Everyday Home Accessibility Ideas

How to use this list

Each idea below is meant to be low-effort: it needs no tools or only basic ones, can usually be undone, and fits into an afternoon. Not every idea suits every home or every person. Read the list together with the person who lives there and mark the ones that sound worth trying. Their preferences come first; a change they dislike is not an improvement.

If you are not yet sure where the snags are, start with Making Everyday Rooms Easier to Use, which follows a day through the home, or A Room-by-Room Home Organization Review, which walks the house in order. The Home Comfort Planner is a handy place to keep the ideas you choose.

Lighting

• Night-lights with dusk sensors along the route from bed to bathroom, so the path has low, continuous light without anyone remembering to switch it on.
• Battery motion lights inside closets, pantries, and under-sink cabinets, where there is often no fixture at all.
• Lamps with large rocker or touch switches in place of lamps with small twist knobs under the shade.
• Plug-in timers or smart plugs so several lamps come on together in the evening. In late fall and winter, setting them for before sunset can mean no one walks into a dark room.
• Brighter bulbs, within the rating. Every lamp and fixture is labeled with a maximum bulb wattage. Stay within it; LED bulbs often give more light at a lower wattage.
• Less glare. Frosted bulbs, lampshades that cover the bulb, and sheer curtains on a sunny window can soften harsh light and shadows.
• Plug-in or battery under-cabinet lights over the main kitchen work area.
• A flashlight in a fixed spot in each bedroom and in the kitchen, always in the same place, such as the top drawer of the nightstand.

The whole-home page has more on lighting across rooms.

Handles, levers, and pulls

• Lever-style door handles in place of round knobs can be easier to open with a full hand, an elbow, or a full grocery bag. Many lever sets are sold for homeowner replacement; if you rent, or the door is an exterior or garage-entry door, check with the landlord or a handyperson first.
• D-shaped or bar pulls on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, which let fingers hook in, instead of small round knobs.
• A fabric or cord loop tied to a stiff drawer pull or sliding closet door, so it can be pulled with a hand rather than pinched with fingertips.
• Colored key covers that make house keys easier to grip and to tell apart.
• A small dot of colored tape on the power and volume buttons of a remote, so the most-used buttons stand out.

Storage height

• Use the "easy zone." For each person, the easiest storage is roughly between their hip and shoulder height. Put everyday items there, and move rarely used items above or below.
• Heavy items at waist height. A cast-iron pan, a bag of pet food, or a stack of plates is easier to lift from a counter-height shelf than from the floor or an upper cabinet.
• Pull-out bins and turntables in deep cabinets and corner cabinets, so items at the back come forward instead of requiring a reach.
• A hanging double rod that hooks onto an existing closet rod adds a lower row for everyday clothes, with no tools.
• Front-and-center in the refrigerator. Keep daily items on the middle shelf and door, and less-used items lower down.
• Fewer step-stool tasks. Each time someone reaches for a step stool, ask whether that item could live one shelf lower.

See the kitchen and bedroom pages for room-specific storage ideas.

Seating and surfaces

• A firm chair with armrests near the entry for putting on shoes and setting down a bag.
• A landing spot by the door, such as a narrow shelf or small table, for groceries, keys, and mail while unlocking or locking up.
• A stool or chair at the kitchen counter, so tasks like chopping vegetables or sorting mail can be done seated.
• A side table beside the main chair with room for a drink, glasses, the remote, and a phone.
• A chair in the bedroom for dressing, placed where it does not narrow the path to the door.
• Bath seats and transfer benches come in many designs. Whether one suits a particular person is a question for their health care provider or an occupational therapist.

The living room and hallways and entrances pages discuss furniture placement and clear paths.

Contrast and labels

• Contrasting switch plates, such as a dark plate on a light wall, so the switch is easy to find.
• A towel or bath mat in a color that contrasts with the floor, so its edge is easy to see.
• High-contrast tape along a step edge is an idea to discuss; a handyperson can help choose a product suited to the surface.
• Large-print labels on drawers, bins, and shelves with plain words: "Batteries," "Light bulbs," "Tape and scissors," "Winter gloves."
• Plates and placemats that contrast with the tabletop and with each other.
• One bowl for keys in a bright color, always in the same place by the door.
• A labeled shelf in the hall closet for the items everyone asks about: spare bulbs, flashlight, first-aid supplies, and the household contact sheet.

The printable household contact sheet pairs well with that last idea.

When to call a qualified professional

Questions to ask before hiring:

1. Licensing and insurance. Are you licensed for this work in our state or city, and do you carry liability insurance?
2. Permits. Does this job need a permit here, and will you obtain it?
3. Support. For anything someone will hold or lean on, how will you confirm proper structural support, and what will you do if there isn't any where we want it?
4. Fit for the person. Can the person who will use it try the height and position before you install?
5. Scope and disruption. How long will it take, what rooms will be affected, and what will clean-up involve?
6. Paperwork. Will you give us a written estimate, and what warranty covers parts and labor?

The Eldercare Locator (opens in a new tab), a service of the U.S. Administration for Community Living, can connect you with local aging services (1-800-677-1116, weekdays 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET). Separately, HUD's Older Adult Home Modification Program (opens in a new tab) makes grants to organizations, not to individuals; homeowners curious about related local programs can contact their local government or housing authority. Zeitlos cannot advise on eligibility for any program.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Home Safety Checklist (opens in a new tab) is another room-by-room prompt for what to look at before you call. For longer-range planning, see Aging at Home Planning Ideas.

Try-this-month checklist

• Night-lights with dusk sensors along the bed-to-bathroom route.
• One lamp in each main room on a timer or with an easy switch.
• Everyday dishes and clothes moved into the hip-to-shoulder zone.
• Heavy items moved to waist height.
• A firm chair with armrests and a landing spot near the entry.
• Large-print labels on the drawers people search most often.
• Bulb wattage checked against each lamp's label.
• A written list of any jobs for a licensed professional, with questions ready.