Adjustments to make my home more accessable?

I have other health issues to where I am permanently disabled but I know this is going to make things worse than what I usually deal with for a while.

I've been considering adding a rail in my shower to hold on to and possibly a chair to sit while I shower & a detachable shower head that I can hold on to. Is there anything else you can think of that may be helpful post surgery? I don't walk well now & am wobbly in the shower already.

I live in an apt on the 2nd floor. I'm also concerned about getting in and out of my home. I'm not planning to be out partying every night but will need to get inside when I get home from the hospital & for doctor's appts. I will be having back surgery after I am healed from this (and am not fully recovered from knee surgery about 6 months back) so I figure it would be a good idea to get things set up now for both upcoming surgeries.
Thank you!

Hey there!
I have a history of spinal injury and surgeries, and I have poor balance and trouble with stairs, etc., and I've been dealing with it all for about 20 years now. So I can share some things that may help. I think the rail, chair, and shower head ideas are great. They make the handles and rails for shower's that attach with nice sturdy suction cups, which are nice because you can move them as you find where they best work for you. Amazon.com has them and shower chairs for really reasonable prices, and I ordered there so I wouldn't have to drive around and go hither and yon trying to find just the right stuff. I'd also recommend maybe a little stool for outside the tub, depending the layout of your bathroom - a nice dry place to sit while you dry your toes and stuff. Get a grabber, too - so you don't have to bend over to pick up things off the floor. If you live alone and don't have someone to get things for you, you may want to consider getting duplicate things for other rooms (like a basket with lotion, tissues, magazines, snacks, bottled water, pain meds, emery boards), put right where you're sitting so you don't have to get up to go get it from another room. Some ladies have also suggested in other threads rearranging dressers, closets, fridge, cupboards so the things you'll be needing most will be within easy reach without stretching or reaching. Thinking of the stairs and your knees, do you use a cane? If not would you consider one, and if so is there a different style or another type of assistive device like a 4 footed cane, or maybe a walker, just for getting up and down stairs? Would there be a possibility in the future of an apartment downstairs opening up and you can move? Jumping back to your back, I'd also suggest a body pillow for sleeping if you don't already have one of course. It may even make your tummy more comfortable after your surgery. I don't know how my body pillow will help my tummy, but it makes my back feel better.
I can't think of anything else at the moment, but I hope what I have here helps at least a little.

It's good that you're planning ahead and it sounds like you're on the right track. I agree with Monsterkitty's suggestions above... lots of good ideas to prepare for when you come home.

Similar to Monsterkitty's suggestion, it's a good idea to have a small stool or chair in the bathroom. I kept a kitchen chair in the bathroom for about 4 weeks... it was a foot or so in front of the toilet so I could use the seat of the chair to help myself stand up and sit down on the toilet. Also covered it with a towel after I showered so I could sit to put lotion on my legs. I used the chairback to help steady myself while climbing into and out of the shower.

I also kept a kitchen chair next to my bed, to help steady myself as well.

Be sure to have a grabber to help you to pick things up. My mom has mobility problems so she offered to loan me one of her grabbers during my recovery. I'm so glad I took her up on that offer... the grabber has been so helpful... I use it to empty the bathroom wastebasket, pick up tissues that I drop, pick up my socks, pick up my shoes so I can sit down to put them in, etc... Even used the grabber to play ball with my little dog! He'd drop the ball on the floor and I could pick it up with the grabber so I could throw it again.

I also used a grabber to do some light laundry... I put a laundry basket in the guest room (it normally is in my closet but it's not easy to get to) and kept the laundry sorted in the basket.. colored jammies and tees on the left, whites on the right. Then when time to do some laundry, I'd pick the laundry out of the basket piece by piece with the grabber and drop it on the bed, then carry the clothes to the laundry room. Also used the grabber to move clothes from the washer to the dryer, and to retrieve clothes from the dryer.

I also liked what Monsterkitty said about keeping items that you use frequently in more than one place.. I kept duplicates of lip blams, kleenex, phones, remote controls, etc. on my nightstand as well as on my end table in the living room so things were within easy reach.

Also I set more things on the bathroom counter before surgery (my hairdryer, for example, since it's normally in the cabinet underneath).

I hope that these suggestions are helpful!

Thank you ladies! My bathroom is fairly small & the toilet is next to the tub so if I got a suction cupped rail, I could use it for the tub & the toilet as well. There isn't room in there for a chair in there. I have an Amazon Prime memebership since it's so much easier (and often cheaper) to order from there. I will check for the items you mentioned on Amazon to have them delivered. We did have a grabber when I had my knee surgery but it fell apart so we need a new one. Good suggestion!

I live with my husband & 3 children (my oldest is out of the house) but who ever is here is going to be tied up with my 2 year old. I'm planning to camp out in my girls' room since they share a bunk bed & have a spare bed that used to be for my oldest. My 2 year old likes to get in bed with my husband & I most nights & it would just be easier for me to be in the girls' room. I did that for my knee surgery last year & it worked out quite well.

Hi Stephanie, this may sound crazy but I wish I would have thought to get a higher toilet. They call them "comfort height" and are 2 inches taller then conventional toilets. Doesn't sound like a big difference, but unless you're petite a conventional toilet can seem like a long way down post surgery.

Though my hysterectomy is in the past, I'm still going to get those higher toilets someday!

Good luck to you!

I have a grab bar that clamps over the sidewall of the tub (if that describes it well enough) and it is very stable, plus can be used for the toilet. I think this type bar is more secure than the wall ones, at least in my mind it is. Shower chairs and benches come in different sizes so be sure to measure first. I didn't know that and got a wrong size for a family member. Also look into a shower board if a chair won't fit, but I think the chairs/benches are better. You can get a toilet seat thing that makes it a higher seat, can't think what it's called, but I didn't need one. I swear figuring out what these things are called is half the battle in ordering them. Good luck finding what you need.