Elderly Choices

Continuing the rant about elderly care. In taking care of our elderly aunt we are anticipating a few household additions so that we can stay in our home if we are incapacitated in any way. One option is to purchase a bidet toilet seat. These have improved greatly due the Covid pandemic. There are several options to choose from and they have come down in price. One option is to replace the entire toilet and buy a bidet toilet. Another option is to replace the seat with a bidet toilet seat. This is the option we are going for. Make sure there is an electrical outlet within reach of the toilet (generally the electrical cords are four feet long). From there the expense is in how many settings there are for posterior, anterior and turbo wash, heated water, heated seat, and drying choices. Check Lowe’s, Home Depot and Amazon for the best price. The other project we are looking into is replacing the tub/shower with a walk-in shower. We have a hot tub so we don’t need the tub for a soak. We have a walk in shower with seating upstairs that we love. But we are looking to change the bathroom on the ground floor and to make that it is wheelchair accessible should either of us need that in the future. We will make sure to install hand rails and bars for ease of use also. We already have power recliners, those are so helpful. The only problem we’ve found with those is when the electricity goes off and you’re in the reclined position. It’s difficult to get down from when you can’t lower the foot rest. Otherwise they are a boon for when you can’t use your arm to pull a lever and recline. Our hallways are already wide enough for a walker or a wheelchair so that’s a plus for this house. We can easily install a ramp to go up the two steps we have into the house, no worries there. We also make sure that chairs for our guests are comfortable. Sometimes when we visit others we find the chair they sit in is very comfortable but chairs kept for sentimental reasons are very uncomfortable. Often these are the chairs left for guests. Sit in your guest chairs and make sure they are as comfortable as the chair you sit in. If you’re over sixty, now is the time to think about what happens when you are elderly and can’t get around like you normally do.