 |
 |
Judith, We recently remodeled my father-in-law's bathroom and bedroom with some of the "gadgets" you are referring to. The best way to go about this is to have the PD patient stand in the bathtub and show you exactly how he wants things to be, i.e., where he stands, exact height where it is most convenient for him to get in and out with grab bars. My father-in-law wanted grab bars on all three walls in the shower PLUS a stool with a back on it and handles on the side. These stools are hard to find that still allow the shower curtain to be closed because most of them hang over the side of the tub. But we did find on at a medical supply store. Dad also has three small grab bars around the toilet which he says are life savers. All of these were installed by the hardware store which we bought them from. We have gone through rental hospital beds (3 different ones) and finally bought and oversized adjustable bed - head and foot - with massage and heat. A lot of this was overkill, he still sleeps in a chair half the night. And the chair in this room is another story. Finding one that reclines without using too much body strength either in the arms and legs was very difficult to do. He even bought a chair that one is able to "stand" to get out of them but he found it threw him too far forward and lost his balance too often. Dad is the sweetest person in the entire world but he is a major pushover for "gadgets" like these. The guy who sold him the bed came to the house and showed him a half hour video. The same scam was pulled on him with the "remarkable chair" by the same guy a week later. He conveniently came to the house with these videos while my husband and I were at work. >We've reached the point where getting in and out of chairs and beds, >and on and off toilets, has become a potential hazard. Has anybody >out there had experience with chairs and beds that are easier to >negotiate, and with grab bars etc in the bath room? Do you use the >kind that go on at an angle? straight up and down? How do you get >them? Do the people who sell them install them? >What works and what's a waste of money? >I'd be grateful to hear of anybody's experience with this--both >things to avoid and things to try. > >Judith A Guttman "...we are wound >Washington DC with mercy round and round >[log in to unmask] as if with air" -- Hopkins >