Mom's Out of the Hospital

Mom got out of the hospital a week ago today. She had knee surgery the Thursday of that week. They were hoping to get her out by Saturday, but Lee-Anne and I had difficulty finding some of the items needed for her to be discharged.

They wanted us to buy a walker and rent a wheelchair with an elevated left leg rest. Unfortunately, most pharmacies are closed on the weekends and the places that were open didn't have a wheelchair to her specifications. On Sunday, we discussed the situation with the specialist at the hospital, and she agreed that we could bring her home so long as we had a walker and a travel wheelchair, and promised to get her a standard one with an elevated left leg rest the next day. I think they really needed the bed.

If you want to know what a travel wheelchair is, it's one that doesn't have the big wheels in front, so the person can't move themselves and they need someone to push them. We did rent a proper one with an elevated left leg rest the next day, as well as an elevated toilet seat and a grabbing stick. We're fortunate that we already had a shower chair.

I must say, I was surprised that everything was as cheap as it was. At work, I hear members talking about how their accessibility equipment costs thousands of dollars. So I was a little intimidated, and surprised that renting the travel wheelchair for a week was only $40. Buying it would have been $400, which is still cheaper than I expected. The walker cost $60. 

I suppose the people I know that use accessibility tools have had modifications done, and got better quality versions because of the long-term nature of their expected use. That probably pushes the price up, and we got pretty entry-level stuff.

Although we'll be using these things a bit longer than short term. She's projected to need a brace for the next six months or so.

We're lucky that they live as near to us as they do, and that they live on the ground floor of their apartment. Me, Lee-Anne and my brother have alternated going out for walks with her. If this had happened in Guelph and they were still in their basement apartment, that would have been rough.

Of course, then you think that if she had been in Guelph she wouldn't have been hit in the first place. I tend to find ways to blame myself, so I was thinking that maybe the driving in Kitchener is just not what she's used to. But really, this wasn't a situation typical of the city. It could have happened anywhere.