Size of bathroom space needed for wheelchair

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nebrhahe53

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Jun 13, 2014
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PALS
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Austin
how large an area is needed to all ow a wheelchair to pivot to allow access to the toilet for someone who can't get up?
 
ADA standards are 5 feet but it only needs to be in one direction. ( our 5 foot was in front of the toilet. We had 5 feet to turn into the open underneath sink, as required. Neil, if you aren't doing this through VA (who are stringent in adhering to ADA standards), you could get away with less. I would rope off a floor area and see how big a turn around you need. Good luck. Donna
 
The usual architect's answer is 5 square feet in the center of the room, but depending on the layout of the room and where the toilet is, it could be more. My advice is to measure your bathroom and draw it in chalk on your driveway. Add the toilet, sink, tub/shower to your art work. Also measure the door width and any hallway leading to the bathroom. Add this to your drawing. Now drive your wheelchair into the space and see if you can get the chair in position. If you don't have a power chair yet yet plan for a chair about 25 inches width and about 50 inches long. Cut and tape newspaper to this size and slide it through the floor plan to get and approximation of a power chair. All this will tell you what works and what will need to be moved.
 
I just busted out my bathroom wall with a reciprocating saw. Boy, was the landlady pissed!
 
what happened?
 
In addition to the five feet in the center of the bathroom, you want space beside the toliet. Even if you don't park and slide, your caregiver needs to be able to get to you, and not having to lean in from the front will be a big help.
 
what happened?


The house we were renting was old and inadequate for a wheelchair. I had asked our landlady to allow some modification by the VA. (VA will modify a rented house if you ask.) But she said no.

So I ripped up the doorway myself and showed it to her. She kept her cool, but I could tell she was angry. It looked horrible.

After Krissy died we bought a house with the life insurance proceeds. Then I had a professional repair the damage and make it like new, but she still kept the security deposit. I figured that was fair.

Like Dave says, you gotta do what you gotta do.
 
You also should consider that there will be a time that you will have to use a lift, whether it is to transfer onto the toilet or onto a commode/showerchair. We have a ceiling lift, but others have used a portable hoyer lift, which means there has to be room to pivot it and enough room on either side of the toilet. A ceiling lift does require less room, but is not always practical. Tim has a very large chair as he is a tall man, so we have room to park his pwc, and place his commode/shower chair beside him, and transfer him over. We did have the benefit of designing and building the house around his needs though.
I one PALS home that we met in Seattle he had a 5' X 5' bathroom off of his bedroom (which use to be the dining room) and in it was the toilet, and stainless steel corner sink, and telephone shower. His aide parked his chair just outside of it, did a turn transfer (he was light enough, but they did have a ceiling lift if needed.) and did his morning care while he was on the toilet, including the shower. There was a drain in the floor, and the entire thing was tiled. When done they just closed the pocket door, and you wouldn't have known it was there.

Paulette
 
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