This client was having difficulty with safety issues in her bedroom. She had a gorgeous, high bed with a luxurious soft pillow top. Unfortunately this combination made the bed too high for her to get safely in and out of. While the logical solution would have been for the client to get a new, lower bed or a mattress without the soft top, the client loved her bed. She was content using a small stool to climb in and out of bed, but she admitted that she often didn’t feel as steady as she would like, especially in the middle of the night.
Our solution was to install a sturdy, ceiling-to-floor vertical grab bar adjacent to the bed. She kept the bed that she wanted but had a much safer, permanently affixed aid to help her get safely in and out of bed. We also installed a variety of easy-touch lighting options at various places in the room and eliminated throw rugs that created a slipping hazard. The client was extremely happy to be able to continue to keep her bedroom much as it had been, minus several potentially dangerous hazards in the room.
In our client’s living room, we also discovered that some of her furniture was very difficult for her to get up from in a safe manner. We showed her techniques that would help and ways that her couch could be modified unobtrusively. We suggested furniture that she should avoid and leave for her guests. Because she was also eager to purchase some new seating, we gave her specific pointers for design considerations to look for when she began shopping.