Flip Side-Bed & Bathroom Plan 5

He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy. Proverbs 17:21 NKJV

 I started as my dad's caregiver over 3 1/2 years ago when he wanted to move in with us, so we could help him with his medical conditions. The doctors eventually said Dad needed skilled nursing 24/7 because of his Parkinson's Disease and repeated bouts of pneumonia.  He now resides at a very nice Veteran's Home and I oversee his care. This entry is the flip side of caregiving, because when I broke my heel and was told I couldn't walk on it for 90 days, I became a caregivee and my patient husband is my caregiver. 

 Well the Bed & Bathroom Plan 4 worked for a while, but I thought it was time to try to stop staying in the reclining chair all night and try to go back to sleeping in my own bed with my husband, since my heel didn't hurt much anymore when it had pressure on it. I tried to get the pillows stacked on our bed, but it seemed almost impossible to find a comfortable position for propping my broken heel. I ended up going back to the reclining chair that night, because it was bad enough that I couldn't sleep, but I was keeping my husband awake, as well. I prayed that night about it, because Christ knew what needed to be done to allow me to sleep in my bed. He gave me an idea and I tried it successfully the next night. I was so very happy to be sleeping in my own bed! 
When the urge would hit, I would use the walker by my bed and turn small quarter turns and back into the transport chair by the foot of my bed that my husband had put there before going to bed. I would scoot the transport chair with my good foot over the rest of the carpet and use the door trim to help to ease the transport chair onto the tile hallway floor. I did this, because I was trying to use the walker less, because of the strain it put on my right arm.

 I scooted the transport chair forward down the hall and locked the wheels just outside the bathroom door. I pulled the other walker out of the bathroom doorway. I hobbled sideways through the narrow doorway and started making small quarter turns and back up to the toilet. I put one hand on the sink and one on the shower bench to ease onto the toilet.

 Once I've finished, I do everything in reverse. I use the walker and hobbble sideways through the narrow doorway. I reach back to grab one of the transport chair's armrests and then the other. I push the walker back into the bathroom doorway for the next bathroom trip. I unlock the transport chair wheels and scoot myself backwards to the end of the hall. 

 Then, I turn the transport chair forward in front of the bedroom across from mine. I wheel to my bedroom door and pull the transport chair onto the carpet by pulling on the bedroom doorframe. I scoot the transport chair and lock down the wheels  behind the walker. I push down on the armrests while grabbing hold of the walker. I start doing small quarter turns to back up to the bed. I reach back and hold onto my nightstand as I ease onto the bed. I am so very blessed that Christ gives me these elaborate plans for being able to get to the bathroom and back!

Since these are examples of how I've applied these Bible verses to my experience, they may not reflect the whole meaning of the verse.

I'm including You Tube Video clips on caregiving that I found interesting, inspirational, or might be helpful to others, but am not responsible for the content in the videos. Always check first with a physician before trying any suggestions mentioned.

Video: Physical Therapy Exercises for Seniors: How to Perform Safe Transfers
By: Dr. Steve Sudell Jr, 24 Hr Home Care via Youtube

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