bathrooms

As the Government is urged to make accessible, adaptable housing mandatory within Local Plans, public and private sector housing developers are being offered a simple way to achieve it.

Leading social provider Habinteg is lobbying the Government to ensure more new homes meet the Building Regulations Approved Document M4(2) baseline. It points out that currently only 7% of homes in England meet the basic ‘visitable’ criteria, yet there are almost 14million disabled people in the UK.

AKW, one of the UK’s leading providers of accessibility solutions, has launched a new range of coloured tiles, backer boards and mosaic border tiles, for the ultimate in inclusive bathroom installations.
 
AKW’s new coloured, glazed ceramic tiles are a stylish addition to the company’s existing range of tiles and accessories. The 400 x 250mm x 8mm sized tiles are digitally printed with a stone-effect and can be used as bathroom wall or splashback tiles. They are available in four colourways ranging from a matt finish grey to gloss finished cream, light grey and white. In addition, a range of mosaic border tiles has been launched to complement the existing tile range and allow for the creation of more decorative finishes in white tiled bathrooms. Available in marble, blue and grey colourways, AKW’s mosaic border tiles provide a glossy, elegant finish.

AKW has extended its beautifully styled Onyx range to include a new ergonomic wash basin and matte black fixed and deflector shower screens. The Onyx range has been designed to offer OT’s, retirement home developers, installers and end users a seamlessly integrated bathroom solution for the ultimate in beautiful, inclusive living.

Landlords with long-term disabled tenants can take advantage of an innovative package that can contribute- or cover- the cost of adaptative work, and spare the administrative headache of any future servicing or maintenance.

Palma Life from Closomat wraps up in one offering the purchase and commissioning of a Palma Vita wash & dry (smart) toilet plus ongoing annual service & maintenance for up to a decade.

In the UK, bathroom falls account for a quarter of all hospital admissions . Unsurprisingly the 80+ age range is most at risk from hospital admission due to bathroom falls, with 8% admitted per year . In addition, the number of people aged 65+ entering hospital as a result of a fall is predicted to increase by almost 50% - to almost half a million - by 2035 . The bathroom is a high risk fall area, particularly for those with sight loss, mobility issues or dementia. Here, Stuart Reynolds, Head of Product and Marketing at AKW, discusses how to overcome two of the most common causes of bathroom falls in this space: poor lighting and trip and slip hazards.

Inspired by the work of ‘Help Bristol’s Homeless’ charity, container manufacturer, Newspace of Lydney in Gloucestershire, has created a specially designed Sleepover Pod  to help ease the City’s rough sleeping issue. The unit has been sited at Bristol’s Malago Road which is an area of ground currently unused, although earmarked for development.

If you have long term disabled tenants who need changes to the property to enable them to retain their independence, Government funding is available to cover the costs, says Closomat.

The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is claimed to be one of the best kept secrets of the welfare system. It can provide up to £30,000 towards the cost of undertaking changes to a property that are “necessary and appropriate”, are “reasonable and can be done” to help someone live independently. The Government pot has almost doubled in five years: in the current financial year, £500m is available for DFGs via local authorities.