Show #539 Airing Sunday, 9/5/10
The goal for many seniors is to remain in their homes for as long as possible, but physical limitations can threaten that independence. What if you could adapt your home - to adapt to you? According to Jim Kowalski, it is possible! Jim is with 101 Mobility.
Question: First things first, what kind of limitations are we talking about?
Answer: A lot of the issues involve mobility – managing the stairs to get into their home, getting a wheelchair into a car – that kind of thing. For example, a senior may live in a two story home – but is unable to manage the stairs anymore – and the bedroom and bathroom are upstairs. What happens is they tend to move a hospital bed into their living room in front of the TV. There are ways to adapt the home so the senior can still use their bedroom – and retain their dignity as opposed to entertaining company around a bed in their main living space.
Question: The next step for many in that situation would be an assisted living facility or nursing home.
Answer: And that could require selling off assets to afford it.
Another option would be to install a stair lift.
This would allow them to get to their own bedroom.
It can be installed on either a straight or curved stairway.
And even can accommodate stairs that come to a landing, turn, and then continue with more stairs.
Not every company has this last capability and, for some, it requires a stair lift to the landing and a separate stair lift for the remainder of the stairs.
That can present a safety issue – moving from one chair another – so we prefer the continuous stair lift.
Question: As you mentioned, simply getting in and out of the house can be a challenge - especially if a wheelchair of scooter is involved. YOu wouldn't use a stairlift for that, would you?
Answer: No – but a safe wheelchair ramp really enables a senior to get out of the house. Many times, family members will simply place a sheet of wood as a ramp. These can be very dangerous – it could be too steep, worn down, slippery. A better option is a modular wheelchair ramp which is designed specifically for the space where it will be used. With all of these options, it’s very important to check to make sure that the company is following AVA guidelines –a requirement for a legitimate business in this type of remodeling.
Question: So, we've made it out of the house - but now there's the issue of getting our wheelchair into some type of vehicle. Any suggestions?
Answer: There are wheelchair lifts for a variety of vehicles – even small cars. These can be installed inside a van and allow the user to ride onto the platform and then be lifted – chair and all – into the vehicle. This allows people to get back out into the community – and that’s a benefit for them as well as for the rest of us!
Question: Earlier in the show, we mentioned that veterans may qualify for some of these adaptations with no cost to them.
Answer: That’s true. The way it works is a physical therapist or home aid who is working with the vet or visiting the home may determine that some type of modification would be beneficial. They submit this request to the VA’s prosthetics department who makes the decision about qualification. Once the vet has qualified, the VA solicits bids from different companies – for example, we’ll go out and measure the home and then submit our proposal. The selected company then installs the adaptation – and the VA pays for everything – the veteran has already paid our country with his or her service.
You just might be able to safely stay at home by making a few modifications. To find out more, give Jim a call. The number’s coming up next.
