I’ve been caring for my elderly aunt in my home since the spring and I promised to pass on things that I’m learning along the way.
One need that I didn’t anticipate ahead of time outside of a hospital bed, a wheelchair and a few ramps, was furniture.
Taller Furniture Please!
It isn’t uncommon for older people to have difficulty getting into and out of furniture. Height is a concern and arms are essential for leverage for most elderly people to boost themselves out of a chair. None of the chairs or seats in my home accommodated this limitation.
My aunt sat in a wheelchair provided by medicare for the first few weeks in my home. She would walk (with the aid of a walker) from room to room for the exercise and one of us would follow behind with the wheelchair so she would have a place to sit in every room. Not only did that become cumbersome, it didn’t provide her with much independence. I was determined to find sturdy chairs that were tall enough with arms. No easy task.
It turns out that my porch chairs are sturdy and wide enough with arms for leverage when my aunt wants to sit or stand but they aren’t quite tall enough. My mom suggested bed risers. They’re affordable, come in various heights and material and accommodate a variety of leg styles. I chose the 3 1/2″ wooden risers. They don’t compromise the stability of the chair at all. This has been a perfect solution and works very well for any chair that doesn’t need to slide or move (like one that needs to slide closer to a table for eating).
I also purchased an office chair for the table in her room. The wheels make this chair less ideal because my aunt either needs someone to hold it or she has to get the chair against an immovable object or wall in order to get up without it rolling away from her. It works better in her room than a chair on blocks because she sits at a table and can swivel around.
Believe it or not, the easiest chair for my aunt to get out of is her bedside commode. I used the seat height, width and arm height as the template for my chair search.
I would love to hear if you’ve busted through any furniture barriers without a lot of expense or an exhaustive search.