Is Danger Lurking In Your Home?: Canadian Paraplegic Association

Is Danger Lurking In Your Home?

A Montreal research team reveals that a surprising number of wheelchair users are injured each year in their own homes.

A recently published study suggests that nearly one in five wheelchair users fall and injure themselves in their own homes each year�and the leading cause could be lack of accessibility modifications.

The study, carried out by McGill University�s Katherine Berg, PhD, PT, Marilyn Hines, BA and Susan Allen, PhD, was an attempt to determine the prevalence of specific structural modifications in the homes of wheelchair users and to examine the relationship between home modifications and the occurrence of falls resulting in injury.

The researchers surveyed 525 male and female wheelchair users over the age of 18 who were living at home.

"Overall, 37.9% of wheelchair users fell at least once in the past 12 months, and 17.7% suffered a fall-related injury (46.7% of fallers)," the researchers reported in the January issue of the American Journal of Public Health, journal of the American Public Health Association.

While home modifications aimed at improving accessibility could help prevent such falls, few of the survey participants had made such modifications, according to the researchers.

"Only 4% had all five accessibility features and 36.4% had none," they report, adding that the findings imply that making such modifications would significantly reduce the rate of falls.

In general, home modifications include widening doorways, adding grab bars and railings, and improving access in bathroom and kitchen areas.

"Home environments that facilitate independence and that make it easier to move around should be considered a basic need for disabled persons,� the researchers conclude. �From a public health perspective, both safety and access would be greatly facilitated if home modifications became a reimbursable expense under Medicare, Medicaid and other health insurers�From a societal perspective, there should be greater movement toward barrier-free universal design environments."

In Canada, the federal government�s Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation offers financial assistance to low-income Canadians with disabilities seeking to improve accessibility in their homes.

Across the country, CPA staff members are available to help assess accessibility in people�s homes and make recommendations for modifications. Contact your local CPA office for assistance.