Running head: HOME EVALUATION REFLECTION

Home Evaluation Reflection

Mariana E. Hall
Touro University Nevada

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Context

The home evaluated for this assessment is located in east-central Las Vegas, between the
airport and the strip close to the corner of Tropicana and Eastern on a small side street. The
home is occupied by a family of six, including my 40 year old husband, myself (a female 37
years of age), and our four sons ages 15, 13, 10, and 9 years of age as well as 16 pets, including
three dogs, four ducks, and nine chickens.
Our one-story home was built in the 1970s but we remodeled it completely when we first
moved in, ten years ago. The house faces south and it includes a two car garage on the east end
with an adjacent front yard, including a courtyard enclosed in rod iron and a gate located
proximal to the garage and about 25 feet away from the front door to the home. The backyard is
located north to the home and it communicates to the front courtyard through the west side-yard
while the east side yard opens directly to the street.
The interior of the home includes a living room, a combined dining room-kitchen, four
bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small laundry room. The front door of the home opens directly
into the living room. The dining-room/kitchen is adjacent to the living room facing the backyard.
The junction between the kitchen and the living room turns into a hallway that leads to the west
side of the home. The childrens bedrooms are located on the left side of the hallway, facing the
backyard, while the third bedroom, used as an office, is located on the right side of the hallway,
facing the front yard. The master bedroom and bathroom is found at the point where the hallway
makes a right turn with the guest bathroom located next to it. The hallway ends in a small
laundry room that connects to the garage. Other than the one stair located in the garage doorway
leading into the laundry room, there are no other stairs in the home.

Experiences and Reflection

HOME EVALUATION REFLECTION

I conducted this assessment in my own home which was difficult because there were so
many things to take into account due to the large size of my family and our numerous pets. Since
we have lived in this home for about 10 years, we have accumulated many things resulting in a
shortage of space to store our home possessions and a cluttered environment. Besides, since my
husband works on his Commercial Real Estate business from home in addition to having an
industrial cleaning company, our family must also find space to store office materials which end
up piled up in boxes and files in the office room. The large industrial machinery and equipment
are stored in the garage or parked next to the garages driveway. There is no space left to park
either of our cars in the garage, therefore these are parked on the garage driveway, and by the
curve.
Also, since the financial situation of our family has been difficult for several years now,
much of our furniture is in very poor condition and needs to be replaced. Furthermore,
purchasing some storage furniture such as individual wooden shelves that can be installed on the
walls, as well as armoires and bookcases would provide the extra space needed so each item has
its space, eliminating the piles of items that are spread throughout rooms on top of chairs, beds,
and desks. On the other hand, we have had the goal to move to a bigger home for several years
now, because even if we implement major organization through added storage, there is a limit to
how effective this approach will be when you put a large family in a small home. Additionally,
the interventions that I thought about would require that the family is willing to comply which is
not as easy as it sounds. For instance, since my husband spends more time in the home than I do,
the house is organized according to his style and he finds it effective to have small piles of items
throughout the house because he needs things to be in sight to know where to find them. On the
other hand, I enjoy having everything put away and being able to see cleared furniture surfaces.

HOME EVALUATION REFLECTION

Seeing furniture covered by items that should be stored away causes me to have anxiety and
difficulty concentrating on anything other than the things that are out of place.
Findings and Recommendations
Some specific recommendations that would make occupations safer and prevent
problems such as back injury or falls would include relocating kitchen tools. For example, a lot
of heavy pots and Pyrex glass trays are located either high overhead or very low in the bottom
kitchen cabinets. This is problematic because these materials are used quite often as their large
size serves the purpose of cooking large meals to feed all the members of the family. However,
their placement requires a lot of reaching high above and far away from the cooks base of
support, thus increasing the risk for falls, or putting too much strain on the upper extremities.
Likewise, bending down to retrieve large heavy kitchen equipment from down below can strain
the cooks back due to the need to bend down and then lift the items.
The laundry room is also unsafe due to its small size which results in difficulties storing
large laundry detergent containers as well as the numerous laundry baskets. Again, due to the
large size of the family, it is more cost effective for us to buy these items bulk at Sams Club, but
the home has small rooms that do not provide the type and amount space needed for effective
storage. Currently the laundry detergent is located on top of the dryer, blocking the way to the
controls, so the person operating the dryer either needs to lean forward and reach behind it to
operate the dryers dial while guessing what buttons to push, or the laundry detergent needs to be
moved so as to see whether one is pressing the right controls. The large laundry basket is often
placed on top of the washer, making it necessary to move it so as to open the washers door to
load up the machine, or on the floor, presenting a tripping hazard. The best place to store the

HOME EVALUATION REFLECTION

laundry detergent and the laundry basket would be in the garage on top of a wall shelf at the
height level of the upper extremities in order to minimize bending down and reaching up.
Adding more cupboards is another recommendation that would reduce other clutter and
minimize tripping hazards as well as help the family to have a more organized lifestyle. For
example, both my husband and I have run out of space to store our clothes and there are piles of
clothes, shoes, and socks on desks, on top of dressers, chairs and on the bed. This results in
difficulty locating clothes in the morning as well as important items such as the car keys and cell
phone. Even after reorganizing there are many items left out that we have no storage space to put
away. Besides, the drawers in the dresser are difficult to open and shut because they are overstaffed in an effort to fit everything in.
Another problem is the exercise equipment located within the home and taking up space
in rooms where it does not belong, such as a stationary bike located in the master bedroom, and a
race bike placed on rollers, located in the small office room. Both of these items could be moved
to the garage along with the remaining exercise equipment in order to increase the space
available in these two rooms and reduce the risk for falls.
Another concern is the pile of construction materials on the east side-yard. Although this
is a semi-secluded area that the adults hardly use, our two younger boys often use this area as a
hide-out and playing space. The materials have been outdoors for a few years now, and therefore,
they have deteriorated and are not usable any longer. Therefore, these materials should be
discarded in order to eliminate the safety risks that result from having materials with sharp ridges
and wood splinters in children play areas.

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Clinical Utility

The observations noted have identified problem areas that interfere with occupational
performance in areas such as dressing each morning, meal preparation, doing the laundry,
exercise, and work. Once these areas are addressed, the family will find it easier and more
enjoyable to engage in occupations while reducing the stress and anxiety that result from a
cluttered environment. Time management will also improve as materials and items are located
faster and with more ease. On a more personal note, this home assessment was very useful for
me because it gave me an idea of the things that I would be looking at when conducting an
assessment as a graduated professional. Although no one in our family has any form of
impairment or condition at this point, the assessment has strong clinical value in identifying
problem areas that may increase the risk for falls and/or injuries. Therefore, this assessment is an
effective tool to guide intervention planning and the implementation of preventative procedures,