Can a Wheelchair-Bound Person Go to Assisted Living?

A wheelchair-bound person can go into assisted living. Approximately 12.1% of American adults have a physical issue that significantly affects their ability to walk or climb stairs. Furthermore, among seniors aged 65+, 8.3% use a wheelchair to aid their mobility. With the number of wheelchair users increasing, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Act prohibit discrimination based on disability. This means being wheelchair-bound isn’t a barrier to entering assisted living.

Assisted living communities are safe environments that provide the support services required by wheelchair-bound seniors.

Disabled residents often require some assistance to remain independent. Assisted living facilities employ caregivers specially trained in elder care and dealing with disabled seniors. From aid with the activities of daily living to transferring, residents with mobility issues receive any assistance they need, helping relieve the stress many experience when living alone.

Assisted living communities may offer on-site physical therapy. Through tailored exercises, seniors with mobility issues receive treatment to help improve their mobility and even find some relief from pain.

Modifying a home to accommodate a wheelchair costs anywhere from $130 to $19,000, even more for properties with more than one floor. Many assisted living communities have special wheelchair-accessible accommodations with useful features installed, such as emergency response and call systems, grab bars, roll-in showers and low countertops.

Wheelchair-bound seniors venture out of their homes less often than their peers. Assisted living brings residents together for socialization through organized activities and events, many adapted for adults with limited mobility.

Assisted living facilities feature social spaces designed with accessibility in mind. Widened corridors and doorways, elevators and ramps allow wheelchair-bound seniors to move around the community without getting in and out of their chairs.

Accommodations for wheelchair users within assisted living facilities also include accessibility features, such as roll-in showers, low countertops and mounted grab bars.

To overcome the issues many wheelchair-bound seniors face when traveling, assisted living communities take steps to ensure transportation is easy and stress-free. Facilities use vehicles optimized for wheelchairs to transport residents to appointments, social events and off-site excursions.

Communities have a legal obligation to ensure their properties are wheelchair-accessible. However, they may place restrictions on the mobility level required of residents.

Assisted living is ideal for seniors who can transfer themselves between a bed and their chair or require the help of only one person to stand or transfer. However, bedridden individuals, those requiring more than one caregiver for transferring and wheelchair-bound seniors with other medical conditions may benefit more from a different caring environment, such as a nursing home.