At Thrive for Life, we’re all about helping customers to age in place, as they experience what it’s like to live at home in their later years. Many people really desire to stay on their property rather than moving to a retirement community, and we help to make that happen.
If a senior happens to have a pool on the premises, there’s no reason they can’t outfit this amenity for enhanced access so that they can continue to use it. Today we’ll talk about some aspects of making pools accessible for those with mobility restrictions and other kinds of limitations.
Here are some key ways to add ADA access for a pool.
Pool Stairs and Ramps
One way to help with this kind of access is to re-engineer the entrances to a pool in the form of pool stairs and ramps. Some out-of-the-box pool stairs are very narrow, and not very easy to navigate for anyone. They’re halfway dangerous!
When it comes to convenient and safe access for the mobility impaired, a ramp is the gold standard. A ramp with a rail provides that level of safety that you need to enjoy your pool confidently as you age. It’s also more convenient for most pool-goers.
Lifts
Pool lifts can be another way to get ADA accessibility for a pool. The key here is to make sure they have the right safety features and lock-up designs to prevent accidents related to unauthorized use.
Aquatic wheelchairs
Doctors and physical therapists know that pools are a great way to work the body and maintain muscle tone for seniors. The key here, though, is that if someone has particular limitations like lack of lower body strength, they may not be able to do the cardio and training exercises in the pool safely. An aquatic wheelchair can fix this problem. Ask us for more detail about how to use one of these tools to work out safely in a pool.
Slip Safety
With any of these solutions, it’s also very important to monitor areas around the pool for slip safety. Additional railings and textured non-skid surfaces may be necessary. Having the right eye for safety is critical in designing these systems to really protect seniors who may be more vulnerable to injury from a fall scenario.
Ask us about how to customize an outdoor or indoor pool for use by at-home seniors. We excel at helping to offer aging family members more independence and a better quality of life at home!