Caring for an Ill Family Member

by Dianne Drinkwater 07/14/2019

Illness or an accident may strike a family member at any time. Or, they may require surgery or other care. And when they need in-home care during recovery, you may find yourself woefully unprepared.

Prepare your home

Caring for an invalid or person recovering from an illness reveals many areas in a house that do not work well with wheelchairs, walkers, or crutches. These include stairs, narrow doorways, and halls without rails. Turning radius requirements for wheelchairs notably, sadly are lacking in most homes.

Additionally, most baths and shower enclosures do not have grab bars, and something as simple as a faucet may be too complicated to manipulate if your family member's illness causes weakness or lack of feeling.

If your parents are aging and ill, or if you have a child or teen with ambulatory limitations, here are a few suggestions of things to do to make your home invalid-friendly and reduce some of the stress:

Replace door and cabinet knobs with levers. A lever-style handle is operable with just one hand giving a gentle push.
Add grab bars to any place where water might make it slippery, including inside and outside of bath and shower enclosures, and near the toilet.
Switch out knob-style faucets for lever-style.
Add railings to outdoor steps, and any interior steps, even if only one or two stairs.
If possible, replace all interior room doors with 36-inch doors, the best width to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers.
Add rails to long hallways.
Make sure seating for meals is at wheelchair height if necessary.
Keep clutter and extra furniture out of the way to remove hazards and barriers.

Prepare yourself

No matter how ill your family member is, you are of no help to them if you don't take care of yourself. Arrange for periodic relief. Sometimes you only need a breather, and other times you may need to get away for a couple of hours. Reach out to other family members or to friends or hire a care-giving service for those times you need to get away to refresh yourself. You can not give to your loved one if you have nothing to offer.

Prepare your family

Children in the home need preparation, information, and instructions regarding the ill family member. A child that used to run directly into grandma's arms might be confused about what to do when grandma uses a walker or wheelchair. Of, if Uncle Charles typically gets down on the floor to play with them, but has a broken leg and can't do that right now, your children may not understand. Preparing your children for what to expect in a gentle and non-fearful way helps them adjust to any temporary inconvenience your love one is subject to during recovery.

If you expect to care for a loved one in the future, make plans to include ADA compliant options as part of your homebuyer checklist.

About the Author

Dianne Drinkwater

Dianne is a full time, full service, state licensed Realtor®, member of Northeast Florida Regional Association of Realtors® (NEFAR), St. Augustine/ St.Johns County Board of Realtors, National Association of Realtors® (NAR), Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR), and Northeast Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service And St. Augustine/St. Johns (MLS), Shearwater Certified, and Military on the Move Designation.

She provides a unique blend of leadership, sales acumen, project management, technology, and world class customer relation skills to enhance Watson Realty Corporation's values in the real estate sales and mortgage marketplace. She is a decisive take action solution-oriented professional with 25+ years of progressive business experience who efficiently utilizes technology to improve results. She has lived in the St. Augustine/Jacksonville area since 2005 and has seen the area continue to flourish and stays well informed of future growth plans within Northeast Florida.

Let's take a look at the lighter side of Dianne. She loves life is artistic loves music, the arts, yoga and genealogy! She loves to explore and hates to be bored. She loves the outdoors, especially plant life and wildlife. She has been a Master Gardener in Florida and Maine; as a photography enthusiast she has the eye to spot the perfect shot, which spills over to the photos she makes of the properties she markets AND frequently hires the best specialized real estate photographers/drone and videographers who make the difference in the sale. And, she loves to share her knowledge of the local real estate market and all aspects of the process to guide you through each step as a coach rather than a salesperson.

So, let's sum it up. Buying or selling your home is an important life decision. Reasons can vary greatly from change of lifestyle, to relocation or life challenges. You need someone you can trust, count on, respect and help shoulder the stress, anxiety and time commitment involved. Doesn't this sound like someone you want working for you?

So, what's the next step? Contacting Dianne of course. It is all about YOUR needs, goals, timeline and DREAMS! She's here to help you achieve them and she looks forward to hearing from you.

What are you looking for in a Realtor? - Someone who will really listen to your wants and needs? Someone who will expertly market your home until the SOLD sign adorns your front lawn or if you are a buyer tirelessly researches your wish list to find that perfect home? - How about someone who will always be honest, holds ethics in high regard as a realtor, who works aggressively to get you the best price for your home and someone who knows the market?

Selling or buying a home is a partnership with your trusted advisor- Dianne Drinkwater