Prepping Your Home.
If you’re like me, the idea of being mobility impaired in your own home was the furthest thing from your mind, right up until you were sitting in rehab with a plan to go home, and you realized that you had absolutely no disabled assist mods in your house.
I started to get really nervous. As much as I wanted to be home, and I SO did, I was a little afraid that I was never going to be able to do things like go to the bathroom in my own home ever again.
It became a little bit of an obsession.
I asked my OTs about this in rehab, and they were really forthcoming with information about what I might need, and to try and help me learn in advance what I’d need to do when I got home to make sure I was a success.
I can’t overstate how patient and informative they were about all of these things. Remember to ask for what you need to know. Pride is great, but I guarantee that a plan is much better.
Luckily, once again, my wife came to the rescue while I was rehabbing, and hired a local handyman and his crew to come in and install bars in my shower and bathroom, to make sure I was able to do both of those things when I got home.
Now, my bathroom is not super conducive for being accessible. I have a water closet with the toilet inside, so we had to take the door off, and my wheelchair won’t fit through, so I have to wheel up to the doorway, and then manipulate the walker to get right to the toilet, so I can sit down and do my business.
Also, we bought a small cage that goes around the toilet, which is not too expensive, and allows me to stand up and get back to the walker when I’m done. It’s very sturdy, and is a perfect way to make sure that I’m at the most advantageous in the bathroom.
In the shower, we got a shower chair from a friend (thanks Alicia!) who no longer needed it, and then put two bars in the shower itself, which allows me to stand up and wash all of my body, as opposed to whatever you can rinse and lather in the chair.
We also got a shower head holder to make sure I can rest the spray attachment while sitting, so I don’t risk slipping while standing. Finally, a suction mat at the bottom of the shower reduces the chances that I might slip and fall while standing or transferring to and from the chair.
All told, the bars were about $1000, which, I know, is expensive. There are, in Texas, at least, and I’m sure in other states as well, grants that you can apply for to help with modifications to your house to make it accessible upon your return home.
The most important thing is for you to plan your most likely scenarios for using these things, and to see how best you can modify them.
In the interest of full disclosure, I went to a hotel over the weekend for the first time, and it had a roll-in shower. I was able to shower independently twice while I was there, with no help whatsoever.
It was exhilarating.
If you have the ability to make those sorts of modifications, your life will be exponentially easier, but that can add up quickly.
As always, it’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve, and a process, as you acclimate to your new life. Things might be frustrating, but don’t lose hope. There’s always a way to get it done.
If you have any thoughts, as always, or need some help thinking of plans to make your home adaptive life easier, let me know. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m happy to help.
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As always, if you have it in you, please give a thought to donating time or money to Hospice Austin. They do amazing work for people who are going through the hardest thing a person can face.
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