Adapting a home for handicap living

pmmjarrett

Not just tired..... RETIRED!!!
As many of you know, my FIL was involved in a near fatal auto accident on Jan 1 2011. He was ressusetated on scene after being cut out of his flipped mini van. He has 2 broken ribs, a small cut on his head and is having trouble with his pacemaker and blood pressure. He was also diagnosed with moderate dimentia when they were running tests on him to check for a cuncussion.

He is recovering and will be moving in with us when he is discharged. My wife, oldest daughter and SIL are with him in Norfolk, VA Sentara General while I am home in Autryville, NC taking care 3 dogs, my youngest daughter, my SIL birds, plants and making changes to the house to accomodate him.

I could use all the advice I can get for adapting a home for handicap living. He is still able to walk short distances but may need a wheel chair from time to time.

I finished painting and installing new carpet in his room. I don't know it carpet was the right thing to do but I don't want him slipping on laminate with socks on, on the way to the john in the middle of the night.

I need to bring the Twin bed out of the attic assemble it and get a new mattress and box spring for it. I plan to place it near the bathroom door in with the headboard at the wall so a person can get on each side of the bed and assist him if necessary.

I have a recliner in there as well as a foot stool, I think he may have trouble getting the foot portion of the recliner down if he pops it up.

There is a nice solid desk and a comfortable swivel desk chair with arm rests in there as well. I will be setting up a computer and installing an LCD TV and hooking up the box for the DirecTV in there too... That thing will be on SciFy or fishing shows 24/7. The big old 52" in that room won't stop scrolling, so it's coming out. Also going to hang some of his old pics I remember him having in his old house as well as make him something to hold some of his fishing equipment. As time and funds allow I will add a closet in a currently un-used void on the other side of the wall that has the bathroom entrance that I was going to use to make a huge master bath one day. Pretty much have a bathroom entrance on one side of the bed and a closet on the other.

I'm currently working on the bathroom fixing a weak spot in the floor and installing hand rails in the bath and next to the toilet. I will place a small hand rail on each side of the toilet and a long handrail horizontally just above the top of the bath tub as well as vertical or angled hand rails on each end of the tub.

I'm going to need to install railing and a gate on his porch as well as make wheelchair ramps for the house.

Here's his new room. It adjoins the master bedroom and a bathroom.
P1080171.jpg


P1080174.jpg


And a project I had been avoiding, fixing a soft spot in the batroom floor, right now waiting for the self leveling underlayment to dry so I can put the slate laminate down. What a pain to rip up old tile. Anyone know what is the correct product to use to paint that ugly, ugly, uuuuuuuuuuuugly pink tile with, beige would look sooooo much nicer, thinking about refinishing the porcelin tub too while I'm doing the tile.
P1080176.jpg
 

PSF513

Well-known member
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Sorry to hear about your FIL. Where is your family staying inNorfolk?

To adapt for a wheel chair, you may need to remove, widen, and replace doors, remove door sills on the floors, etc. Depending on his needs, you might need to replace light switches, cover electrical outlets, etc. If he has dimentia, you will need to be careful that he does not try to get out of bed unattended and fall (rug is certainly better than hardwood or slippery laminate)

GoodLuck
 

PSF513

Well-known member
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Oh yeah. Don't forget the ramp (to DAA standards) to access the house.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Hi Mike,

Looks like your doing everything right. The carpet looks to be the commercial type without the padding, which is best I think for what you have coming. Also the hand rails in the bath, put them every where there is a possible need for person to steady them self, even in the bedroom next to the bed and door. Also, I know they usually sell only the ones about 1 1/2" or 2" in diameter... if you can find smaller ones they are usually easier for that age person to grip. (I made some for my FIL because of the size.) Now, instead of buying a new twin size mattress and stuff... look around for a used ELECTRIC hospital bed, maybe from an individual or family who does not need it any more. We bought one for about what a mattress would have cost and it worked out great. Check Craigs List or Ebay for your area, or flea markets.

I don't think the color of the tile in the bath will be to important to him...but I think there are commercial bath re-finishers that can change the color for you while they do the tub if you want. Not sure you could make paint stick to that tile.

Speaking from experience here.
Hang in there Mike...

Jim M
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but it sounds like you're on the right track. But looking at the photo of his room, if he's suffering from dementia, you might want to secure that exterior door so he can't open it without you knowing. Depending on his mental state, he might become confused and try to take a walk. Not good.

I don't know if there's anything suitable to paint over glazed tiles. You might find it easier to knock them, and the underlying drywall out, and redo it. Or install a fiberglass surround over it. Same with the tub. It can be recoated, but it's a toss up using DIY products.

For the soft spot in the floor, you could attach a cripple to either side of the existing floor joists to reinforce them. If it's a basement or crawl space, a floor jack might be needed.
 

DW_Gray

Well-known member

pmmjarrett

Not just tired..... RETIRED!!!
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Sorry to hear about your FIL. Where is your family staying inNorfolk?

To adapt for a wheel chair, you may need to remove, widen, and replace doors, remove door sills on the floors, etc. Depending on his needs, you might need to replace light switches, cover electrical outlets, etc. If he has dimentia, you will need to be careful that he does not try to get out of bed unattended and fall (rug is certainly better than hardwood or slippery laminate)

They are staying at Norfolk Sentara General $25 a night.

Doors. Ouch, thank you. Don't quite need that yet, he can still walk. If it comes to that, we'll need to widen the entire bathroom.

The sills I've leveled out as best I can right now to prevent him tripping.

Baby proofing the electrical outlets is on the list. Thanks for the light switch suggestion. I never realized this until doing further research on dimentia and light switches. Could prevent a lot of problems.

Exterior ramp is going in to ADA standards.

Looks like your doing everything right. The carpet looks to be the commercial type without the padding, which is best I think for what you have coming. Also the hand rails in the bath, put them every where there is a possible need for person to steady them self, even in the bedroom next to the bed and door. Also, I know they usually sell only the ones about 1 1/2" or 2" in diameter... if you can find smaller ones they are usually easier for that age person to grip. (I made some for my FIL because of the size.) Now, instead of buying a new twin size mattress and stuff... look around for a used ELECTRIC hospital bed, maybe from an individual or family who does not need it any more. We bought one for about what a mattress would have cost and it worked out great. Check Craigs List or Ebay for your area, or flea markets.

I don't think the color of the tile in the bath will be to important to him...but I think there are commercial bath re-finishers that can change the color for you while they do the tub if you want. Not sure you could make paint stick to that tile.

The carpet is a cheap berber with a thin pad. Replaced it because SIL used to live here and her cat tore holes in it from clawing.

Handrails I'm putting in are Moen 1-1/4" dia stainless.

Hospital bed..... Duh, why didn't I think of that.... Brain is fried. I see beds all around me going from $0 and up.

Tile color was for me, I can't stand that awful pink. It can be done with epoxies but after doing further research on the subject I think I'll just suck it up until I have to tear the bathroom out one day.




Sorry to hear about your troubles, but it sounds like you're on the right track. But looking at the photo of his room, if he's suffering from dementia, you might want to secure that exterior door so he can't open it without you knowing. Depending on his mental state, he might become confused and try to take a walk. Not good.

I don't know if there's anything suitable to paint over glazed tiles. You might find it easier to knock them, and the underlying drywall out, and redo it. Or install a fiberglass surround over it. Same with the tub. It can be recoated, but it's a toss up using DIY products.

For the soft spot in the floor, you could attach a cripple to either side of the existing floor joists to reinforce them. If it's a basement or crawl space, a floor jack might be needed.

I have a dual cylinder dead bolt that I am using to replace the current dead bolt That's an exterior door we don't use anyways. I'm not trying to lock him in the house, just control where he exits. Currently there are 2 other exits the room to access the rest of the house and pass by us on the way outside. He can go through the bedrooms or the bathroom.

The tub and vanity are embedded in 1-1/2" of underlayment which shocked me how thick it was which is why I stopped where I did trying to get at the old floor. Much bigger job than I expected once I dug into it. Tub replacement ain't happening right now.

I buried a 2' x 3' piece of 14 gauge diamond plate I had left over from the truck build in the floor and poured underlayment back in over that 60 year old wood. This old house really need to be leveled out some day which is a bigger job than I can tackle right now.


The standard for wheelchair ramp is 12:1. That means for every 1 inch rise above ground level, the ramp should be a minimum of 12 inches. Example: The main door entry is 6 inches above ground level. The ramp should be a minimum of 6 feet long.

Here are some links for improvement ideas.

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/cpr/bsd/building.html
http://www.wheelchairnet.org/WCN_Living/homemod.html
http://www.adaptiveaccess.com/home_changes.php

Thank you for the links. Big help. Much appreciated.
 

SmokeyBare

Well-known member
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Motion Detecting Light Switches might solve the question of turning on a light in a to navigate a safe passage. They don't require any changes to the light switch level. Poof they just come on when entering a room.

With the door to his sleeping area close at hand, should there ever come a time he may need the services of a medical transport that will be a blessing for a safe exit from the house for both him as well as those assisting in the task.

When my Dear Mother was with us, she often wandered of a night... we solved a few spill issues by leaving out a sweet snack for her on the kitchen counter.

Good Luck,

Marv
 

rjr6150

Well-known member
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

I am Randy's wife and he wanted me to reply to your email. I unsure about what different agencies are in your state but in Colorado we have a few agencies (limited budgets) that can help people with modifying their homes. I am a social worker and you may want to contact your local Social Services Agency as well as your agency on aging to see what programs would be available to help. These programs work on income eligibility so you might want to keep that in mind.
Good luck
Kathy
 

pmmjarrett

Not just tired..... RETIRED!!!
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Bathroom floor is almost done so I can start putting this room back together tomorrow.



Motion Detecting Light Switches might solve the question of turning on a light in a to navigate a safe passage. They don't require any changes to the light switch level. Poof they just come on when entering a room.

With the door to his sleeping area close at hand, should there ever come a time he may need the services of a medical transport that will be a blessing for a safe exit from the house for both him as well as those assisting in the task.

When my Dear Mother was with us, she often wandered of a night... we solved a few spill issues by leaving out a sweet snack for her on the kitchen counter.

Good Luck,

Marv​

Thank you Marv.

There are some really good articles I have been reading on how light and color affects balance and coordination for people with dimentia. Motion detecting light are mention in many articles as well as contrasting colored switch plates and signs.

That door is a great feature in that room, it's 36" wide with a nice porch and a straight shot to the bed.


I am Randy's wife and he wanted me to reply to your email. I unsure about what different agencies are in your state but in Colorado we have a few agencies (limited budgets) that can help people with modifying their homes. I am a social worker and you may want to contact your local Social Services Agency as well as your agency on aging to see what programs would be available to help. These programs work on income eligibility so you might want to keep that in mind.
Good luck
Kathy

Thank you Kathy.

His annuities and money market funds make him ineligible for most programs. It is something that will have to be looked into. Now many changes will benifit me also. Being 100% disabled with the VA, some stuff could be covered for me through Vocational rehab. Eventually the VA will need to turn this house inside out for me as my disabilities get worse.
 

DougLynne

retired Alberta Chapter Leaders
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

You might want to consider getting a lift-chair instead of the recliner. They are plugged into a wall outlet and with a hand control recline and bring the foot rest up and then when you retrack the footrest etc. the chair can lift/boost the individual up a little so getting out of the chair is easier..../Doug
 

pmmjarrett

Not just tired..... RETIRED!!!
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

You might want to consider getting a lift-chair instead of the recliner. They are plugged into a wall outlet and with a hand control recline and bring the foot rest up and then when you retrack the footrest etc. the chair can lift/boost the individual up a little so getting out of the chair is easier..../Doug

Thanks Doug.

My grandpartents had them and loved them.



Update-

Well it's been a rough 12 days. Much worse shape than I thought having just seen him a few days before Christmas. We lost him again in the hospital a couple days ago but he came back on his own after a few minutes like nothing happened. If this guy has 9 lives, he's already used up 4 or 5 of them in the last 20 years. He only has 10% of his heart working, passes out without oxygen and his blood pressure drops like a rock if he stands.

It figures that one of the smallest rooms in the house was the biggest pain to work on. The master bath fought me tooth and nail every step of the way but I won. Flooring work in the In-law suite, bathroom, and modifying a few transitions is done to the best I can in such a short time. I've litterally trashed the house working multiple projects in serveral rooms at the same time. Had my 13yo daughter following me and picking up construction debris behind my projects so I could just jump from one to the other. About 4PM I poked my head into her room as she was hiding like a Hermit and she said, "let me guess, you made another mess for me to clean up" LOL

He's supposed to be coming here tomorrow. Being discharged first thing in the morning and getting a $1700, 200 mile ambulance ride. Boy I'm in the wrong part of the transportation industry, need to sell the RV transporter and buy an ambulance.

Oxygen equipment was delivered and set up today and Hospice is coming over. From what I know right now speaking with my wife, who is mentally and physically drained, is he will need a hospital bed because he isn't supposed to lay flat. I spoke with Hospice about getting a bed and a bedside toilet.

This is Deja Vu all over again.

At least this time it will be at my house with me, my wife and my SIL helping instead of being separated from my wife while she was in Virginia taking care of her mom a few years back. That wasn't fun as we were physically separated for almost 3 years from 2002 - 2005.... Afghanistan - Mom - Iraq.... Yep, that happened right in between my last 2 deployments.

Should prolly go to sleep but I'm wide awake after dozing off for 2 hrs while watching a movie and eating half a pizza.
 

pmmjarrett

Not just tired..... RETIRED!!!
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

I gave it my best with an all night thrash to finish a few things up. Been up now for over 36 hrs straight. Everyone is home now safe and sound, got home about 11:30 am. The ambulance crew said they really liked the layout of the room I set up for him. A quick call to Hospice as soon as he arrived and a hospital bed, table and bedside toilet was delivered within 2 hrs.

Hospice will be in tomorrow morning. DirecTV will be in tomorrow afternoon to fix the cable to that room. Havn't used the box for that room in quite a while so we didn't know it was screwed up too besides the TV going belly up.
 

pmmjarrett

Not just tired..... RETIRED!!!
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

My Father in Law passed away tonight around midnight.

RIP Ed.

Ed.jpg


PB270005.jpg
 

leftyf

SSG Stumpy-VA Terrorist
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Check out the handicamper area. There are tons of list that could answer just about any question you could have. There is everything from support groups to where to buy wheelchairs. You name it, it should be there.
 

jayc

Texas-South Chapter Leaders
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Mike, we're sorry to hear this, but he's in a better place.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Mike, so sorry to hear about your FIL. But it sounds like you gave him what he wanted and needed. You brought him home to be around family.
My brother in law passed away the same way.
He just wanted to be home.
 

PSF513

Well-known member
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

MIKE: Deb & I were very sorry to hear about your FIL but, as JayC noted, he is in a far better place. Just know that you and your wife did everything possible to make his life comfortable while surrounded by family
 

TRAVELER07

Founding New Mexico Chapter Leader
Re: Addapting a home for handicap living

Mike, We are sorry to hear about your FIL he will be in our prayers.God bless your family TRAVELER07
 
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