The need to quickly plan for aging in place can happen with the onset of an illness or an unexpected injury. This is the story of a very dear friend.

My husband was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease a few years ago.

As the disease progressed it became more and more difficult to move him safely during the course of everyday living. Getting in and out of the house was especially risky. I was in constant fear of a fall that would injure us both and leave me unable to take care of him. To say it was a stressful situation would be an understatement.

I knew we had to do something, and wondered if we should sell our large house and move to a smaller and more manageable home, or if we should stay and make some modifications.

We had a few things in our favor in our current home – a first floor master bedroom suite and wide openings and doorways throughout the entire first floor.  We built the home together, so there was an emotional attachment as well.  The deciding factor was our daughter’s decision to move in with us to help out. Our large home provided private space on the second floor for her family.

So we decided to stay put and do what needed to be done to make our home safe. The two most critical needs were a wheelchair lift in the garage and a wheelchair accessible bathroom.

After working through a lot of red tape, I was able to get funding for our modifications through the Veterans Administration.

We now have the lift installed in our garage and our bathroom has been renovated with a curbless shower, 5 foot turning radius, and grab bars.

The relief I feel can’t be put into words.

If you are ever in a similar situation to ours, Forevermore Homes can help you make a difficult time as worry and stress free as possible.

Geri C.,  Branford, CT