My 95 year old cognitively intact mother in law has started down the slippery slope. Three hip fractures in the last year and a half. Moved out of her house into assisted living across the country. Two days ago she fell trying to open the heavy fire door in her facility’s laundry room, and broke her elbow. Despite the fact that her facility offers three levels of personal assistance, and she would probably be fine with the highest level, they’re trying to shovel her out into a nursing home.
So I’m thinking about things. What mobility aid works best for a frail elderly woman able to bear weight on only one arm? Hemi-wheelchair? Hemi-walker? How to locate and hire unskilled PCAs (like the West African ladies she hired after her husband’s stroke) if the assisted living place won’t/can’t provide the appropriate amount of assistance? How to convince her to accept assistance, since more falls just strengthen the nursing home case? Why is the laundry room door a fire door? Why is so much of the facility inaccessible to those using mobility aids?
That sort of thing.
I can understand the need for the fire door to the laudry room because dryers are one of the most common sources of residential fires. However, they could easily install those automatic door openers, you know like they have in hospitals for people in wheelchairs.
All you have to do is make sure the activation button is far enough away so nobody gelt the door in their face!
That’s a lot to think about.
Good luck with all of it.