House Modifications 1

I'm finding out that house modifications are a big part of preparing for MND and probably have the longest lead time for getting them done.

 The biggest thing is being able to get upstairs when in a wheelchair. A wheelchair lift is the answer, if the house can accommodate it. I have a lift salesman coming round next week to see if it would be practical. A lady up the road has had one fitted for her husband (stroke) so we plan to have a look at it. 

 Second best would be a stair lift. But that needs the occupant to be able to support their body while travelling in it. Also to be able to manage transfers on to it and off it on each transit. So it would be usable for a shorter distance into the disease.

 The other things are making the house generally accessible by wheelchair with ramps, paving and adequate turning circles. I have a good friend and neighbour who will help me with all this, as well as helping to clear out the house and garage of unwanted stuff. Adding home automation features, such as turning lights on and off from an iPad, is also something I'm looking into.

 An Occupational Therapist is the person who can advise on all this and I hope to get a referral to one. But I'm not waiting for that to happen before doing things.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ceiling Hoist

Image
I now have a ceiling hoist installed in the bedroom. It's a Handimove hoist that goes anywhere in the bedroom. You can watch videos of it in operation https://www.handimove.com/products/ceiling-motor/ It uses a gadget called a Body Support that holds you firmly, avoiding the need for a sling. So it's quicker and easier to get into or out of. It has two large hooks that go under your thighs and two pads that grasp you round your chest. Here's a photo of it, showing the hoist motor above it. Over a couple of weeks, we've worked out workflows for the main operations: Getting out of bed and dressed Getting undressed and into bed Doing a loo run  It's quicker and easier than doing transfers with a board. It makes life easier for Sandie, particularly with awkward operations like getting trousers on and off. It works well in conjunction with the hospital bed. It's now in use several times each day.
Read more

Feeding Tube (PEG)

I recently had a PEG fitted at the John Radcliffe Hospital. It involved admission on a Monday evening, fitting on Tuesday, going home on Wednesday. Sandie drove me to the hospital, which was unusually quiet for us, it being an evening. I was admitted to the Neuroscience Ward in the West Wing into a 4 bed bay. I sat in my chair by the bed for some hours. Prof Martin Turner visited and we had a nice chat. Eventually two nurses came to hoist me into bed, but made a complete mess of it, nearly dumping me on the floor. Eventually they summoned two experienced nurses, who did the job in 10 minutes. On Tuesday morning me and my bed were trundled through long corridors and lifts to Endoscopy. I was accompanied by a trainee nurse, who wanted to witness the operation. After another wait I was wheeled into the operating room. I was lightly sedated, my breathing being compromised, which still made the 15 minute process easy to undergo. I was then moved to a recovery area. My heart rate went up
Read more

Floppy Head

Image
MND has reached its tentacles into my neck muscles, causing my head to droop forward. This is a common thing to happen to people living with MND. My first move was to buy a Head Up Collar, that was designed by Sheffield University, now made by  https://www.talarmade.com/products/headup-collar/ You get a velcro collar, shaped like a snood, and a kit of 20 or so plastic shapes, which you stick on the collar to provide support where needed. I later found out from health professionals that this device is not that popular with users and my experience confirmed that. It is complicated to customise and not that comfortable. But better than nothing. I then found that using the power wheelchair with backrest tilted backwards helped the floppy head no end. Then, fitting the headrest to it, with an attached elasticated band round my forehead, found it works very well. So I have stopped using my manual wheelchair in favour of the power one. The photo below shows the HeadUp Collar fitted
Read more