If you're facing the prospect of having a wheelchair-bound family member come to live with you, the lifestyle changes for you can seem overwhelming. If your loved one is mobile with a wheelchair, scooter, or walker, you don't have to buy new interior doors or exterior doors to accommodate them.

Automated Door Openers for the Physically Challenged

Your existing doors can stay right where they are and can be opened with a variety of methods:

• A remote control that can be kept handy in a pocket of the wheelchair or walker
• A push plate or push button wall switch installed at a height convenient for the disabled person
• A keyless entry system with a programmed code and push buttons to activate the code
• An electric lock door strike that can be opened with a key or automatically with a signal

None of these systems require modification of the door or door jam. Some of the systems are suitable for both interior and exterior doors.

Shower doors can require some changes to accommodate people with mobility limitations. Beautiful shower doors designed without a bottom track are a favorite option. Using one in combination with a swivel shower seat greatly reduces the chance of tripping while entering or leaving the shower.

Handicapped controls for opening and closing doors, plus shower doors that have no bottom track mean that the disabled person can have more safety and independence, and the caregivers can have more freedom. It's a win-win situation worth exploring right now, before your loved one comes to live with you. Start by looking online for door controls for the handicapped.