I am glad I had PT after I came home from my knee replacement surgery for what used to be my sound leg. The first time I walked across carpeting with a cane instead of a walker I was wobbly. The carpeting felt uneven after waking on linoleum at the hospital and in-patient rehab. I was glad I had a home health PT to steady me when I panicked. Half of fall prevention is reducing fear that makes me stiffen up.
The first time I walked outside I was startled by a car that came around the corner quickly. I did not know the hospital environment had allowed me to develop the bad habit of staring at the ground when I walked. Again I was glad to have a PT by my side when I froze. This upsetting experience made me realize I was staring at the floor inside my home as well. So I began practicing walking while looking up in this less challenging indoor environment. Walking on linoleum in wide spaces while PTs decide who goes 1st when two clients cross paths does not help stroke survivors learn to divide their attention between environmental challenges and controlling their body.
homeafterstroke.blogspot.com
November 20, 2019
November 19, 2019
Garbage Can Send You to a Nursing Home
I live alone so I cannot stay in my home if stinky garbage piles up on my patio. After my stroke a neighbor took my garbage to the curb for a few months. However, I do not want neighbors to think they volunteered for life. Paying a nursing home $8,000 a month is a really expensive way to get rid of garbage. Here are adaptive devices that can make a lot of people independent and safe.
Garbage. I use Hefty Ultimate garbage bags. They have an elastic drawstring built into the top of the bag. I place the full garbage bag on the seat of a kitchen chair so I do not have to lean down to tie a knot in the drawstring with my teeth and sound hand. Once the bag is tightly sealed I drag it across the floor and kick it down my front steps. I put the bag in a rolling garbage can to take the garbage to the curb. I learned not to push the garbage can by tilting it backwards to roll it on the wheels. The first time I did this I almost fell when the garbage can got away from me. By putting the wheels in front (see arrow) I can push it like a rolling walker. CAUTION: I used to drag a cane in my affected hand so I could walk back to the house. Now my balance is good enough to walk back without a cane.
Recycling. The short yellow recycling container my township gave me is too heavy and awkward for me to carry to the curb. The photo shows the Devault Plant Dolly. Six casters under the dolly make it roll smoothly. I threaded a long strap through the central hole of the dolly. To get recyclables to the curb, I thread the strap through the handle of the garbage can and pull it taut. homeafterstroke.blogspot.com
Garbage. I use Hefty Ultimate garbage bags. They have an elastic drawstring built into the top of the bag. I place the full garbage bag on the seat of a kitchen chair so I do not have to lean down to tie a knot in the drawstring with my teeth and sound hand. Once the bag is tightly sealed I drag it across the floor and kick it down my front steps. I put the bag in a rolling garbage can to take the garbage to the curb. I learned not to push the garbage can by tilting it backwards to roll it on the wheels. The first time I did this I almost fell when the garbage can got away from me. By putting the wheels in front (see arrow) I can push it like a rolling walker. CAUTION: I used to drag a cane in my affected hand so I could walk back to the house. Now my balance is good enough to walk back without a cane.
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