My parents are currently converting the downstairs loo/shower into a wet room for my dear mum, who has CBD. The dining room will then be converted into her bedroom. I’d be so grateful for any tips. The bathroom has grab rails and a raised toilet. We need to order a shower stool/chair, as we’ve opted not to have one fixed to the wall. Would it be better to keep the laminate flooring in the new bedroom or have the room carpeted? She is still able to walk, but increasingly frail and we use a wheelchair for longer outings.
Many thanks.
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PeterPanandLostBoys
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Hi, If you go into the search box [top right] and put in 'garage conversion' posted by Pspuser 9 months ago there were 24 replies to that post and all very useful. Good luck AliBee x
Hi, lots of advice in previous posts. My penny's worth - don't carpet the bedroom, it's harder to move wheelchairs and other equipment, and it's harder to keep clean. I'm debating the right time to remove the existing carpet in our bedroom. Have spent considerable time mopping up after falls (with nose bleeds), and I tend to swear whenever I need to turn the Sara Stedy or move the hospital bed 🤬. Otherwise - well done for getting her to the ground floor and taking stairs out of the equation 🤗
yes, do keep the laminated flooring. Easy to manoeuvre wheelchairs and to keep the floor clean. We have taken out carpets from the whole flat and it’s been worth every penny. All the best.
hello, my husband has PSP and we converted our garage into bedroom and wet room. (Our downstairs is open plan hence using the garage).
Definitely keep laminate floor, it is easier to push a wheelchair also easier to clean up spills etc. The OT has supplied us with a brilliant shower chair/commode. We use this to transfer him from his bed to the rise recliner. We find the shower chair more manoeuvrable than the wheelchair. I agree that a shower chair is better than having a fixed seat to the wall. There is less transferring and you can get round the person to was them.
I have been surprised at how much room you need with carers and equipment. An idea to have the sink at a height that you can get a wheelchair under. We put in underfloor heating so we didn’t have radiators taking up space or to fall against.
Hi, the builders should be coming on Monday to start our garage conversion. We approached the council who awarded us a Discretionary Adaptations Grant (DAG). Unlike a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFC), this is not means tested, but has to be paid back (less £5000) when the title of the house changes, basically when the house is sold.
The other big advantage is that the grant agent from the council did all the plans and arrange the builder.
It seems that you have probably gone beyond this stage now, but it may still be worth talking to the OT.
(Ammendment: probably the best advice is to get OT involved)
Some item to consider.
Make sure doors are wide enough for a wheelchair.
Have safety door levers (the ends turn in so they are less likely to catch on clothing) rather than knobs
Ideally a wet room should be at least 2m by 2m to allow for turning a wheelchair.
Sink, towel rails, toilet roll holder should be at a height suitable for a wheelchair user. Taps on sink & shower need to be easy to use.
If she is using a walking stick consider where she will put it when using the facilities. My wife was constantly knocking hers over, and then wasn’t able to pick it up.
We now have walking stick holder ties. Sorry but can’t seem to add a link. Got them from Amazon. They wrap around the stick with a bit sticking out to hook the stick onto things
If you can, fit a pocket door or have the door opening outwards.
Carpets are generally not recommended, they make it much harder to push/turn a wheelchair. Also, people with PSP tend to have problems with getting to the loo on time. I think this also applies to CBD.
My wife has a shower chair at the moment. It does help, but make sure it is right back against the wall, this was provided by the OT, they wouldn’t fit a seat to the wall because it is not a solid wall. The new wetroom will have a seat. I think they are better, provided the wall is good.
Plenty of sockets. I still need to sort this out as I don’t know how many the council will provide, but you don’t want extension leads anywhere someone may trip. I’m going to have some on every wall, even if I can’t think of a reason why I would want one there. Have some sockets with built in USB chargers.
Not directly related to your question, but hopefully useful.
If she hasn’t ‘banked’ her voice yet, now is the time.
My wife’s repaired voice is not as good as I hoped, and at the moment she doesn’t need it, but if you leave it until she does, then it may be too late. PSPA will pay for it, search PSPA, voice banking. The SLT at the hospital helped her with the recording.
we have this for my mum who now lives with us. We now use a moveable shower chair, before she stood using the hand rails . We have wood laminate in bedroom and hospital style floor in wet room. Wet room is a godsend.
Carpet would have been easier to stop falls, we had a stuck down rug but to be honest she had so many continence accidents that we stopped putting it down. Laminate much easier to clean quickly.
Having been in the flooring business a long time I would recommend getting rid of the laminate , too slippery either wet or dry . Look at safety flooring , it’s by far the best thing , it’s not cheap but easy to clean, sanitize and not slippery even when wet . We’ve not only put it in the wet room but also in the room where our sister in law now has her hospital bed 👍
Try to keep the floor levels the same when moving from one room to another as even a tiny lip makes it difficult on the small wheels of a SaraSteady or electric hoist.
Invest in an electric wash/dry bidet seat that can go on your loo - we are on our second R FLORY FDB300 Electronic Smart Bidet Seat Bidet from Amazon. Good value, easy enough for handyman to fit and dignity is retained (even though we now have to push the control buttons for Ruth).
Avoid carpets. A continuous carpet or a non-slip wooden floor is better. Mel547 suggeestion is an excellent option.
Put rubber corner protectors on the corners of furniture to minimize injuries resulting from possible falls.
Use mechanical wheelchairs with seat belt and anti-bedsore cushions (our anti-bedsores cushions: SYSTAM and JAY - Sunrise Medical Ltd or similar) There are also air bubble mattresses with changing pressure that prevent a certain part of the back from being continuously subjected to the pressure exerted by the weight of the body. Make suitable changes in the bathroom. Set up handrails on each side of the bed. Make use of an articulated bed. Also use a plastic wheelchair (type ETAC) special for hygiene and shower.
During the time that the patient was not in bed, we used an articulated chair (power recliner) with an anti-bedsore cushion that allowed the legs to be arranged horizontally.
Plastic wheelchair (type ETAC) special for hygiene and shower
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Advice for renovating a bathroom
