How to Prepare a Home for Handicapped House Guests

When you're having guests in your home, and one of them has a disability, you need to make some extra preparations to get your home ready for your guest. With a little consideration and planning, the visit can be enjoyable for all involved.

Instructions

1. Prepare yourself with knowledge. Doing a little research about the person's disability ahead of time will make you better informed, more compassionate and therefore a better host.

2. Find out what the person requires. For example, if your soon-to-be guest is in a wheelchair, make sure your house is accessible to him. If she has vision problems, you might need to have night lights. If he requires a special diet, try to incorporate that food into at least some of your meals.

3. Rearrange your home, if necessary. If you have a lot of clutter in your house, it could be difficult for someone who is blind or in a wheelchair to maneuver around it. So, no matter how much you like that statue in the living room, putting it in another room temporarily is the considerate thing to do. If your home has an awkward furniture layout, rearranging it in a more common way could make things easier for your guest.

4. Adjust sleeping arrangements. For example, if you have a bedroom on the main floor, and the rest are upstairs, be sure that the person with the disability gets to sleep there. Or, if your guest needs to be closer to a bathroom, make sure they are closer to the bathroom. Be willing to adjust to whatever the situation requires.

Resources

• Visit the American Association of People with Disabilities.
• Find information on illnesses and medical conditions at the Mayo Clinic.