What Do You Need When Your Legs Are Weak From an Extended Illness?

Health & Medical Blog

You may be recuperating from a long illness, or may be permanently disabled and have compromised mobility. However, you still want to live in your own home unassisted. Thanks to the wide variety of home mobility aids available, there's no reason why you can't get around in your home.

Of course, living at home with limited mobility is a challenge and requires proper planning. The type of mobility aids you will need and that you can use in your home will depend upon the level of your disability and the layout of your home.

How does the layout of your home affect your ability to move freely and function independently?

If you can still walk, issues such as narrow doorways or stairs are not a problem. However, if you cannot walk and are completely dependent on a wheelchair for mobility, home modifications for disabled individuals will be needed.

You will need a ramp to navigate from your front door to your sidewalk or driveway if there are steps present. Narrow doorways will need to be widened to allow your wheelchair to travel from room to room.

You will also need a stair glider to navigate stairs with your wheelchair unless to intend to adapt your home to living on a single level. Stair gliders are rails that are attached to your stairs with a platform that can accommodate your wheelchair that rides along the rail between floors.

A stair glider may also be needed for those who can walk with mobility aids but aren't strong enough to climb stairs. That type of glider has a smaller platform on which an individual can stand or a fixed seat in which they can sit to be carried between floors.

If you can walk with support, you can choose from canes that help to support a weaker leg, or walkers with wheels and handles that you can use to support yourself as the walker glides across the floor. However, you must keep hallways and narrow areas clear of clutter if you intend to use a walker, because they are designed for forward or backward motion, not sideways.

Mobility issues in the bathroom

When you get to the bathroom, you may need assistance in lowering and raising yourself to use the toilet. A hand rail installation will enable you to use your upper body to assist your legs in lowering and raising your body as needed.

A walk- in shower is ideal for those who can't climb into a bathtub to take a shower. If you love taking a bath instead of a shower, you can get a hand rail installed next to your tub, or purchase a bath assist chair, which has wings that sit on the edges of your tub.

These bath assist chairs are powered by electricity and are activated with an attached remote. When you sit in the chair, you can use the remote to lower the chair into the tub, then raise the tub when you are finished.

The technology is there for you to live an independent life at home with limited mobility. You just need to look at your home and your needs and figure out which mobility aids you will require to achieve that goal. For more information, contact a business such as Twin City Stair Lifts.

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9 February 2017

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