BEYOND RAMPS AND HANDRAILS
A house to please the senses
BY:CHUCK OAKES
When I started taking care of my parents, I knew three things: I wanted them always to remain comfortable, to be able to age at home and to have their home continue to reflect their interests. I was concerned about both their quality of life and their health.
I like to tinker, so when I noticed my dad was having trouble reaching a table-lamp switch, I began to reevaluate his mobility, agility and access to necessities. My solution: extension cords with a foot-switch feature. I plugged the table lamp into one of these cords; I then draped the cord over the arm of his chair, placing the switch within reach so that he could turn the light on or off with a tap of his hand or elbow. I later secured one to my mother's bedrail. This allowed her to activate a light I'd installed under her bed to illuminate a path toward the bathroom to ensure safe nighttime passage.
Beyond safety and convenience, however, I'm convinced that it's how we remain connected to our surroundings that can influence our wellness and happiness.
Mom has a strong aesthetic sense and, though partially blind, she still enjoys vivid colors. I've placed a vibrant hanging plant outside her bedroom window so that she sees it immediately upon awakening. This "point of color" provides a cheerful and positive start to her day. She enjoys the visual stimulation of the flowers I've placed throughout her home-mainly artificial to minimize maintenance. A small waterfall in her inside patio and wind chimes in her garden provide sounds that are soothing and enjoyable.
After my father passed away last year, my family and I designed a backyard memorial garden in his honor, putting a great deal of thought into its placement and design. My mother chose the colors of the flowers; due to her limited sight, she has definite preferences. As it turns out, the colors are close to those of Dad's alma mater, the University of Michigan. We made sure the garden can be seen from various points around the house and from wheelchair height. It recently got a makeover when I was finally able to place (with great difficulty!) a five-foot, 400-pound statue of a sailboat I'd ordered many months prior. Since my family loved sailing on Long Island Sound, this is a fitting tribute to a great dad, husband, friend and sailor.
My brother and I were HO-scale model-railroad enthusiasts when we were young. An extension of this earlier pastime is a larger G scale garden railway I built for my folks. (Editor's note: Garden Railways Magazine and www.trains.com can help you get started, if this sounds like fun.) As I laid the tracks, I was careful to maintain the integrity of my parents' mature garden—you actually don't see the railway unless you're practically on top of it.
Even with her macular degeneration, it's important to Mom that she maintain her creativity and contribute to her surroundings. Lately she's been painting small, unfinished birdhouses. Since they're the same scale as the railroad, I've now placed them throughout the garden, along the train's path. You just can't be sad or depressed when the train, with whistle blowing, comes chugging out of the pachysandra, winding past those bright mini-birdhouses.
Every day brings an opportunity to protect as well as support and nurture—we just need to remember that the fragrance of a rose or the sound of the wind in the trees can make life more meaningful.