Independence in the home
Cyprus Mail
12.10.2007
For the able
bodied it is difficult to imagine a life spent sitting down. For the
wheelchair bound this reality can often make one feel like a prisoner in
their own home. Help is at hand though. JILL CAMPBELL MACKAY speaks to a
Polis-based man who has made disabled friendly homes his mission in life
BEING diagnosed with a progressive, disabling condition and being forced to
live without guarantee of health means the disabled have to unlearn the ways
they lived up to this point in their life.
A huge part of that unlearning process will have to take place in the home,
once a haven of peace and safety, which for the newly disabled will have
become a structure that’s no longer cosy but uncomfortable, a place now
fraught with danger, a personal prison where access and quality of life will
have been denied. As Europe is busily gearing up to embrace the Disability
Discrimination Act with small businesses, restaurants, theatres and local
authorities now having to adapt their buildings to come in line with basic
disability access, we in Cyprus are still far behind.
One man trying to change the way we look at, and how we respond to the needs
of our disabled, is Chris Neophytou. This is a man who has been a wheel
chair user for over 15 years after being diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia,
a disease that attacks the central nervous system wasting away the nerves
and muscles. Over the years, the condition has resulted in the need for
Chris to be ever more dependent on specially designed aids to keep him
partially independent.
Never one to bemoan his fate, Chris turned his disability into a thriving
business that also allows others to live a better and more fulfilling life.
In partnership with his parents, he set about designing a self catering
holiday complex specifically geared toward those with a disability. This
venture is now the sole specialised holiday centre in Cyprus and guests and
their carers come from all over Europe to enjoy a safe freedom filled
holiday spent in specially designed ‘user friendly’ apartments.
“Good design enables and bad design disables,” this spot on quote from Chris
came after a trip around the centre. I soon became aware of how true this
statement was, as, like most of the able bodied, I was woefully unaware of
the multitude of obstacles that lie in wait for those restricted to living
sitting down. These days we all know about the mainstream products available
like wheelchairs stair-lifts, easy access baths, roll in wet rooms and other
equipment that have been designed for the physically disabled. There are,
however, a huge number of other devices and gadgets that make for easier
living in the home, such as tap turners, grab rails, and jar openers. All of
these have been around for years but designers have now focused their
energies on using new technology combined with simple electric and
mechanical devices. For those with reduced mobility or limited muscle power
simple tasks such as switching on the lights, opening curtains, doors and
windows are now within reach. These can be activated by foot, arm, chin or
voice, and now you can even have a system that, via remote control, can
activate kitchen and bathroom appliances. There are also speech activated
devices for those with visual impairment and other alerting devices for the
deaf.
Chris believes most disabled men and women will find difficulties in two
main areas of the home: the bathroom and the kitchen. In Chris’ home he has
designed a roll in ‘wet room’ into which he can wheel himself. As he has
muscle control problems the simple procedure of washing his hair used to
result in him nearly falling out of his wheel chair when bathing. “When you
wash your hair you usually close your eyes, when I do this I lose my sense
of balance and will slump forward in the wheel chair so I now have a guard
rail in place which sits in front of my chest and allows me to wash the
upper part of my body without slumping over in the chair or, worse, falling
out. I also have everything designed at the correct height and the wheel
chair is one that can take the daily drenching of water and soap.
“My kitchen again has everything at usable height levels, with space to roll
my wheelchair under work surfaces, the cooker at the right level and, like
everything in the house, there’s got to be sufficient turning round room as
I call it, so no clutter or over furnished rooms. All my doors have special
kick panels so this lessens the damage of being constantly bashed by the
wheelchair, no carpets, as this proves a difficult surface to work a
wheelchair on, and mirrors have also to be lowered. That’s what able bodied
tend to forget, we are much lower than you at but only in height! So we need
lower access to everything, for example here we have all the beach beds with
extra thick padding which makes them the same height as a wheelchair so the
person can move easier from one to the other without calling for help.
“Being able to ‘do it yourself’ is critical to one’s self esteem and that’s
why the correct design is so important for a disabled person. I go to
toilets in hotels or restaurants that are trumpeted as being for the
disabled’ and, to be honest, the majority are useless. First, most have the
doors opening inwards which is hopeless for the maneoeuvering of a
wheelchair, then, the grab rail will be at the wrong height, then there’s
always the hunt for the loo roll, which usually needs a huge stretch to
reach and invariably falls on the floor. I doubt if designers here in Cyprus
actually understand the difficulties involved when you are trying to go to
the loo in a wheelchair, and it’s not just about making the doors wider, its
about making the whole area big enough to turn with ease and so not skin
your knuckles”.
Chris now acts as an advisor to companies and individuals who look to him
for practical advice on how to make things user friendly for the disabled.
He also rents out a huge range of equipment for all home needs, as well as
supplying everything from wheelchairs and walkers to mobility scooters.
Just as important as special equipment, is the design and layout of your
home, but as yet there are no minimum specifications in place here which
offer accessibility standards for new housing, and there’s little or no
built in flexibility so homes can be eventually adapted to meet the changing
needs of occupants.
New homes in Cyprus don’t even make a token nod to the fact that many of the
owners will slowly but surely become elderly and frail, rendering the 15
high, stone entrance steps and gravel path an impossibility. Chris believes
developers have firmly closed their eyes to the needs of what will soon
become an ageing population and feels strongly more should be done not only
to cater to the needs of the disabled but also for the needs of the elderly
in our communities.
He has now set Polis on the map as a place where you do see wheelchairs
whizzing around the streets - it was his constant lobbying that made local
banks put in wheelchair ramps, forced the local council to drop pavement
heights and encourage restaurant owners to match the tables in their
establishments to fit wheelchair diners.
Being a good businessman Chris always makes a point of explaining to local
traders that his apartments are full, all-year round, and just because
guests are disabled it doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy going out for meals,
going on day trips, swimming and involving themselves in all the other
holiday activities we take for granted. Polis is probably now the most user
friendly place for the disabled all thanks to Chris and his wheelchair
warrior mentality.
Useful websites
Contact Chris on gc@paraquip.com.cy, www.paraquip.com.cy
Future Proof Home www.futureproofhome.co.uk
Disabled Living Foundation www.dicc.co.uk
Ricability www.ricability.org.uk
CAE www.cae.org.uk
RNIB www.rnib.org.uk
RNID www.rnid.org.uk
Copyright ©
Cyprus Mail 2007
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