Why is it important to adapt bathrooms for the visually impaired?
Enhancing independence and safety at home is critical for those living with visual impairment. A fall in the bathroom can have severe psychological consequences on top of the physical injury and can lead to individuals becoming extremely fearful of their own home. The resulting inactivity and isolation can substantially damage wellbeing and health, and restoring confidence can take a great deal of work and time.
The enormous impact can also be witnesses in society as a whole as falls associated with sight loss cost the NHS £25.1 million every year. While this sum is already great, it looks set to grow further because the number of people living with visual impairment is predicted to increase in the coming years, due to both the rapidly ageing population and the rising incidence of some of the causes of visual problems, such as obesity and diabetes. Experts estimate that more than 2,250,000 people in the UK will experience visual impairment by 2020, with that number expected to be higher than 2,880,000 by 2030 and nearly 4,000,000 by 2050.