This tsunami…… Is it you? Your Significant Other? A Mother, Father, special Relative or All of these? I heard the term gray tsunami from my RMT on Massage Wednesday in town – she is recently back from a professional conference in Vancouver dealing with the topic of aging (mostly boomers, who else?) who will soon be tearing through old age like they have torn through every life event in their path to date.
Back upstairs we stroll to your living and dining areas. Do you have area rugs? are they firm on the ground or do they slip. I often catch my foot on the edges of mine which makes for a nasty tripping hazard. Get a no slip mat under all your rugs now. Speaking from experience this is a production best tackled and completed before the effects of aging set in. Getting it right is tricky and time-consuming. Take a walk around the floor and observe your surroundings and decor. Step out to a deck or balcony – is it a small step or big one.
Here’s a thought. Get yourself a hiking pole ( it’s what I use rather than a cane) and try walking around your house with it , including stairs. This will be a good approximation for how you may be navigating after your hip or knee replacement. Or try using a walker to get around. It’s likely harder than you think so please be careful – think one step ahead at all times, stop chit-chatting with your friend and concentrate on the task at hand. This is how accidents happen You think your situation can’t get any worse – You are sooooo wrong. A twisted ankle or a broken arm will make your life infinitely more miserable.
Think about your comfort and convenience everywhere you go. Once it takes you 10 or 15 minutes to get to your office from the den, maybe you might want to keep a sweet little blanket in your office in case it gets chilly there. Small things really but with a little planning you can ensure you maintain your accustomed high level of comfort and happiness wherever you are in your beautiful home. I keep a couple of magazines on my upper deck,tucked between some pillows should I decide to sit outside and need a little something to occupy my mind. And there are several blankets and throws within easy reach should I want one.
Do you have a chair that is yours alone – purchased for you and calibrated over time for your use and comfort? Or do you share one with your spouse or Significant Other? My husband purchased me a recliner about a month after I left the hospital and I’m sitting in it now, Thursday night,as we watch Battlestar Galactica on Netflix and I write this blog for tomorrow’s post. It’s very comfortable and it reclines so I can move around, changing positions to keep all my parts awake and not stiffening. I also have an Obus Forme back rest that I use with the chair now and then. A blanket is an arms reach away. You’ll want a side table with this setup to rest your green tea or water bottle on
Your Private Space
Continue walking around your house with your pole, cane or walker noting how things are working for you. Can you reach your fireplace mantle or high shelves for candles and matches? How is your lighting? For reading? Do you have a room for yourself – a wee bolt-hole to get away from it all where you can be alone and un-disturbed should you choose?
If you don’t consider for a moment which room in your house may be re-purposed for this. I love my wee office (it used to be a main floor guest room), with pretty things, candles and such where I can go and be quiet, un-observed, alone, doing whatever I want, whenever I want with a door I can close, but rarely do. My husband has his own office above the detached garage (its also a Media Room that he had custom built to his requirements a few years ago.)
Part 3 tomorrow, will be about kitchens, Part 4 on Gardens and outdoor space and I think Part 5 will be about pets
I’m proud of you mountain girl. Keep it up.