Helping our homes to help us

We have BOBs and GHBs and try to learn more about latest gadgets ..etc. However, I noticed that ( at least in my case ) most our gear purchases ..etc. ) goes with the assumption that when something happen, we are who we are now ! That may not be true. We when it happens we maybe minus one leg, or one eye, or (in my case) minus my glasses !!!

I the past months I had a few medical problems, and when they hit, there was something else that required focus and attention. Not survival , but something close ! like two of the kids having fever and diahrrea at the same time they are preparing for final exams. We had to run the house as a school and as a clinic at the same time.

OK. We should prepare for multiple problems happening simultaneously.

Then comes the slowly creeping factors we may not feel sometimes. I read this article and it rang a bill. I am also in the 50+ club.

http://ourcountryhaven.com/OCH3/index.php?topic=22277.0


So, all in all , what I want to reach at is this. After a disaster , even BUG IN option which is much simpler than bug out, may prove challenging. It is the same house you have been living in, and storing your stuff but power is out, your glasses have been smashed in some stampede, your leg is broken and you can't go up to retrieve whatever.... OK I am not good at making scenarios , but y ou are smart enough to get the idea.

Are there any ADDITIONAL preparations we should make now to make our the house "survivor friendly"?

Perhaps you cannot make permanent or costly remodeling projects , but how about having a cane , just in case you suddenly hurt your hip ? Also, rails are always a good ideas even for healthy folks but essential for anyone with visual or mobility problems.

One day a wheelchair maybe needed and used, so how does a wheel chair fits in your house ? Is it hard, or just impossible. Assuming there is a blind person in the house, is living safe enough ?

The purpose of this thread is not to make drastic changes in our homes. Not to sell and find another one for example. But to be able to "see" potential for improvement in "re-living" your house if you lost something that once you had.

couple of suggestions...though specialized for one particular medical problem...when I inherited the house I retained several of the adaptations

Dad suffered from Parkinson's Disease, and I built him hand rails for the steps, tub, commode, and an assistance rail from his bed to the bathroom out of 1 inch galvanized pipe which he could handle better than the larger commercial handicapped rail

removed interior doors, and replace swing open door to bathroom with fan fold door (the disease makes it difficult to back up)... removed doors allowed more clearance for a walker/wheelchair

hand held shower "wand"...cut down a "bar stool" to sit on under shower

Actually a good topic... I agree, putting rails in the shower or tub is pretty easy and basic.

A wheel'd office chair makes a decent wheelchair, assuming you don't run w/ 70's shag.

Glasses... well, they can be found cheap online, supposedly. Fortunately for me, when I deployed I recieved a second pair of glasses, 3 inserts for my ballistic eyewear, and bought 2 pair of wiley x glasses... so I think I'm set til I go blind.

Have a piece of plywood or two to help get up a few steps if you're in a wheelchair.

I think though, the most important thing would be furniture arrangement. You know, keep the bed by the restroom if you're bed confined. Near a power outlet, or with a lot of room around it, if you have durable medical equipment. Clear access to an outside door for EMS if you're invalid'd.

The major reason we put in the automatic stand-by generator last year was to power DW's medical assist equipment, which is a growing list of things.

The other major thing we installed was a "stair riser", that is, the chair you sit on which takes you up and down the stairs. Lets someone who cannot safely (or at all) climb stairs go up and down at will. Regretfully, it is classified as a "luxury" item and not covered by any insurance. Apparently it is considered unnecessary for a disabled person to ever need to use the stairs. (insert irate rant here).

Those were the major cost items. Wheel chair, power scooter, walkers, shower seats, grab bars etc. as needed.

All of those things are specific to an adult muscular dystrophy patient.

On a more general note, IMO the recommendations most health organizations make for a home FAK are woefully inadequate, both in what is contained and the quantity. The ones I see sold in the drug stores are not even in the ballpark. The recommendations you see on this forum are much more useful and realistic.

Also, get some type of comprehensive first aid training, including CPR certification: basic EMT if possible. Remember, when your family member shouts help, you are the help, at least until more help arrives.

If someone in the house falls (breaks leg or hip, etc) and can't get up, you should have a phone within reach.

Back in the days of all-corded phones, an elderly woman fell and broke her hip in her house. All the phones were on the wall. A day or two later (that must have been miserable!) the postal person noticed uncollected mail, and started looking around and calling.

Today, where do you set your phones, land line or cell? Three or four feet off the floor?

Sue

Good point. I investigated those single button pendant things for the DW, and found that in general, they are expensive, and simply end up with them calling 911. Also, it was a dedicated single purpose item, something I tend to try to avoid.

We decided that the DW would simply keep her cell phone on her or within reach at all times, and then, as has happened, she can call for help as needed (e.g., me, neighbor, 911, etc) depending on the need. Gives DW more options, and, she still can use it as a phone!

We have chair rails on most of the walls in the house. They were there when we moved in and we left them because they're good for finding our way around during power failures. Likewise, baseboards are helpful if you have to crawl out during a fire.

I can't overstate enough what a help handrails are, not only for lower body injuries but upper body injuries and general illness as well. Anybody who feels wobbly will appreciate them. I never realized how much we use stablize ourselves with getting up and down until I broke my shoulder last summer. Between the break and the nausea from the medication everything was difficult. Sitting down, laying down, walking, going up and down steps.... all a challange. I wasn't nearly as bad as my Grandfather who had Parkinsons but it was a real eye opener. One of my best buys was a heavy medical step stool with long handle, just like they have in hospitals and doctor's offices. It's heavy but VERY stable and tall enough to use when going from sitting to standing.

My DH broke a rib at work a week or so ago and he's having the same realizations, which are almost the opposite of Sue's "I've fallen and can't get up" scenario. He can't get down to put on socks or shoes. He's using the assistance device my Grandmother got when she had her hip replaced. (Basically a long claw, kind of like a garbage picker.)

Another habit we've gotten into is keeping the medical stuff we get because of our (on, my) various injuries. Keep the neck braces, shoulder splints, crutches, etc. You never know!

Very true! Also hold onto the wheelchairs, bedside commodes, toilet risers, walkers, etc. I kept the ones Mom had, and have lent them out several times to friends who needed a temporary assist.

I once attended a large garden show with friends. Tim was getting on in years and had recently gotten through an injury, so I took Mom's walker/roller/seat. Tim started out saying he wasn't a cripple, so we used it as a shopping cart. But after several hours went by, he admitted that it was a relief to sit down.

Assistance when needed not only makes things easier, it helps to prevent further injury.

Sue

Absolutely! Much like Art's advice in the heat-related first aid thread, don't be macho. (Not being sexist. I can be guilty of it too.) You'll only do more damage.

The other side of the physical assistance the various devices and modifications for the person needing them is the psychological benefit of still being able to perform the activity by themselves, even if needing a device: e.g. putting on socks by themselves with an assist tool is still putting on their own socks. The alternative is of having someone else put the socks on them. This can be psychologically painful because now you, an adult, are being reduced to the state of a helpless infant.

Keeping people able to say "I can do it by myself!" is tremendously important.

At least in CA, check with your local buiding department before doing handrail, ramp, and other home projects as their are some legalities that can come up at time of refinance or sale.

Those comfy deep cushioned recliners, chairs, couches, etcetera are often very difficult and painful to get out of later in life or when injured. Think twice when making new acquisitions and consider putting assist rails or appliances within reach of such furniture.

Many homes seem to collect too much furniture, which then become a maze of obstacles for anyone of less than normal physical ability, or who also need to maneuver a walker, chair, crutches, a cane, etcetera. Rent or borrow such appliances and try to get around your house for a few hours! It may be time to donate a few things to open up the lanes of travel.

Power cords, area rugs, step down or step up areas, large sills between rooms or between interior and exterior, stairs, etcetera easily become trip-and-fall hazards for persons whose senses or abilities become compromised. Level what you can and consider ramps with handrails, even inside the home.

Go into your kitchen and bathroom to try to do what you normally do with one hand. Based on that experience, consider what would be helpful to reposition or install.

Absolutely right BWS! Nothing like having to get someone else to wipe your butt or cut your meat for you to bring on a wave of humility.

Exactly

Last year I suffered a bad backache, and one time I was trying to wear socks, managed to put one on, then pain was too much and I asked my younger son to put on the second. I can't explain the feeling then. My eyes were teary.

Now I really appreciate being able to put on my own socks unassisted.


Medical problems that hit us time to time are good eye openers for us in preparing our homes and surroundings in a better , more realistic ways.