Living in one's own four walls for as long as possible despite age, need for care or disability – barrier-free housing makes it possible. But what does accessible actually mean? How to finance and organize necessary rebuilding, aids and adjustments?
At a glance
- Even small obstacles can become major barriers for people in need of care or with disabilities, or as they age.
- Barrier-free housing makes it possible to live largely self-determined and to stay in the familiar four walls for as long as possible.
- Numerous tools can make everyday life easier.
- Minor adjustments can be helpful and can be implemented quickly. Larger conversions must be well prepared.
- There are several ways to get grants and loans for barrier-free remodeling.
- It is advisable to seek advice on individual options. Consultations can also take place during home visits.
Why barrier-free living space is important?
Steps, bathtubs, thresholds, carpets, dark corridors – many large and also small obstacles can make everyday life in one's own four walls very difficult for people in need of care or with physical impairments and can lead to accidents. Apartments or apartment buildings without barriers, on the other hand, offer relief and security in the daily routine at home and are particularly important to be able to lead a self-determined and as independent a life as possible.
Most people wish to live in their familiar four walls for as long as possible. Modifications and adaptations of the apartment to their needs as well as special aids can make this possible and help to facilitate care by relatives or care services.
Just as important as suitable housing is a barrier-free living environment: good local transport connections, easily accessible shopping facilities, as well as health care and support networks on site promote independent living.
What does barrier-free living mean?
Housing is considered barrier-free if people with disabilities or impairments can use it without particular difficulty and without outside help.
The standards for barrier-free housing are defined for people with different disabilities and impairments in a DIN standard.
Among other things, living space is considered barrier-free if
- it is accessible at ground level, without steps and thresholds. Operating elements such as window handles, cabinets and light switches must also be accessible in this way.
- the doors have a certain width
- Bathroom, hallway and kitchen are large enough to allow unhindered movement and also provide space for a caregiver
- The bathroom is safely equipped: Above all, a level shower, a bathtub with a low entrance and a washbasin that can be accessed from below are important.
- anti-slip floor coverings are laid, which do not reflect or dazzle
The technical requirements for accessibility are defined in DIN Building Standard 18040-2. There motor as well as sensory and mental impairments are taken into account. These are, for example, blindness, visual and hearing impairment and disorientation.
The DIN building standard 18040-2 for barrier-free apartments can be found on the website of the association Barrierefrei Leben e.V.
In addition to "barrier-free", terms such as barrier-free, handicapped-accessible, senior-friendly, age-friendly and wheelchair-accessible are also frequently used. Often these terms are used synonymously, but they are ambiguous and not legally defined.
Barrier-free usually means that some areas of the home are not barrier-free and help is still needed in everyday life. Handicapped accessible does not automatically mean that the apartment or house is also suitable for people with a visual impairment or mental limitations.
When looking for an apartment, it is advisable to get your own impression of the premises on site: It can happen, for example, even with barrier-free apartments, that the building entrance is only accessible via a few steps or elevators are too small in size.
Barrier-free living: What aids are available?
Not always must be rebuilt. Even many smaller aids can make everyday life at home easier and safer.
- A second railing on the stairs
- Motion detectors for automatic lighting
- Grasping aids
- Handholds
- Window handle extensions that make it easier to open and close hard-to-reach windows
Some aids can be reimbursed by health and long-term care insurance companies. For some, there are inexpensive alternatives, such as motion detectors or night lights for the socket from the hardware store.
The association barrier-free living e.V. offers an overview of resources for different areas of life.
Barrier-free: What options are there for adapting housing?
Conversions and adaptations within the home make it possible to move around safely and independently within one's own four walls and to carry out everyday activities as easily as possible. It is especially important for people with dementia to have a familiar living space that is safe and uncluttered.
To find out which housing adaptations are important to you, mentally go through your daily routine. Note where you usually encounter problems and obstacles or rely on help from others. Then you can use this list to make appropriate adjustments as you go along.
On the "Zuhause im Alter" service portal of the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, customers can use a checklist to find out whether their own living space is age-appropriate.
Smaller measures
Many useful changes can be implemented yourself or with a little help from family, friends or neighbors:
- With simple means, more movement space can be created when furniture is moved or removed. Furnishings, windows and switches should also be easily accessible.
- Rooms can be reallocated and, for example, the bedroom can be moved to another room if this creates enough space for movement between the bed, closets and windows. In single-family houses with several levels, the center of life could be moved to the first floor.
- Important and often used things – like keys, phone or dishes – are safely and easily accessible if they are stored within easy reach.
- Carpets and rugs should be removed or carefully secured, and cables should be properly routed to avoid tripping hazards.
- Bright, shadowless, low-reflection lighting also helps prevent falls. In addition, a high-contrast design of the living environment facilitates orientation for visually impaired people.
- Sofas, armchairs or beds can be raised by means of special extensions for the furniture legs, making it easier to get up and sit down.
Larger conversions
Depending on your needs, major structural measures may also become necessary if, for example, you can no longer negotiate steps or use the bathroom and kitchen independently.
- Countertops and vanities installed that can be moved under with a wheelchair or walker
- Doors widened
- Door thresholds removed or small ramps installed
- special operating elements and handles attached
- level showers or bathtub entrances installed
- Movement areas increased. For this purpose, it may also be possible to change the layout of the apartment or to exchange rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom.
Conversions usually have to be commissioned and require more time for planning and financing. Especially in the case of larger construction measures you should seek professional advice. Since it depends on the individual environment, it should always be examined locally, which measures for your personal situation are meaningful, possible and necessary. Advice centers often offer free home visits.
What technology is helpful for barrier-free living?
Technical products contribute to a self-determined and independent life at home. They can also help prevent accidents and injuries.
Examples of technology are:
- automatic stove fuses and water detectors
- Stairlifts, elevators and other electric transfer aids
- Home emergency call systems (with sensors)
- Sensor mats for fall prevention that warn caregivers so they can prevent a fall or help a fallen person quickly
- Digital care aids like automatic tablet dispensers
The development of digital technology and assistance systems offer further opportunities for independent living. These systems, some of which are intelligent and learn as they go, can assist the resident with everyday things, monitor health and, thanks to their algorithm, adapt more and more to the resident's habits. However, this also raises ethical and legal issues.
Often, technical systems for the home are grouped under the term "age appropriate assistance systems" or "AAL – Ambient Assisted Living".
The website of the consumer advice center offers information on how digital assistance systems can support age-appropriate living.
Example: How can I convert my bathroom barrier-free?
Major alterations, such as making a bathroom accessible, usually have to be commissioned.
For an accessible bathroom applies:
- It should be large enough to move around with a wheelchair and walker, in addition to providing space for a caregiver to lend a hand.
- Walk-in showers at ground level offer the greatest safety for the elderly and people in need of care, because they can be walked over without tripping.
- Sometimes it makes sense to remove the bathtub to make room for a larger shower that is also accessible with a shower chair, or to have more movement space in the bathroom.
- Who would like to keep the bath tub, can let an entrance install, which is not barrier-free however.
- The vanity or sink should be accessible under the floor.
- The flooring should be slip-resistant.
Sometimes it is advisable to change the arrangement of the rooms and, for example, to move the bathroom to another room.
Aids in the bathroom
Assistive devices enable the toilet, shower, or bathtub to be used largely independently:
- A shower chair or a folding seat attached to the wall makes it possible to take a shower while sitting down.
- Grab bars make it easier to get up or move around within the bathroom.
- Non-slip rubber mats reduce the risk of falls in the shower and bathtub.
- Toilet seat raisers make it easier to sit down and stand up.
How can I finance a barrier-free conversion??
Especially extensive and larger construction measures such as stair lifts, barrier-free bathrooms or door widening can bring high costs with them. There are various grants and subsidies available to finance barrier-free remodeling.
Which of these come into question often depends on the personal life situation and for which purpose the dwelling is to be converted. It is therefore advisable to get advice on financing options in advance.
Cost units for a barrier-free conversion can be, for example:
- Long-term care insurance
- Health insurance
- Rehabilitation providers
- KfW program "Building for the elderly
- Subsidy programs in federal states and municipalities
Care insurance
People with a care degree (1 to 5) can apply for a subsidy for "measures to improve the living environment" from the care insurance fund. Up to 4.000 per measure are possible, if the conversions facilitate or make possible domestic care in the dwelling or an independent Lebensfuhrung.
If several people with a care degree live together, such as in an outpatient living group, the care insurance pays a subsidy of up to 16.000 euros. Start-up funding is available for newly established outpatient assisted living groups. In order to convert dwellings for such a use, the care insurance company pays 2.500 euros per person and up to 10.000 Euro per residential group.
Health insurance
Health insurance funds finance certain aids that facilitate or enable independent living – but only if they have been prescribed by a doctor.
With the so-called aid prescription from the doctor, the assumption of costs must be requested from the health insurance company. If the health insurance company approves the costs, legally insured persons must make an additional payment of maximally 10 euro.
As a rule, health insurance companies have concluded framework agreements with certain manufacturers, which means that only certain products can be considered. Large aids such as nursing beds are usually lent by long-term care insurance companies.
Rehabilitation carrier
As Reha carriers different institutions are called, which take over costs for social, medical and vocational measures of the reintegration (rehablitation). These are to make possible for humans with handicap or humans, who are threatened by handicap the participation in the society. The costs for a barrier-free conversion of your living space can also be covered.
Rehab providers include statutory health insurance and pension insurance, but also child and youth welfare services. Which institution is responsible depends on the personal situation, how the disability or illness came about and the purpose for which the home is being converted.
The professional associations or accident insurance companies come into question, for example, if an accident at work is the reason for the disability and barrier-free access to the home is necessary to reach the workplace.
The EUTB (Erganzende unabhangige Teilhabeberatung – Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling) counseling centers offer free information and advice on all aspects of rehabilitation and participation benefits.
KfW program "Building for the elderly
The German government subsidizes age-appropriate conversions and the purchase of apartments and houses converted for the elderly through the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) loan corporation. This can be done, for example, through a loan with a low interest rate.
All information on the KfW program can be found on the website of the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW). There you will also find information about which loans and subsidies are currently available.
Subsidies from states and municipalities
Some cities, municipalities and federal states have their own subsidy programs for age-appropriate and barrier-free conversions and extensions. Check with your local housing authorities or your state's senior and disability officials.
Important to know: You must apply for financing before starting the measures and usually submit a cost estimate.
The federal working group housing adaptation e.V. lists all cost units that subsidize and support barrier-free conversions.
What must be legally considered in barrier-free remodeling?
Tenants are generally entitled to barrier-free construction measures if this enables them to live independently with disabilities or limitations. They usually have to bear the costs of the building measures themselves.
They are obliged to consult with the owner of the house or apartment before starting the remodeling work. For some measures, the owner also has a duty or voluntarily undertakes the conversion at his or her own expense. This can possibly increase the rent.
When moving out, the tenant is obliged to dismantle the barrier-free conversions. Therefore, the owner may require a deposit in advance in the amount of the cost of deconstruction.
Community property
Homeowners with disabilities have a right to construction measures on the common property that enable barrier-free access to the residential property. The co-owners must agree.
Who advises on barrier-free conversion?
Before the conversion it is advisable to take up a comprehensive consultation. Housing counselors or counseling centers for living space adaptation and technical aids provide information,
- How to convert their living space for your needs
- Which tools are eligible
- how to finance the reconstruction and the aids, which subsidies are possible
- help with applications and clarification of possible legal claims
- inform about ethical and legal aspects
- check estimates
- help with problems with landlords or cost bearers
- recommend suitable crafts
As a rule, home visits are also possible.
On the website of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Wohnungsanpassung e.V. find independent advice centers for housing adaptations.
The brochure "Living at home longer. A guide to living in old age" of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs provides comprehensive information on barrier-free housing.
On its website, the consumer advice center offers information and recommendations on many aspects of barrier-free living, for example on adapting living space and on individual aids such as stair lifts and home emergency calls.