Falls: Rearranging our house and lives to prevent (or accommodate) them

Don has been falling a lot more these days, so today we had a visit from an Occupational Therapist to evaluate and make suggestions on how to make things around the house safer and perhaps prevent some of these falls.  She made some good suggestions and we acted on a couple of them right away.  We have removed the sliding glass doors from the shower (Don had fallen against them from the outside and knocked them off the bottom track); I have replaced them with a shower curtain.  We still need to get another grab-bar up high near the toilet so he can hold on while he pulls his pants up.  She also, strongly encouraged him to use the toilet from a seated position, only.  We will also be getting a bench type shower chair so he can sit; then slide into the shower in a seated position.  We plan to put the rails back on his hospital bed and re-install the trapeze so he can use it for repositioning himself in bed.  We will also be looking into getting a security pole to place beside his bed to give him help in getting to a standing position when getting out of bed.  We also, went to look at lift chairs and ended up buying one...it is SO COMFY and really helps him to stand from a seated position. Several months ago we had rugs and carpets removed and installed laminate wood flooring  to prevent tripping.  After all of this...I was just dozing off for a little nap when my cellphone rang and it was Don (he keeps his cellphone on a lanyard around his neck)....I didn't know that he had decided to go outside and bring in the trash can...he was calling me to say he was in the carport and needed help.  I went out the backdoor and found him face down on the driveway; lodged between his power chair, his scooter and his manual wheelchair.  He was not hurt, but just couldn't get up...I put the removable seat cushion from the wheelchair under his head and got a sleeping mat from the camping gear in the shed, to put under his knees.  He tried for several minutes to get his bottom to raise up so he could get to his knees; then finally told me to get the retired Master Sargent from across the street. With the two of us, one on either side of him, we were able to get him on his feet and seated in his power chair.  About a month ago he fell backwards down the back steps while I was trying to unlock the backdoor...I grabbed for him, but to no avail.  He just curled up in a ball and rolled to the bottom of the steps; again, he was not hurt...but I was a wreck!
He is sure cashing in on his athletic abilities/training...I'm sure if I had fallen as many times as he has, I would have broken many bones and would display many scars, at the very least. We'll keep working on all the safety options, but, honestly, Don says he can never tell when he will fall...his legs just suddenly give way and he ends up "on the deck".  It's not like he gets any warning or can tell what might cause him to go down.  Sitting to remain mobile is his best option now...sounds like a contradiction, but, really...it's harder to fall when you are sitting.

For the Bookshelf

Two more great finds for our Parkinson's library.  First, "Parkinson's Disease: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier" by Shelley Peterman Schwarz; I didn't think that after more than 20 years of living with PD in our home that there would be anything that we hadn't tried to make life easier...but...this book is filled with wonderful suggestions for making everyday life at home and while traveling or having an evening out, easier and there were several things that we had never heard about or considered; we will be trying some of these out shortly.  If you or a loved one is newly diagnosed with PD this book is worth every penny of the $16.95 price tag. Next, Parkinson's Disease: A Complete Guide for Patients & Families by William J. Weiner, M.D, Lisa M. Shulman, M.D. and Anthony E. Lang, M.D., F.R.C.P., is exactly what it claims to be: "a comprehensive resource for coping with medical, emotional and practical challenges" of Parkinson's Disease.  This book, published by Johns Hopkins University Press is the most comprehensive and up-to-date book that we have found on PD and , while it is very thorough in covering all aspects of the disease, it is very easy to read and to understand; not steeped in complex medical language and doctor talk.  If you only had one resource for your information about Parkinson's, this would be the one we would choose.

These are a few of our favorite things....

Sometimes it's just the little things that make living with Parkinson's more manageable.  Here are some of the things that we have found most helpful:
          1. Shoes with velcro fasteners
          2. Pullover shirts and pants with elastic waistbands
          3. Electric toothbrushes
          4. Plastic urinals (one hooked over a bedside wastebasket and one under the front
                passenger seat in the car)
          5. Bottled water and an extra pill box with a day's supply of medications in the car
          6. A change of clothing in the car (especially underwear)
          7. Adult sized bibs or cover-all aprons
          8. A plate guard (useful to carry in a tote bag when eating out as well as at home)
               Also, foam handle grips for spoons and knives.
   9. A T-handle rocker knife and case (great for cutting food; also carry in tote
                  bag when eating out)
         10. Office chair mats (keeps carpets clean next to bed;under dining chair or recliner)
         11. Grabbers and telescoping magnets
         12. Velcro to replace buttons on shirts (remove buttons and sew them on over the
                buttonholes so  they look like the shirt is buttoned up, then sew velcro behind
                the buttonholes and on the other side, where the buttons were removed)
         13. Rubberized shelfpaper as placemats so dishes don't slide easily
         14. Cereal dispensers, Large storage containers for chips, snacks and
                crackers/cookies (saves the frustration of opening boxes and bags)
         15. Touch lamp on the nightstand (easy to turn on at night)
         16. Lighted digital clock on nightstand
         17. Door levers rather than knobs
         18. Phonebook card holder for playing cards (take an old phonebook to a copy center that has an electric paper cutter and have them cut the book about 1 1/2 inches from the spine; discard the loose pages and with the spine resting on a table and holding the pages together very tightly, wrap masking tape around the "book" lengthwise, securing the ends and leaving the cut edges of the pages to hold playing cards) a clean/new hairbrush will also serve nicely for this purpose
         19. A lanyard for the cellphone keeps it hanging handily around the neck (we both have cell phones and use them often to save steps around the house and when shopping in stores; they are a must have when help is needed because of a fall or freezing)
         20. Book rest or laptop table (wonderful to keep books, iPads, laptops, etc. steady when reading)