I have various safety features installed in the house, dating from when Handsome Partner was still able to sort of walk, and they enabled him to get around. I left them all in place, figuring why not, and nowadays I find I use them now and then, too.
Here's the staircase, bars installed right and top, and I carpet the stairs and hallways, though all the other floors are laminate. Better if a fall happens to be carpeted. Two bars on right rather than one long one, so HP could reach for a horizontal grip on his way up.
I have two full bathrooms, one I use to shower, etc, the other to take a bath. It's just a kind of change of scenery. But the shower one was all set up, off the master bedroom, for HP to be able to get around, sit on a shower stool, lever himself to his feet, then with a bit of help, step out.
He tested where to put the bar on the back wall, so that as he sat on the stool he could reach nicely. This is the advantage of positioning this stuff to fit your own size, rather than the one size fits all of institutional design.
I switched out all the towel rails for grab bars, after he took a nasty fall, grabbed the rail on the way down, rail came out of the wall, he ended up being hit on the head with the rail as well as falling...not good.
But the other bathroom, my tub one, I didn't adapt since he didn't use it. I did install a handhold, after HP was no longer able to use it in his bathroom. At this point, I think it's a good idea to install a grab bar in the tub to help me be sure I can get out again, before I find I wish I had. It arrived today, and my handyman contractor neighbor will be installing it. This is a job for someone who knows what he's doing, and Michael does. He installed all the others for me, and got quite interested in safety items in the process.
The bar is 24 inches, and is waiting for its eventual location.
I have to first test out sitting in the tub and figuring out where to install the bar to help me up, whether it should be vertical, or on an angle. If I can stop laughing long enough, I'll test this. Seriously, it's a really good thing to install safety things before you think you need to bother.
On my walk out today, I bumped into an old friend with a additional dog in her life, a friendly lovely lab type, black, name of Raven, who has been training for therapy dog. However, in the final test she was spooked by walkers and wheelchairs, so she didn't make it to the certification status.
I offered to lend them a transport wheelchair, if they wanted to just leave it around the house, sit in it now and then, let her get used to it as a piece of furniture, and they might. They have a walker already, and they're showing it to her now. So we'll see if she can take another go at the therapy test. Her temperament is lovely, friendly, eager, but quiet, no barking. This seems to be my assisted living day!
And, since life is not all dull old safety, I installed a couple of beautiful white linen curtains in two of the bathrooms. I got the fabric from Dharma Trading, lovely people to work with, beautiful fabric to handle and hang.
I took the cabinet doors off years ago, partly because of cats, partly because doors that swing out into a tiny space are a pain. I had crocheted curtains hung, but they were a bit awkward, partly kitty claws, partly they're slippery. So I decided to replace them.
Here's the downstairs one (just cut and pinned, tension rods, no elaborate stuff here) with a felted soap above it.
And here's the upstairs one, the bathtub one, behind which all the dry cat food is stored.
Up one flight to defeat ants, which can't make it up there. Duncan was wildly interested, getting in the way while I fitted it, then sniffing suspiciously. This smells new, do I like it?
Then he decided it was okay, because his food was safe behind it. I'm Duncan, and I approved this curtain. And considering I only guessed at the yardage when I ordered, the little sliver left from the piece once done was pretty good estimating.
And my new whistling kettle arrived, to replace the old electric that gave up. This is low tech. Even if the whistle gives up, the kettle will work.
Outdoors, the Montauk daisies are busting out all over, and the neighbors are so impressed at this new burst of color along with the Russian sage, when they thought things were winding down.
Going to sit a while now...cup of tea, made using new kettle, tiny apple pie, mystery story.
we live in an old house that makes no concession to age, with wildly steep stairs, 9" risers, and yes, we have legs like stevedores at this point--but soon enough we will have to add a grabber at the top of the stairs, and something in the bathtub.
ReplyDeleteI no longer take tub baths, simply because I tend to fall asleep in very hot water and wake up in tepid. not pleasant. But the other reason is, naturally, getting up. My inclination would be to have a grabber at the end where the faucets are, so when you reach it, you are in a prime position to yank yourself forward with both arms if necessary. Maybe even a smaller one above it to the right so you can pull with both arms and then hang onto the upper one to steady yourself.
Or just take showers.