I ordered some equipment for Brendan's therapy room this past week. Since everything takes at least 6 months to come in it should work out perfectly. I ordered Brendan a Rifton dynamic stander. I am so excited for this one. He can stand and wheel around the house while standing. I knew we had to have this as soon as I saw it. It will be great for his leg muscles and I will be able to keep him occupied so much easier than with a typical stander.
I ordered a wheelchair multidesk so he can work on his homework, computer, or just play with toys. He can wheel right in and sit comfortably. He has a t.v. tray in his room now and he doesn't look comfortable at all while sitting at it.
I also ordered a new kaye therapy bench since he outgrew his last one. Insurance won't cover exercise equipment...go figure. Isn't exercies what these children need to gain strength and overcome challenges in life? Why will they cover a $3000 stander but not a treadmill? It doesn't make any sense to me. Anyway I will buy him a treadmill with front and side handrails. I already have a huge therapy mat, a yoga mat, and a bolster so I think his therapy room will be set!! I am super excited this is all coming together.
I took out a bunch of books at the library to get more ideas for his bathroom. I want it perfect for him! My contractor is amazing and is really trying to make sure everything fits nicely and works out for us in the best possible way. He spent an hour here the other day just measuring inside the garage. It looks like we have to make some changes with door placement due to the ramp in the garage. It is causing some tight areas so we may go with a verticle lift instead. I guess they cost about the same by the time you are done. It will take up much less space and I won't be worried about hitting more door into a ramp everyday.
I have no idea what our house will look like in 6 months. It will be so different but life will be so much easier. Brendan will learn to do many more things independantly. He will be more comfortable in his wheelchair and get the therapy he needs!
Yay! So much going on at your house. Sounds like it is all so exciting. You have such a good handle on equipment. I am purely versed on equipment that is why I keep putting remodeling off. I simply have no idea what all my options are and don't even know where to start. I have a two story home and Emma room is upstairs. All of them are. Because of her epilepsy, I don't want her in a room by herself on the first floor. So, I have been looking into vertical lifts through the floor, as well as small residential elevators for her. I am hoping to create an accessible suite for her upstairs accessible via lift or elevator. I don't even know where to begin on modifications for an accessible bathroom yet. I have also been looking at small outdoor lifts to get her in the house. We have a too steep ramp in the garage right now. My husband keeps blocking it with his junk so it is useless to me on days when I really need it. It just doesn't think, but it is hard to go move stuff when we are running late for therapy. Also, I definitely want an extra room for our therapy and homeschooling because I personally do a lot of therapy for Emma at home. I have a room upstairs with a vertical ladder against the wall, but Emma is getting too heavy for me to carry up there over and over again.
ReplyDeleteI will be eagerly awaiting all your new changes and hoping that I can get some ideas from you. Thank you for sharing all this. I am struggling to find a contractor who knows much about this stuff. I have talked to several over the past few years and only found one who had some knowledge because his brother was in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, he moved away this past summer. So, I am looking again. But, I think I need to have some clue before I even get started anyway. One thing I know for sure is that I cannot continue to carry Emma up and down those stairs. It is very hard on my back.
I am sorry this is so long, but this is something that really hits home for us right now. Something has to change for us in the next year or so. Again, I cannot thank you enough for sharing this project with us.
Oops, I meant to say poorly versed on special equipment in my last comment. Yeah, I am pretty clueless and overwhelmed, to say the least.
ReplyDeleteAmy, You can look through the websites like Rifton or adaptive equipment and you can get an idea of what you like. If you contact a sales rep they can help you figure out what type of equipment is best for your child. Such as the stander, since Bren has great head control he recommends him leaning on his belly in a stander. I will continue to post updates on the therapy room and definitely him working in it!
ReplyDeleteI just googled verticle wheelchair lifts and looked at some that didn't take up too much space. I think the one I posted a picture of would work for your outside lift. I saw a home elevator in one of the books I took out. It looks so neat. It looks like a closet door from the outside. I will find it again and let you know what else it says about it. I know you need some major electrical upgrades with elevators.
Try contacting United Cerebral Palsy regardig a contractor. I emailed my chapter and they gave me an email of a mother who had just renovated her home. I ended up choosing her contractor. He just started doing handicap renovations and our house is his 3rd but he does his research and seems to know what he is talking about. You can look up the codes and maybe someone will be willing to work with you on it.
The changes we have made in our lives regarding Brendan have helped me tremendously. I am in much less pain than I was. My neck and back hardly hurt lately. I can't even imagine what it will be like to have an accessible bathroom. I am really excited. It is making everyone's life better. :)
I'm so happy you're able to do all of this for all of you! Malayna would be less than thrilled about a therapy room too! I'm sure Brendan will love his new "suite" though!
ReplyDeleteThat stander looks pretty cool. I hated mine- I got bored just standing there. Plus it was sore.
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