So for the past few years, my grandfather has been in and out of the hospital for different surgeries on his foot. He has diabetes and it has been affecting different parts of his body. He recently came home from a rehab that he had to stay at when he got out of his most recent visit to the hospital. I live with my grandfather and we are currently trying to make our house accessible to him.
He isn't able to walk and has very weak arms and legs from not being able to do anything for days on end. It's very hard to make our house accessible to him since we live in a house with two floors, and a basement. His room is upstairs and while I'm at work today, my aunt will be switching my room with my grandfather's. We just got a new recliner chair that makes it easier for my grandfather to get ino his wheelchair. We're now in the process of trying to get a ramp for him outside, either an actual ramp or one of those portable ones. Also, he isn't able to get out of his bed due to a recent injury to his neck from falling so many times and a hospital bed that would allow him to sit up and get up costs about $10,000, which we don't have.
I could keep going on and on, but I won't because I'm pretty sure you get the basic idea. My point in all of this is that there should be a lot better equiped and accessible things for handicapped people. Houses should be better built for unexpected circumstances like this, or costs shouldn't be so much so it would be easier to make things accessible in one's home. And it's hard for us to watch him and make sure he's okay because none of us are home during the week. Our house isn't the safest place for him right now, and I know he isn't the only one with this problem. :/
I agree Colleen handicapped accesibility is very hard to come by. I have a 14 year old brother who is in a wheelchair and not getting any easier to carry upstairs to his bedroom. This campus also struggles a little with accomidating those in wheel chairs. I'm also a theatre major and the only way to aaccess the theatre department is by walking down stairs... so if someone confind to a wheelchaiar would ever like to participate in theatre... they can't.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I used to be a theatre major and I noticed that.
ReplyDeleteOh, man. This is such a crucial issue with the Bridgewater campus!! I had a brother who had cerebral palsy until he passed away when he was 4. If he were alive today, he would be confided in a wheelchair as well. I am totally with you both as far as feeling that B'Water needs to step it up and make campus more handicap accessible.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that there are other areas on campus like the theatre dept. Actually, now that I think about it, Hunt hall isn't handicap accessible. God, I hope they make it so with the new addition! It's sad that the college hasn't done so already to other areas....
I think this is such a valid point. There is a handicapped man in my Biology class and watching him struggle every class to get into the class, to get into the bathroom, just to learn makes me feel really badly for him. I wish there was more that I could do. So I agree that Bridgewater needs to step it up.
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