems with slopes as I have no control of my stomach/side muscles and flop over easy. 36" wide paved sidewalks and such around the facility. Smooth out cracks or bumps that a person will have to go over. Maybe have a local handicapped person run around the facility to see where they have hangups.

Kitchen appliances that have front controls so a person does not have toreach across hot burners to get at the controls. Oven doors the pull out sideways, not down so the handicapped person can use the stove/oven. I use a rather expensive Panasonic microwave ($450.00) that is both a convection oven/ broiler/microwave, all in one. To hell with the conventional stove setup. Still, it's nice to have the burners on the stove top.

Ability to get under the sink in the bathroom to wash up and brush the teeth. I use a Kohler sink that extends over the front of the counter and has all the plumbing at the far rear of the sink so leg clearance is not an issue.

In a lot of the cabinet/counter areas it is nice to have any of the internals roll out on sliders so a handicapped person does not have to reach into the cabinets, but rather pull a basket out. The baskets can be quite shallow or deep depending on if they are holding plates, pots etc. I know the local hardware stores around here all carry them.

I probably will think of a dozen more things after I post this. such is my failing memory. If you need any part numbers etc then I can get and post them too. I eventually will get around to making some pictures of the equipment I built into my house and post it in the other forum, but the health has not been good and I've been slacking off.

Let me know if you need more details.

[hillarymcarter]

something we never thought of in the bathroom until we had a professinal come evaluate our home......
Make sure there are no open tubes under sink because you could burn your legs on them and not realize it.
I would encourage you to make your doors at least 34" wide. Many "handicapp accessible" places my husband and I go we can't fit in because the doors are only 32" wide.
Make sure there is a 4 foot turning radius between everything so a wheelchair user can turn around.
When you get everything done let us know how to rent your vacation villa! My husband was a big traveler before his injury and he hasn't ventured out since because he is worrried that he will have trouble. I would love to surprise him with a vacation!!

[AHolland]

Most of the clearances under tables, kitchen areas, bathrooms should be 28 iches minimum. 30" allows for a greater range of wheelchairs, but 28 may be enough for a high percentage of chairs. Remember, this is not table top height, but under counter clearance.

I'll try to get around to taking some pictures of my house as one example of what could be constructed. I'll try to get off my butt over this next week and get it done. I'm not really good at photoshop, but will add the sink model numbers etc if I can add them to the photo. I'm not sure if the photo archives here will allow for much detail....We'll have to see.

[Simon]

Hi Greatescapes
I haven't been to this forum for ages. we have an adapted holiday villa in Portugal. Email me simon@ouricodomar.com

[rollingpix]

lever door handles are good for quads!

[luis varela]

Hello you all

If you need options just visit: www.accessibleportugal.com

Best regards

Luis