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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Alzheimer's / November 2008Need advise on potential problems with 2 story house.
Wife has been diagnosed for 1 and 1/2 years now with ALZ. She is still perfectly functional but her memory is bad and she can not follow directions such as recipes. As time goes on I am wondering if the fact that we have a 2 story house is going to create problems for her with ALZ. We do have a chair glide that she can use to get up and down stairs. I am bringing this up now since we are considering putting money in the house for fix up and repair. It is also a terrible time to try and sell a house. Thanks for your advise. Hank > Wife has been diagnosed for 1 and 1/2 years now with ALZ. She is still > perfectly functional but her memory is bad and she can not follow [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Hank Hi Hank, I hope some others will also reply to you, but from what I have been hearing and from personal experience as well, not every person's journey with this illness follows exactly the same path. I have heard of some who lingered for years, in a somewhat functional way, and others who have suddenly taken a turn for the worse within a couple of short years. Having a two story house could eventually cause a problem for her, but that may be a while off, and then again it may not. No one can really say. Do you have a room downstairs that could become a sleeping area for her once the stairs and the stair lift possibly become hard for her to manage? Do you have a bathroom on the first floor? Those might be very important fixups that could allow you to remain in your house together longer, and also to improve its value and sale-ability for when you do move.  Signature-- Best Regards, Evelyn (Our) enemies are not man. They are intolerance, fanaticism, dictatorship, cupidity, hatred and discrimination, which lie within the heart of man." -- Thich Nhat Hanh >> Wife has been diagnosed for 1 and 1/2 years now with ALZ. She is >> still perfectly functional but her memory is bad and she can not [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > together longer, and also to improve its value and sale-ability for when > you do move. Yes, we could convert a first floor room to a bedroom and there is a half bath on the first floor. While no one knows how the ALZ will "progress" (a terrible term) having wife in a familiar location would seem to be a positive for her. Hank >>> Wife has been diagnosed for 1 and 1/2 years now with ALZ. She is still >>> perfectly functional but her memory is bad and she can not follow [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Hank Hi Hank, Then it would seem that you are good for quite a while! Unless you really absolutely have to sell, staying where you are might be the best course of action on several counts. First of all, as you mentioned, this is not the best time to sell, and secondly, having her in a familiar setting would be best for her. Hank, do you have help? You know as this illness progresses (and yes it is an awful term) she will get her days and nights mixed up, have trouble finding her way back to bed in the middle of the night, and often behave in unpredictable ways. It is very difficult to do it alone. One man who used to post here took amazing care of his wife, swore he would never even think of putting her in a nursing home, but it nearly crushed his spirit trying to care for her. Finally he was able to find a place that would take care of her, and he was able to reclaim what was left of his life. It would be a good thing if you got all your plans laid out for the worst eventuality as soon as you can. I am speaking of legal, financial, and medical. We always say on this newsgroup, that a consultation with an elder care attorney is the VERY best money you will ever spend, when a loved one gets alzheimers. Not any old attorney, but one specializing in elder law. It is a different field of law altogether. If you have already done this, then please pardon my broaching the subject, but maybe someone else will read this and gain some help from the suggestion. Signature-- Best Regards, Evelyn (Our) enemies are not man. They are intolerance, fanaticism, dictatorship, cupidity, hatred and discrimination, which lie within the heart of man." -- Thich Nhat Hanh >>>> Wife has been diagnosed for 1 and 1/2 years now with ALZ. She is >>>> still perfectly functional but her memory is bad and she can not [quoted text clipped - 66 lines] > subject, but maybe someone else will read this and gain some help from > the suggestion. Thank you. Yes, I have seen an attorney and have made some changes in our powers of attorney, health directives and so on. In fact I will be seeing him again tomorow. I realize that at some point I will need help or she will have to go into a home. Fortunately we are not there yet. We do have long term care insurance that will help with either in home or nursing home expenses. >>>>> Wife has been diagnosed for 1 and 1/2 years now with ALZ. She is >>>>> still perfectly functional but her memory is bad and she can not [quoted text clipped - 73 lines] > a home. Fortunately we are not there yet. We do have long term care > insurance that will help with either in home or nursing home expenses. Hank, it is a pleasure to talk to someone who isn't in some kind of crazy denial. Good for you, for your clear foresight, and I hope all goes well for you both. Signature-- Best Regards, Evelyn (Our) enemies are not man. They are intolerance, fanaticism, dictatorship, cupidity, hatred and discrimination, which lie within the heart of man." -- Thich Nhat Hanh Hi Hank, she will get increasingly wobbly on her pegs - its not just that her coordination and balance will go, but so will her depth perception and her reaction time. They really get to be at risk for falls. You might want to make sure you have handrails on both sides of the stairs, and even on long walls in the hall. Grab bars in the bath are always a good feature as well as non-slip flooring. You might want to take the opportunity now to do some bathroom renovations if you don't have a shower stall you can get a bath chair into. Think about renovations that will make it easier to get her clean when she starts to have mobility issues. Tubs can be hard to get them in and out of safely. You eventually might want to consider gates on the stairs, both top and bottom, to prevent her from attempting to go up or down without supervision. You might want to take the opportunity now to do some bathroom renovations if you don't have a shower stall you can get a bath chair into. Think about renovations that will make it easier to get her clean when she starts to have mobility issues. Tubs can be hard to get them in and out of safely. Here are some really good tips and ideas from the National Institute on Aging. http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/homesafety.htm#room M. > Hi Hank, she will get increasingly wobbly on her pegs - its not just > that her coordination and balance will go, but so will her depth [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > M. Thank you for the suggestions. Fortunately we do have a stall shower where she can sit as needed. Gates at the stairs is a good idea. > Mary_Gor...@tvo.org wrote: > > Hi Hank, she will get increasingly wobbly on her pegs - its not just [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > - Show quoted text - You might want to check the LTC insurance policy as many of them will pay for those modifications to the house spoken of here. Often this is paid in addition to any claim charged against your policy's benefit. |
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