School of Built Environment
DIY home modification app promotes independence for older people and people with disability
Published on the 26 February 2026
The DIYmodify app helps people with disability, seniors and their carers make more informed DIY home modifications. Photo: Adobe Stock images.
A digital app helps users make informed home modifications to improve safety, comfort and wellbeing.
A UNSW co-designed application (app) is helping people with disability, seniors and their carers make changes to their home for greater comfort, safety and easier living.
The DIYmodify app provides guidance on common do-it-yourself (DIY) home modifications, for example, installing a grab rail in your bathroom. It’s designed for people interested in DIY modifications but not sure where to start as well as those confident in DIY but not sure what’s possible.
Home modifications sit at the intersection of housing and care, says Emeritus Professor Catherine Bridge from UNSW’s School of Built Environment. “The interrelationship between housing and population health is now well recognised.
“Home modifications can increase independence and improve quality of life as well as reducing ongoing care costs,” the Director of the Home Modifications Clearinghouse (HMinfo) at UNSW says.
“Home modifications support people with disability and older people to age in their homes and communities in line with Australia’s Ageing in Place policy which dates back to the late 70s.
“With aged care costing the Australian government close to $28.3 billion across residential and home care and other services in 2022-23, the DIYmodify app makes an important social contribution.”
The digital app, available on Apple and android devices, allows you to select a room within the house and explore modification solutions associated with identified issues. For example, you can search for help in the bathroom with sitting or standing or modifications to help prevent slipping or feeling unsteady.
Handheld showers, handrails, grab rails, threshold ramps and level shower access are popular home modifications, she says. “While there are some good videos which focus on installation, there’s limited material that steps people through the skills required, the choices available, what to look out for.
“The app might recommend rails, then it will give you the different types available, the basic skills needed to install them, what you need to measure, where you can buy materials, and any additional considerations, for example, how to maintain and clean them.
“It gives you tips for installation and real-world stories of people who have done these projects.”
The HMinfo co-designed the app with people living with disability, people who are ageing, and organisations representing these groups. This included people who have had experience doing their own home modifications.
The app provides guidance for homeowners as well as what to do if you’re renting or if your house/apartment is under strata title. It also provides advice on how to seek quotes for installation if you decide to employ a contractor.
The project was funded by the NSW Government through Family and Community Services, Ageing Disability and Home Care. It prioritises accessibility through the app’s choice of font, maximised contrast colour intensity and ease of navigation.
The design of the built environment is so important in shaping positive outcomes for ageing and people living with disability, Prof. Bridge says. “A more inclusive built environment can enlarge or restore function.
“Having evidence-led guidance allows people to maintain agency and to carry modifications out quickly and safely. Being proactive – taking action early – can have help maintain functional capacity and lower the disability threshold.”
Home modifications demonstrate improved quality of life
Prof. Bridge together with Prof. Phillippa Carnemolla from the University of Technology conducted a research study that demonstrated home modifications were associated with an average 40% increase in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) levels.
HRQoL measures the impact your health has on your ability to live a fulfilling life by combining positive and negative aspects of physical and psychological health with social functioning and wellbeing.
Participants in the mixed methods study positively associated home modifications with increased safety and confidence, improved mobility at home, increased independence, supported caregiving, increased social participation and the ability to return home from hospital.
The provision of care for older people is a universal issue, Prof. Bridge says. “With more than 120,000 people on waitlists, people are likely to be wait up to 12 months for assisted care at home assessments.
“Older people assessed as medium priority are waiting an estimated 9–12 months more to get the support they need. For issues affecting your everyday life, this is often too long to wait. The longer the delay, the more likely you are to experience additional functional decline.”
While the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has given people living with disability more control over how they spend their funds and on what, including home modifications, there is little advice on how to identify what might be appropriate according to their individual needs, she says.
The HMinfo conducts and translates research to make it accessible for industry and consumers, promoting best practice among home modification practitioners. It publishes evidence-based practice reviews, resources for industry and factsheets for consumers.
“The Clearinghouse is a knowledge translation tool. We bridge research and infrastructure through ongoing consultation with those impacted. It helps consumers assess which modifications and automations might work for them to help improve people’s lives and wellbeing.”
The research focus is driven by the HMinfo Advisory Committee made up of government representatives, allied health professionals, and consumers to ensure its relevance for impacted communities.
Their research, grounded in a consideration of lived experience, helps inform national standards through their memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Standards Australia. HMinfo has also produced submissions to government to promote policy change based on lived experience.
Prioritising an adaptable built environment and universal design
Spatial design generally assumes normative ability, Prof. Bridge says. “Historically housing was designed around a nuclear family, based on a middle aged, healthy male, think the Vitruvian Man.”
This legacy is still evident in some of the assumptions made around building standards, she says.
“However, differences in our physicalities and abilities, in combination with physical, social and cultural environments, mean that many, if not all, built environments require redesign or modification to meet users’ activity needs over their lifespan.”
The bathroom is a case in point. “HMinfo research commissioned by Caroma demonstrated that most washbasins in accessible bathrooms are not usable for most wheelchair users.”
While accessible bathrooms are designed to enable independent, safe and comfortable use for people living with disability, the Australian Standard basin heights are prohibitive for most wheelchair users, the study found.
“Additionally, bathrooms are designed around water containment, not to prevent falls, but they are where most falls in the home occur, and the deadliest ones,” Prof. Bridge says.
Falls were the leading cause of injury hospitalisations in 2023–24 and the leading cause of injury deaths in 2022–23. In 2022–23, fall injuries are estimated to have cost the health system about $5 billion.
“Bathrooms are full of hard surfaces – glass, ceramic, tiles – and they’ve often got sharp protruding objects with taps and shower fittings. This is not such an issue when someone is young or strong but when you have osteoporosis or are becoming increasingly frail, modifications can make this space much safer.”
The HMinfo has conducted evidence-based practice reviews on home modification for families and caregivers of children with ADHD and the legal and practical considerations around modifying rental properties for tenants with disabilities.
It works to ensure design is part of the enabling process, Prof. Bridge says. “Design is not a magic cure but it’s fundamental to living a quality life. The HMinfo takes a strengths-based approach, recognising what individuals can do and supporting them to enhance this through informed home modifications and evidence-led advice.”
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