dining chairs and bench image
MonicA
My Dad is going to be having a hip replacement soon and I was wondering if any one know if there is anything ican get him to make him more comfortable like a kind of chair, or a special hot or cold pad im just not sure wht to expect and i want to try and make this as painless and simpleas possible
Answer
Help him get his living quarters arranged for his stay at home. There are lists of things that can make his recuperation easier and safer. He'll likely be sent home with a set of tools such as a reacher, sock helper, dressing stick, etc. so you probably won't need to buy this stuff. Check into what things are provided. They may also include a raised toilet seat (with arms on it) or a commode (may be rented); and whatever walking aids he will be using (usually also rented). Optional things include installing grab bars in the shower or by the toilet (I didn't have these and don't think I needed them but some people like them). When I had my hip replacements, we installed a railing on both side of our stairs and bought a shower head on a hose to make it easier for me to shower while seated. If he has a tub-shower unit, he may find a tub transfer bench useful (it's hard to lift that leg over the side of a tub). When using a walker or crutches, it's nearly impossible to carry anything in hands so having a bag on the walker or a vest or apron with lots of pockets can be very handy. I carried my cordless phone in my walker bag for awhile so I didn't have to dash for the phone. Before you run out and buy stuff, check out the seating that he already has in terms of his needs. He'll probably need a chair with arms (such as a side chair from the dining room) and that isn't on casters (rolling chairs can be tough on new hippies). The arms are needed to help sit and get up from the chair. Same for the toilet. He probably won't want to sit on the sofa for awhile since they are usually too low and too soft and there's only one arm to use. Any seat should be at least as high as the bend in his knees (a little higher is even better). Recliners can be raised to meet this requirement (we raised ours with a couple of blocks of wood). Most people have furniture that can serve for the short term. I actually used two of those plastic patio chairs stacked (to get the right height) with a cushion on the seat. You can also help him clear a path through the rooms that he'll be using. This means picking up throw rugs and making a path wide enough for a walker to pass through easily. Have him decide which chair he will use most during his recovery and assemble the things he needs such as TV remote, reading material, bottles of water, tissues, etc. so they're handy. If he has a pet, he may need to board it or have someone else look after it until he can feed and walk it himself. If he lives alone you might want to make sure that he has easy-to-reheat meals frozen so that he can make a simple meal for himself. Help him shop for groceries before surgery day so there's plenty of food in the house. In the kitchen, bath, and bedroom, it really helps if the things he uses most often are stored at a height above the knees (waist-height is even better) so he doesn't have to get into bottom drawers, shelves and cabinets. This is because most hippies have movement restrictions and precautions for a few weeks/months and those restrictions may involve not bending the hip joint at more than 90 degrees. He also won't be able to drive for a few weeks so he'll need transportation or someone to run errands, pick up prescriptions, take him to physical therapy and Dr appts, etc. After a few weeks when he starts feeling better he may even appreciate going out in the car. I enjoyed (believe it or not) going to Wal-Mart with my husband. I used the shopping cart as a "walker" and felt almost normal! Although I couldn't sit comfortably for more than 30 mins. at a time, I enjoyed going out to lunch too. It gets boring staying at home when you really do feel very good (no more arthritis pain!) but still aren't allowed to drive. After my first week home (I was very tired that week) I also appreciated visits and phone calls. I was alone during the day so I had my phone on me at all times. I also had two weeks of visiting nurse and physical therapist visits - 2-3 times a week. After that I went to outpatient PT for several more weeks.
Help him get his living quarters arranged for his stay at home. There are lists of things that can make his recuperation easier and safer. He'll likely be sent home with a set of tools such as a reacher, sock helper, dressing stick, etc. so you probably won't need to buy this stuff. Check into what things are provided. They may also include a raised toilet seat (with arms on it) or a commode (may be rented); and whatever walking aids he will be using (usually also rented). Optional things include installing grab bars in the shower or by the toilet (I didn't have these and don't think I needed them but some people like them). When I had my hip replacements, we installed a railing on both side of our stairs and bought a shower head on a hose to make it easier for me to shower while seated. If he has a tub-shower unit, he may find a tub transfer bench useful (it's hard to lift that leg over the side of a tub). When using a walker or crutches, it's nearly impossible to carry anything in hands so having a bag on the walker or a vest or apron with lots of pockets can be very handy. I carried my cordless phone in my walker bag for awhile so I didn't have to dash for the phone. Before you run out and buy stuff, check out the seating that he already has in terms of his needs. He'll probably need a chair with arms (such as a side chair from the dining room) and that isn't on casters (rolling chairs can be tough on new hippies). The arms are needed to help sit and get up from the chair. Same for the toilet. He probably won't want to sit on the sofa for awhile since they are usually too low and too soft and there's only one arm to use. Any seat should be at least as high as the bend in his knees (a little higher is even better). Recliners can be raised to meet this requirement (we raised ours with a couple of blocks of wood). Most people have furniture that can serve for the short term. I actually used two of those plastic patio chairs stacked (to get the right height) with a cushion on the seat. You can also help him clear a path through the rooms that he'll be using. This means picking up throw rugs and making a path wide enough for a walker to pass through easily. Have him decide which chair he will use most during his recovery and assemble the things he needs such as TV remote, reading material, bottles of water, tissues, etc. so they're handy. If he has a pet, he may need to board it or have someone else look after it until he can feed and walk it himself. If he lives alone you might want to make sure that he has easy-to-reheat meals frozen so that he can make a simple meal for himself. Help him shop for groceries before surgery day so there's plenty of food in the house. In the kitchen, bath, and bedroom, it really helps if the things he uses most often are stored at a height above the knees (waist-height is even better) so he doesn't have to get into bottom drawers, shelves and cabinets. This is because most hippies have movement restrictions and precautions for a few weeks/months and those restrictions may involve not bending the hip joint at more than 90 degrees. He also won't be able to drive for a few weeks so he'll need transportation or someone to run errands, pick up prescriptions, take him to physical therapy and Dr appts, etc. After a few weeks when he starts feeling better he may even appreciate going out in the car. I enjoyed (believe it or not) going to Wal-Mart with my husband. I used the shopping cart as a "walker" and felt almost normal! Although I couldn't sit comfortably for more than 30 mins. at a time, I enjoyed going out to lunch too. It gets boring staying at home when you really do feel very good (no more arthritis pain!) but still aren't allowed to drive. After my first week home (I was very tired that week) I also appreciated visits and phone calls. I was alone during the day so I had my phone on me at all times. I also had two weeks of visiting nurse and physical therapist visits - 2-3 times a week. After that I went to outpatient PT for several more weeks.
Storage solutions for a small apartment?
Cantrelle
I have a small 2 bedroom apartment that has hardly any storage space! My husband and I have one bedroom and the other is being made into a nursery. What are some storage solutions for things like boxes of holiday decorations, extra books, and extra linens and things? Thanks for your suggestions.
Answer
consider storage ottomans and storage benches and storage coffee tables. there are even storage dining chairs.
also consider:
http://www.wallperfect.com and
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/ziploc_bigbag2sm.jpg
personally i tend not to use large hard storage bins (you know, the plastic kind, although for holiday wrapping paper it's traditional to use those however as you can see from the pic you can also put holiday wrapping paper in soft plastic storage)
consider storage ottomans and storage benches and storage coffee tables. there are even storage dining chairs.
also consider:
http://www.wallperfect.com and
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/ziploc_bigbag2sm.jpg
personally i tend not to use large hard storage bins (you know, the plastic kind, although for holiday wrapping paper it's traditional to use those however as you can see from the pic you can also put holiday wrapping paper in soft plastic storage)
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