Advantages of RV Living When You Have a Disability
Toxic Mold Allergies
For our family, RV living is our only choice! About three years ago we discovered that we were not living alone in our beautiful farm house. We had an unseen predator living with us, and this predator was making our family deathly ill. This predator is known as toxic mold. (I have written many articles on mold for anyone who may be interested.)
We are now unable to live in conventional housing, because of the possibility of mold getting in walls and growing. This is where the advantages of RV living when you have a disability caused by toxic mold come in. RVs are great for those with allergies to molds because an RV is not as likely to get infested with mold. This is in large part due to the fact that many RVs do not have hollow walls. This makes it hard for mold to get the upper hand. If mold does start to grow in an RV, it is much easier to get rid of, and not nearly as expensive.
Back and Body Pain Disabilities
For those who do not get around well like my husband, son and I, RV living is great. First and foremost, cleaning is so much easier in an RV than a big house or an apartment. RVs come equipped with built-in everything, so there is little to move in order to clean well, and there is very little space to clean, because let’s face it, RVs are not very big in comparison to a conventional home.
Since RVs are small, it is much easier moving from room to room. The rooms are conveniently small and close together. I remember when we were on the farm and my lower back went out for six weeks! Getting to the bathroom was a 15-minute journey. When my back went out on Thanksgiving last year, I was able to get anywhere in our RV in less than five minutes!
Affordability
RV living is very affordable, and we have found it to be very popular with many disabled individuals. The rent you pay to park your RV can be quite inexpensive if you shop around. KOAs are not the best price, but even they can be as little as $550 per month. That may sound like a lot to some, but if you own an RV, it’s really a great deal. When you consider you are getting WIFI, cable, a pool (at most KOAs), laundry facilities, etc., $550 per month is not too bad a deal.
If the KOA is not your thing, there are many other campgrounds with excellent rates, much cheaper than the KOAs. The park we live in is only $345 per month, and we are in the Pikes Peak mountains, with a fabulous view of the summit! There are a number of campgrounds in this area with comparable rates. There is one park near us that offers five months for less than $1,500 for the full five months!
Moving with disabilities
Here’s a real biggy for those with disabilities when it comes to living in an RV. Moving has never been so easy! All you have to do is make sure all your belongings are either in the cabinets or in boxes on the floor. Of course you’ll want to wrap breakables, but we have few of those nowadays, so moving is a breeze. If you have slides, you bring them in and hook them up to your truck if you have a fifth wheel or trailer. Or if you have a class A or C, you just pull out and head on down the road to your next destination. If you do not deal with the cold well, (this is for those with arthritis) you can head for the sunny shores for the winter! For those who have severe pain in any part of their body, this is a true blessing! Moving has to be one of the hardest things for anyone who has pain throughout their body, or in their back, or arms, etc. RV living makes moving a walk in the park in comparison to moving from a house!
Freedom
Yes, freedom is crucial for anyone with any disability. When you become disabled, you loose a lot of freedom. I don’t mean the freedom to do what you want by someone stopping you from doing it. I mean the freedom to be able to do what you want, when your body doesn’t want to allow it. In an RV you are free to go anywhere, anytime, without the worry of wondering if you’ll feel OK the entire time you are away from home. It won’t matter because you are in your home, and if you are not feeling up to doing something wherever you have gone on one day, no big deal – do it on a day when you are feeling better. After all, you took your home with you, and have no hurry to get home… you are home!
So, what, you ask, are the advantages of RV living when you have a disability? I’d have to say, there’s an abundance of advantages – and we haven’t even talked yet about how much fun it is!
