http://www.democraticunderground.com/1183843Oh my.
pipi_k (18,246 posts) Fri Dec 6, 2013, 11:43 AM
What, if any...changes or modifications have people had to make to their homes over the years to accommodate limited mobility, etc.?
I just turned 61 this year and find that more and more I have to make changes to my living spaces to compensate for a decreasing level of ability.
Like the metal grab bars on stairs, near the master bath shower, and even one next to the commode in the main bathroom.
Having Mr Pipi drill holes in my laundry basket and looping a rope through so I can pull the basket from hamper to washer/dryer, etc.
Last year I got a new front loading HE washer dryer that's so much easier to use, especially since they're on those drawer pedestals. I can sit and load/unload laundry, drag it over to the bed (in the basket with the rope handle), and then sit while I fold it.
Re-arranging cabinets to make dishes, etc., more accessible.
I have to admit that some of the ideas we've put into place are somewhat creative
Like yesterday when I put a quantity of bleach into a squeeze bottle I can handle instead of trying to pour it from a big gallon bottle into the bleach dispenser on top of the washer and spilling it all over the bedroom rug because that's where the laundry area is located.
What changes have you all had to make over the years?
RebelOne (29,070 posts) Fri Dec 6, 2013, 02:47 PM
1. Actually, I have not had to make any major lifestyle changes in my house. I am 74 now and my only real problem is that I am afraid to climb on ladders or step stools as my sense of balance is off whack, and I know bones break easily at my age. My son had a medical alert system installed in my house as he is worried because I live alone.
pipi_k (18,246 posts) Sat Dec 7, 2013, 10:58 AM
2. Do you ever worry yourself about being alone?
Are there neighbors nearby you could call?
Not that it would help if you fell down and got a broken hip...the first time my MIL broke her hip she was in her mid 80s and ended up lying on the kitchen floor for about 4 hours before the Meals on Wheels person came and heard my MIL yelling from inside her mobile home.
In a way, it was sort of humorous, as Mom told us all that she fell near her stash of old newspapers that hadn't yet been thrown in the trash so at least she had something to read while she waited to be rescued.
That was Mom...always making the best of a bad situation...
RebelOne (29,070 posts) Tue Dec 17, 2013, 05:45 PM
4. I am not really worried about being alone.
I prefer living alone. Yes, I have neighbors close by because I live in a mobile home park and all neighbors are within hearing distance.
No Vested Interest (1,178 posts) Sun Dec 8, 2013, 02:47 AM
3. We had moved to a one-floor home in our early fifties.
The garage is attached, so we can go directly to the garage from the house without going outdoors in inclement weather.
Spouse had a stacked washer/dryer installed in a back closet which was enlarged a little to accommodate it. Thus I no longer had to go up & down stairs with wash basket.
I have three "grabbers" I keep in various parts of the house: one is near the front door so I can pick up the newspapers without bending over, and for picking up mail which is dropped through a mail slot next to the front door.
After spouse broke his hip and his leg gradually shortened so that he had to have a built-up shoe and used a cane, we put in grab bars in bathrooms - shower/bath and next to one commode - (the other one didn't have a good place for a grab bar) We also had larger toilets installed - the squatting down too low made it difficult to arise. they are not quite as large as the commercial "handicap" toilets one sees in public places, but they're tall enough. I also have a tallish bench in the shower, so that I don't have to sit down too low. - We raised the legs as far as they could go safely.
At one time we had a seat with arms on one toilet, so he could arise more easily. As he grew more infirm, we had a "transfer bench" for use in the bathtub: part of it is outside the tub, part inside so he could slide over to the tub itself. One is not immersed in water while on the transfer bench, but using shower connected to a hose to enable him to use it on various parts of the body.
Even though I try to be frugal re use of lighting, I absolutely make sure there is always light when traveling to various parts of the house. I also use upright chairs, rather than sinking into a low sofa or chair. Except for my recliner, on which I have put a few thick cushions designed for wheel chairs, etc. I also put extra (cheap but adequate) eyeglasses in various sports where I'm apt to read the paper, mail, and at the computer. That way I don't have to retrieve them all over the house wherever I plop down. I also try to keep paper, pen, tissues, coasters for my inevitable beverage in those places for the same reasons.
Yes, we do get creative when the need arises and figure out what works best for us.
However, it never hurts to exchange ideas with others.
<<<lives in a house that had previously been occupied (1884-1986) by a woman who had been blind the last twenty years of her life, but who still up until the end managed to garden (vegetables and flowers), cook and bake, clean house, and scare away malicious strangers with a shotgun.
Over the years, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren made alterations to the interior of the house so as to make it easier for her, because she was afraid of nursing homes. And with good reason, too; after she was taken away from here in 1986, she died six months later.
It's old and falling apart and I'm destined to be the last inhabitant, but it's an awesomely easy place in which to live. Even if one's deaf, not blind.
