Bedroom Setup for Disability

My son made it through another night. Whoo Hoo! He is completely surrounded by pillows, so he can sleep sitting up. If I threw a blanket over the top, he'd have a fort. Perhaps that's what he's going for. He clings to his queen size bed, refusing to give into a twin-sized adjustable model, while trying to avoid that "hospital" look. As his disability progresses, avoiding the "hospital" look becomes more challenging.

The setup is pretty sweet and we're getting it down. On the floor next to the bed, an oxygen generator sits on one side, the "Vest" and it's machine on the other. The "Vest", an airway clearance device, beats him, so I don't have to. Looking like a life vest, it thumps his chest and back to help him breathe. His color is purple, of course! (The vest, not him... usually.)

Three fans, one overhead, one on his sidetable, and a floor stand model at the foot. His sidetable top holds a digital clock with a large readout, a small lamp (the kind with a flexible arm), lotion, a back scratcher, his phone, glasses, a stuffed toy received as a gift. The sidetable drawer contains the small essentials: oximeter, lip balm, nail clippers and nail files, and personal treasures. The sidetable shelf beneath keeps pajamas, a stethoscope, moist wipes, and a few boxes of personal items, neatly stacked and accessible. Tucked beside the bed is a "people moving pad." I don't know the official name, but that's what I call this most wonderfully simple back saver. The "people moving pad" is quilted with two handles on each of two opposite edges. One side is soft and absorbant. The other is slick and slippery. I flop it over the edge of the bed, transfer my son, and then can pull him into the center of the bed with little effort. Beside the pillows on the bed, sits a box of kleenex, the television remote, and somewhere under a blanket used to cover his feet, his little dog.

Fortunately, both sides of the bed allow wheelchair access, although it's tight. Last night I was thinking that if the room was another 5 feet wide and 5 feet deep, it would be glorious! Every house needs a large master bedroom that can be converted for care giving.

Changes yet to come include installing a floor-to-ceiling grab bar and a new countertop that will serve as a desktop. Above the desktop, his flatscreen television serves as both a regular television and a computer monitor. We just keep working on the improvements.