Safe & Accessible Homes: Stairs & Entryways

Live & Interactive Discussion that take a deep dive into stairs & entryways and how they can be modified to make a home more safe, accessible, and visitable.

•  Ali Soltani (ali@handypro.com)
• Melissa Bressler (melissa@handypro.com)

Questions Asked:

• "do you work with the Veterans Affairs Dept. and disabled veterans? The Veterans Health Administration offers HISA grants up to $6800, and the Veterans Benefits Administration has SAH, and SHA grants for structural alterations, or new construction, up to $100,000 for eligible service disabled veterans."
• Depth of each step?
• Degree of stair incline?
• I I have wood stairs but floor at  bottom of stair has stone tile Does the stone tile present a problem on floor.?
• Doesn't the curved stairs hamper the other person in the house from holding on to both railings ?
• Are carpeted steps good or bad?

Chat Transcript

12:09:22     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : We have a variety of discussions on this topic https://www.retirementlivingsourcebook.com/videos?q=Safe+and+Accessible

12:13:47     From  Louis Tenenbaum : A key question for me is: How can we influence people to update their homes even when they do not have significant needs, closing the barn door before the horse is out, so to speak.  Louis@homesrenewed.org

12:15:54     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Glad to see you here today Louis!  This is definitely a great discussion point - I would also love to hear community members ideas on how to make improvements in advance!!!

12:28:31     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : do you work with the Veterans Affairs Dept. and disabled veterans? 

The Veterans Health Administration offers HISA grants up to $6800, and the Veterans Benefits Administration has SAH, and SHA grants for structural alterations, or new construction, up to $100,000 for eligible service disabled veterans.

12:30:05     From  Louis Tenenbaum : The incline is determined by the ratio of the tread and rise

12:30:23     From  Elaine Honig : Are carpeted steps good or bad.

12:30:51     From  Mary Ann Anderson : Can you explain "no sing" in slide?

12:31:50     From  Rebecca Grayson : I think I remember Maryland has a program to assist with such improvements?

12:32:17     From  Louis Tenenbaum : The ideal ratio is basically 7 inch rise with 11 inch tread, (2 rise + tread = 25)

12:35:13     From  Mary Ann Anderson : What is current average price of straight stair lift and how much for installation?

12:39:50     From  Louis Tenenbaum : A ceiling lift could help with the transfer from one stair glide to the other

12:43:53     From  Elaine Honig : Can the flip up rail be flipped down while the person is sitting in the chair while  the coming down?

12:46:09     From  R McKeever : Can you show the screen with the landscape ramp again

12:47:20     From  Louis Tenenbaum : Especially ‘landscape’ ramps can be called ’no step entries’. They often ‘disappear’ into the landscape.

12:51:31     From  Tom DeMuth : I'm surprised that handrails aren't part of building codes.

12:51:32     From  Becky McGraw : What is the average cost of a concrete pad with a VPL? Looking for an accessibility solution for a 30"H porch in Frederick County, VA and keep running into barriers with a ramp.

12:52:21     From  David Hunter : neighborhood

12:52:42     From  David Hunter : hugely

12:52:42     From  Elaine Honig : hauntingly

12:52:57     From  David Hunter : Bates

12:53:01     From  Becky McGraw : Hagrid

12:53:15     From  Elaine Honig : empty

12:53:15     From  David Hunter : derelict

12:53:19     From  Linda Bier : decrepit

12:53:25     From  Louis Tenenbaum : I used to find that 30” is about the cutoff from the difficulty and cost of a ramp to use a VPL instead.

12:53:43     From  Becky McGraw : 150

12:53:54     From  David Hunter : inaccessible

12:54:08     From  David Hunter : twenty steps

12:54:08     From  Linda Bier : dead bodies

12:54:23     From  Heather T.   to   Hosts and panelists : no handrails

12:58:27     From  Louis Tenenbaum : Contrast from tread to riser is helpful, unless a cognitive deficit makes it difficult to climb stairs wthat may appear ‘striped’.

12:59:19     From  Mary Ann Anderson : My question is on the slide with the diagram stair measurements.

12:59:38     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : https://rebuildingtogether.org/

12:59:42     From  Sharon Payne   to   Hosts and panelists : https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/grants-for-home-modification/

12:59:45     From  Rebecca Grayson : I thought there was a program for reimbursement in MD

13:00:44     From  Sharon Payne   to   Hosts and panelists : https://mdod.maryland.gov/housing/Pages/Home-Modifications.aspx

13:00:53     From  Mary Ann Anderson : Great. Thanks.

13:01:24     From  Sharon Payne : https://mdod.maryland.gov/housing/Pages/Home-Modifications.aspx

13:01:35     From  Louis Tenenbaum : There is a Maryland state funding program for accessible homes funding program for aging place https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Residents/Pages/ahsp/default.aspx

13:02:39     From  Aileen Klein   to   Hosts and panelists : Cost of indoor curved staircases?

13:06:21     From  R McKeever : For for handrails 2 steps of more it should be required

13:07:02     From  Louis Tenenbaum : Steps to a home are the default. Two reasons,  keeping the wood structure from the earth so there is reduced transfer of insects from the earth to the wood. 2. height of the main floor and plumbing above the sewer line in the street.

13:09:32     From  Marcy Silver : I have to hop off now - Thank you! Very informative.

13:09:59     From  Aileen Klein   to   Hosts and panelists : Doesn't the curved stairs hamper the other person in the house from holding on to both railings ?

13:11:46     From  Melissa Bressler : Melissa@handypro.com / 301-960-1060 /

13:11:56     From  Melissa Bressler : Thank you everyone for joining today.

13:11:58     From  Aileen Klein   to   Hosts and panelists : thank you.  this was really informative!

13:12:13     From  Melissa Bressler : To safety nd accessibility to all!

13:12:20     From  Elaine Honig : Thank you, food for thought!

13:12:35     From  Robert Pearson   to   Hosts and panelists : Does your company do elevators