Mobility hacks

September 26, 2023 10:16 AM

For reasons, I can’t put weight on my right foot for an unknown period of time. I live alone. I can ask a few friends for help but I don’t really have someone who can drop by daily. I’m trying to project-manage this.

Friends have offered to help - and that’s great - but this impacts so many things and I have trouble guessing which of all my usually daily tasks will present unexpected hurdles. I want to ask for help in an organized, efficient way.

Surely there are professionals out there (home health aids maybe?) who are experts in setting up a home to make it more accessible for someone who suddenly experiences mobility issues, and have posted about this on the internet.

I have crutches, and my desk chair has wheels, and I can crawl a bit. Every option I have for movement hurts or strains another body part. I’m hungry right now but dreading getting out of bed and going to the kitchen.

I know lots of people deal with much, much worse. But this is still throwing me for a loop.

posted by bunderful to Health & Fitness (19 answers total)

Can you rent a manual wheelchair?
That could help a lot. You can hire them from hospitals; pharmacies and mobility equipment businesses.

Or you could even buy one of the less expensive manual wheelchairs from Amazon - they start at around US $141.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:29 AM on September 26, 2023

Can you keep a large supply of shelf stable snacks by your bed?
eg rice crackers
nuts
potato chips
roasted seaweed
small tins of tuna with ringpull tops (and spoons to go with them) ?

That way you can eat basic food without getting out of bed
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:31 AM on September 26, 2023

Knee scooter (example) ?
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:31 AM on September 26, 2023

A shower chair, so that you can sit down safely in the shower, can really help, too!
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:31 AM on September 26, 2023

Look into going occupational therapists. My insurance covered mine when I broke my leg and they helped me figure out how to get around and set things up for my new situation.
posted by kdar at 10:39 AM on September 26, 2023

Knee scooter is the way to go! Assuming your location is correct, here is a link to the home health agencies in your area. They may be able to help you find a scooter and provide you with assistance in the activities of daily living.

If you have a primary care physician, ask them if they can connect you with a social worker or Aging/Disability Resource Center that could also help you.
posted by notjustthefish at 10:40 AM on September 26, 2023

I just had this and I bought an iWalk (peg leg) which revolutionised the whole experience. If it can work for you (it doesn't for all conditions) I highly recommend. I could get on the bus and train even! Knee scooter can also be good depending on injury and location. I would have got a wheelchair if it had been for much longer or if I couldn't have used any of those.

Shopping deliveries were really helpful, and also a mental 'rota' of who can help with what, and where to turn if you just need to pay someone. Do you have a cast? I washed sitting on the edge of the bath and using the shower attachment on the bath taps, to keep the cast dry - easier than a shower.

Hang in there, it is hard <3
posted by tardigrade at 10:51 AM on September 26, 2023

Crutch pockets. Much easier than a tote bag for carrying things around, including a travel mug of coffee (just shove it in). See if you can get a friend to move your area rugs out of the way, if you have any. If you don’t want to get a shower seat, or if you don’t care for it, you can just wash your hair under the tub faucet (lean back on your elbows like you might have done as a kid). IF you can do it without creating a hazard, see if you can set up a rug or yoga mat between (let’s say) your bed and the toilet to make crawling easier. If you are in a position to get delivery, explain to the courier that you’re on crutches and will tip extra for having stuff brought right to your door. Hopefully you’ll be doing better by then, but there are ice tips for crutches (Fetternan, I believe) and cleats for your feet (try StabilIcers). Feel free to message me if you want more ideas for some specific issue (I have a prosthetic leg and sometimes have surgery on that knee).
posted by 8603 at 10:52 AM on September 26, 2023

I think an occupational therapist is the expert at figuring out how to do your ADLs (Activities of Daily Living). Most health insurance plans will pay at least part of the cost. Ask your doctor for a "prescription" for OT.
posted by metahawk at 11:01 AM on September 26, 2023

Yes, here to recommend the OT - ideally an in-home visit if possible.

A knee scooter can help a lot if it is appropriate to your restrictions, even if you only use it in the kitchen.

Please don't apologize for struggling when your primary form of locomotion is disrupted. This is HARD.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:10 AM on September 26, 2023

Some good advice above that I'd like to reinforce and put together a bit: Variety of posture and adaptive aids is important.

If you have access (and/or money) using loftstrand/elbow crutches, and an iwalk, and a knee scooter will help keep secondary over-use injuries to a minimum.

Also: it's not just allowable but important to feel free to decided what to spend your spoons on. You may only have so many steps you can take in a day, for example. If you need to receive some of those for a specific activity important for your wellbeing I strongly suggest investing other resources to reserve those steps for the important activity. Ex: If I have a rough period seizure-wise I will get groceries delivered and use my "going outside time" to enjoy my neighbourhood while I'm ok instead of my usual "lets walk for groceries because it's a task I like and I need food".

Lastly - I work in para sport and experience has shown me time and time again that every change in ability/disability (even those that are transient or temporary changes) comes with it some sense of loss and mourning. Knowing enough about yourself to reach out for coping strategies is a really good start! Do you also have an opportunity to seek resources for your mental and emotional health? You don't need any of us to "give you permission" but I really want to point this out incase it was something you missed in the rest of (gestuers wildy) all this.

My very best wishes for some smoother sailing.
posted by mce at 11:58 AM on September 26, 2023

I used a fanny pack and backpack to carry lots of things I may need, so that I didn’t have to run around the house. Things like - dental floss, pen and paper, lighter, whatever you’d get up to grab often.

I kept a kettle by my bed with instant coffee, tea, and soup, on top of a puppy pee pad in case anything spilled.

I was surprised by how willing strangers were to help - try Nextdoor or your local buy nothing group. I would call out to people walking by to help me carry my knee scooter off the porch so I could go somewhere, and they usually obliged. Be shameless.

Get outside as much as possible, even if it’s only to sit in the yard or on the porch. Even seeing people go by helps with social isolation.

Going up and down the stairs on your butt is my favourite way, although I feel you on the fact that it strains other body parts. I have wrist issues so it did exacerbate those. Still, scooting around that way was easier than crawling. You could even order one of those little flat kid scooters, depending on your injury. I didn’t because I had foot surgery and it was crucial not to bump it.

Cannabis helped with the pain and boredom.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to memail me. I’ve had five foot surgeries and many months where one was taken out of commission by a minor injury, and although I was lucky enough not to live alone for them, I did figure out how to do a lot of things myself because I like to be independent. Wishing you the best of luck and I hope you make a speedy recovery.
posted by wheatlets at 12:12 PM on September 26, 2023

I also recommend an iWalk. I could only use it in my house and used crutches when I had to go anywhere. Also, it hurt my hip if I used it too long and didn't rest every so often. But overall, it made household tasks a lot easier.
posted by Leontine at 12:52 PM on September 26, 2023

Strong agree with rental wheelchair, occupational therapy, crutch pocket, grocery delivery. I also recommend renting or buying a rolling table.

Do not get a knee scooter, peg leg, or other similar weight bearing item without approval from your OT. I was non weight bearing on my leg due to a hip injury, none of these things would have worked for me.

Do you have money for this problem? If you do, hire housekeeper, meal delivery, home health once a week to run errands, and even home health to help you shower if that’s hard for you. A good task for your friend is to help hire these professionals.
posted by shock muppet at 4:08 PM on September 26, 2023

Also: might be worth buying a bedpan/urinal in case you have moments when you just cannot make it out of bed to the toilet due to pain. Even if you only use it once or twice a week, you might be really glad that you have it.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 8:35 PM on September 26, 2023

Former severe-ankle-injury-haver here to strongly recommend renting or borrowing a "commode chair" over a bedpan, if getting to the restroom is too difficult sometimes. Bedpans are super awkward and potentially messy to use in bed. Commode chairs can be placed right next to the bed so they're easy to transfer to without putting weight on your feet and, IMO are much easier to use and more dignified.

This does assume you either have someone to empty it for you, or you can empty it at other times when you're more mobile.

(Full disclosure, I am coming at this from the perspective of someone who does not have a penis. It's possible portable urinals are useful and pleasant for folks with that anatomy -- I'm honestly not sure.)
posted by cnidaria at 9:07 PM on September 26, 2023

From recent experience: a knee scooter''s large turning radius was a mismatch for our narrow hall resulting in a lot of backing and filling. It rented for $100/month.

Wheel chairs come in two types. Push chairs have small wheels. Real wheelchairs have big wheels that you use to move yourself around which is what you would want. Those wheels make them wide, too wide for our narrow bathroom doors. Advertised widths for wheelchairs are not to be trusted. Curiously, I could have rented one for $50/month.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:02 AM on September 27, 2023

The people I know who use crutches long term swear by these crutches, which leave your hands freer and also don't hurt your armpits/shoulders as much as typical crutches.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 6:31 AM on September 27, 2023

I want to thank you all for your thoughtful advice. It was a worrisome and uncomfortable couple of days but happily I’m now in a brace and life is much improved.
posted by bunderful at 1:49 PM on October 5, 2023