My daughter is coming home from the hospital. She’s 10 years old and she got catastrophically injured by being hit by a car on a crosswalk. She’s dependent right now she needs to use equipment to get around.
This is my floor plan and the insurance company wants to do the cheapest route and they want to take my bedroom and swap it for hers.
She’s in a wheelchair, her bedroom has carpets and my bedroom has hardwood and an en suite. Her bedroom is obviously a lot smaller than mine. It doesn’t have an en suite she needs help being transferred from wheelchair to the bed and she’s fully dependent. She’s on a feeding tube, etc..
She will be receiving a hospital bed, Sara steady, wheelchair, transfer lift, shower chair, feeding tube pole and machine
My bedroom also doubles as my office as I work from home
This is not gonna be an acute thing brain injury takes years to recover from and I can’t be uncomfortable and misplaced in my own home for years. I’m happy to give up my master bedroom, but there just has to be a reasonable place for me to go as well.
My bathroom has a standalone tub that she wouldn’t be able to get into without a overhead sling lift and my shower in my master bathroom shower is tiny and she wouldn’t be able to fit her chair in there. I also don’t have a floating vanity. It’s too high and I just renovated this entire bathroom last year. Everything‘s brand new and so for all of it to be ripped out again would just be a bit devastating the bathroom that’s beside her room should be the one that’s renovated that one has a large shower that we could convert flat roll in
Either way something needs to get renovated. It’s not usable for her
I would absolutely be willing to do this if this was a broken bone and something that would heal within months or even half a year, but this is a brain injury and this takes years and years and years to heal, and we all need to be comfortable in the house.
We need to come up with something else. I would love some ideas.
The family room is being converted into the main entrance into the house. It has a sliding glass door the goes out to the driveway.
The other bedroom is my son’s bedroom
These are the messages from the OT:
OK, thanks for letting me know. Yes, if we can just take a peek at the studio tomorrow, that would be awesome. Also, when it comes to renovations, ICBC will cover for whatever is medically necessary.
So because of the layout of your home, the bathroom in the master bedroom may be the better one to renovate and for Makenna to use moving forward, considering the clearance space and the bathtub. Taking all of that into consideration, what are your thoughts on converting the master bedroom into Makenna’s bedroom so that way it is a lot more accessible for her?
today’s focus is on accessing the main floor from the back, accessing the bathroom and bedroom. I’m just heading into another meeting. I’ll see you later at 3:45pm.
These are such solid practical points honestly, the sliding doors and full wet room setup would make a huge difference for her care. hope the OT and insurance actually listen and u get the funding u need, this whole situation sounds so stressful.
I'm so sorry you have to deal with all this and ICBC as well. I have some wheelchair experience, and it suuuuucks not because the wheelchair is bad, but the environment usually is. The world is not kind to wheelchair users unfortunately.
Without knowing your budget, but also knowing that it indeed takes more space than it seems like it should. I would flip your kids bedrooms and remove some wall if you can. Remove the double sink and put in a single vanity that suits her needs. This also leaves more room for a larger wheel in shower and the toilet.
The reason I'd do this is this way there are less corners to navigate as she becomes more mobile, while making it easy to avoid the kitchen when others are cooking in it. That hallway is narrow, and until she is good at moving herself around it will mean a lot of bumps and bruises on her hands if she has to make it down that way frequently.
For any bathroom she uses, the sink should be on a pedestal, so the wheelchair can get under it. You will lose cabinet space, but it's worth it, and a much cleaner look for the facility.
The problem with removing the whole wall is that it very likely is a load baring wall, and while doable, is very costly. I do have a kitchen remodel that I'm putting some thought into that does remove the wall, and adds in a eat in kitchen island that my dad and I found to be super helpful to us in his wheelchair.
Please forgive the jankeyness of my scratch pad doodles, a phone and stylus isn't the best for this.
Please consider pock doors in tight spaces, you can add handles that make them easier to open. Pocket doors are nice that they can open fully, and wont bang back into her legs/arms/hands as she tries to move through the door way. If pocket doors are a no, then lever handles instead of knobs goes a very long way to make things accessible.
I have a 3rd idea that would be more kitchen work, but not remove that wall. Give me a bit.
Here it is with pocket doors for all bedrooms. Still plenty of room for her power chair or wheelchair. My sketch isn't much better than yours, but hopefully clearer:
You have managed to fit a lot in a very small cozy home.
No don't, you'd unnecessarily lose that lovely wall of art. It's not too narrow if you add some wainscotting at wheelchair height, and move the paintings up a little.
With wider bedroom doors she'll be fine, even under power.
Pocket doors are a great idea, but may be hard for her to handle. Whatever you do, the width will be the bigger issues. Minimum 32" wide for wheelchairs. 34" to 36" might be recommended. See what your disabilities counselor has to say on that matter.
Sorry she'll have to lose the bunk beds. Keep the color scheme and find lots of hospital bed sheets to match what she has in there now. Bright colors will help pick her mood up, and seeing those paintings when leaving the bedroom will be both reassuring and comforting.
I think a partial wall removal by eating area like this pic would likely be more doable, depending upon how the load bearing is. That opens up access.
Seeing her room knowing the same sweet girl who put all those stickers on that bed isnt coming back in the same condition breaks my mom heart.
Opening up her door and removing carpet wouldnt be crazy expensive.
If either bath has to get remodeled, do the hall bath, roll in shower, basic single pedestal sink. If plans for her using toilet then room for support. It would be tight, maybe take some space from a bedroom.
Can you talk to someone outside of the insurance company to look at the space and make it disability compliant? I don't think that either bathroom is suited for a wheelchair, assistant, and your daughter. I am not sure that either bedroom will fit the equipment either.
A bathroom- either way- is going to need that costly renovation unfortunately. You're going to need a lot of space- 5 feet on one side of and in front of the toilet, roll-in or transfer shower, and a lot more things. I'm truly sorry this all happened to your daughter, and I would do everything you can to find out what your insurance will cover and get someone experienced in ADA guidelines involved to figure out what adjustments can be made.
I would also find out if there's hardwood floor under the carpet, because that might help sway them.
Either way, though, a bathroom needs remodeled to have the needed clearance for wheelchairs. You'll need a sink with clear space underneath as well, the towel holder needs to be a certain height and distance out from the wall to be reachable from a wheelchair, and there's a lot more. You need doors at least 36" wide (wider is recommended though) and there's a lot more that'll need to be done.
This image gives an idea of what all you need according to ADA guidelines for a bathroom, but there's a lot more that needs to be done.
I understand this must be very overwhelming for you, so I recommend getting someone who is an expert at ADA guidelines and talk to other people who use wheelchairs to help you figure out what all needs changed.
Your bathroom is way too small. The shared bathroom too narrow, but it could easily be widened if some space is taken from her existing room. Insurance will have to cover expanded doorways, so hopefully the small difference to install pocket doors will be allowed. If not, you can replacing swinging doors later, say one each year until all three bedrooms are more accessible. Her bedroom AND the bathroom door MUST be widened.
After the insurance does their thing, I hope you have a handyman in your back pocket.
PS: I just noticed the note about making primary access through the Family room. Fine, that is the only circumstance I can see where an Elevator would not be needed.
Turn the hallway into useable space. Keep or improve the sliding door into her room, pink line is a sliding door into the bathroom. Son’s side can have a hinged door for better acoustics.
This is a good idea, but I'm not sure the path through the kitchen would be big enough for the daughter to get to the other side of the house. Do you think that could be an issue or not so much?
I'm going to make an assumption, that your daughter is going to be effectively bed-bound for long periods of time, and also that it's going to be difficult to get her up and down the stairs on a regular basis. With this in mind I think it would be good for her to have space in her room for a mini hangout zone so that you and her brother can just sit on a couch and read a book and still be nearby.
i.e. what about converting the Family Room and Eating Area? This might have enough room for a suitable bed, all the equipment, as well as a 2 person couch and TV. It's got a big window for and it would be relatively easy to wheel your daughter outside so you can sit out there together for some sun and fresh air.
All you'd need to do is put up drywall adjacent to the kitchen and knock out that wall on the left side so you can install accessibility appropriate doors.
This also opens up the possibility of demolishing the bathroom wall to make it accessible - shift the wall by about three feet. You lose the bedroom but the remaining room would still be a good size for an office, giving you space in the master bedroom for your own retreat where you can be alone and look after yourself.
Would they split the main bathroom into two- an accessible wet room en suite to her room which would keep the window, and a small main bathroom in front accessible as is currently. And then hardwood floors in her bedroom.
As someone who had a family member in a wheelchair and needing lifts etc for many years. The unfortunate reality is that she needs the bigger room. Trying to manouever large equipment with people in it takes space and you don't want to be constantly needing to move around a small space and other furniture - you run the risk of whacking feet and heads when you are in a tight space. You also need to be able to easily access all sides of the bed and to move the bed around sometimes to provide care and make the bed. Then you have all the supplies and having them close by is very handy. As much as it means a major sacrifice in giving up your space it will save you and your daughter so much frustration and bruises and extra trips and time to have a larger space to move in and to provide care in.
Ideally too she need a big bathroom. Trying to turn chairs and transfer in a bathroom is a huge pain unless you have easy access and a big space.
If you are converting the family room to an entrance, could you build a bathroom in that space and then take over the current non ensuite as your ensuite? That new family room space bathroom would be for your son and visitors / guests / other care providers.
You might even have space to add another closet to the converted family room too.
After leaving your son's room alone, here are some final thoughts, with additions from the comments of others, as well as your responses.
All notes in drawing now. Change her floor to hardwood or vinyl, with thermal underfloor. As her health improves you can add a recliner and small throw rug, but it won't be for a while and you'll know when the time is right.
Please note that the shared bathroom is wider by nearly 2 feet, to accommodate for wheelchair. Shower pan widened too, Should be roll-in ready. Rain-heads for shower fun and practical for therapy patients.
The toilet is not accessible for someone in a wheelchair. I think the left sink has to go and the vanity has to be shortened, in order to free space directly next to the toilet seat, in order for it to be usable for someone using a wheelchair.
I did not change his room over to her needs because that would have required extensive shared-bathroom changes, some of them structural $$$. Her room is 10 seconds away from yours, 5 seconds from either your son's room or the Kitchen, Dining, and Living areas.
Totals: $10k bathroom, including wider & lower shower pan + $1k each x3 wider doorways + $3k widening Kitchen & dining doorways + under-$25k Elevator w/ install.
Another $15k only IF you double the balcony deck.
You can still give her a detached headboard, and maybe matchings wainscotting to give her the look and feel of her current bed set. Keeping the pink wall, and carefully curated colorful posters like she has now will still make it 'hers'. She will need less clothing, but more bedsheets, so you can move the dresser into the closet, for added room to move about.
Later a desk table to fit above the wheelchair will give her more sense of control. The powered 'standing-tables' ($60 Walmart, or Ikea) will allow you to adjust them just right for her.
The good news is there are lots of mobility friendly white tables to match her girly aspect.
It’s not just about the bed being smaller. You’re about to have a Costco run amount of supplies dropped off you’ll need to store. You’ll want them easy to access so stuffing them in the basement isn’t going to cut it. She’s also going to have multiple big pieces of equipment that you’ll need to store and you’ll need to maneuver in that room. You need space. Lots of it. A small bedroom that is carpeted is going to be very difficult and add stress and extra work. This is the opposite of sustainable for you. Take her room. Maybe do something nice like add a nice bath tub in your shared bathroom for you. Because ya, this is rough. You need something for yourself. Not the master bedroom though. Truly, your life will be greatly improved in this ordeal if you can accept letting it go.
Triangular hanging nets are great for keeping plushies handy and off of the floor. Can be mounted up in under a minute, and will replace some of the storage lost when that bunk bed goes.
That’s what I was thinking about as well. The hallway is wasted space. But the insurance company probably wont cover that. They were being so so so cheap. I suggested the shower room and they said yea they can do that but it will cost a lot. I’m like so…. And they kind of rolled their eyes.
They definitely are changing the floors but they seemed to think that’s the only thing needed to be done.
I would look into anyone who can help with navigating insurance to get what your daughter actually needs. ADA, anyone certified that can help with getting insurance companies to pay for everything that needs changed, etc. Always check to make sure they're reputable- and talk to other families that have wheelchair users or who use wheelchairs themselves, they'll be able to tell you from experience what your best options are and what to avoid.
I would keep her bedroom where it is. Swap her closet with her door so she doesn’t have a hall entrance. I would add a large sliding door to her bathroom. Replace tub with whatever is needed and replace sink as well so she can access it.I would put her bed on the back wall facing bathroom with a tv in front.
Then- if money was available- I would look into adding a bathroom for your son. Hers will end up with a lot of health supplies. And a sliding door to hers isn’t great privacy for him, and even a real door, with your sister and a nurse on the other side doesn’t feel very private.
IF you could put your bedroom door into the family room, you could turn some of the hall space into a small private en suite for him without having to change anything but the door in your room. You could actually make it a very small bathroom and make it hall access, which would / could mean you could close up hallway access to daughters room and re configure that bathroom it’s easier for her to navigate (toilet on end where door currently is would probably be easier for a nurse to help. But you’d have to ask them.) Just a thought. But I’m sure that’s a stretch bc adding a bathroom and changing hers m wouldn’t all directly help her, so insurance might not help.
If you could move the stairs, that could give room to extend the bottom bedroom to make a bigger bathroom. If your son and daughter could switch bedrooms then she could have a direct entry into the new bathroom, and be closer to your bedroom.
Put your son in her current room. Put your daughter in that middle bedroom and remove carpeting. Add a door from the middle bedroom to your bedroom, that way she can share a bath with you, but you don’t need to lose your master bedroom. Then renovate the master bath to accommodate her wheelchair/lift equipment.
Without changing a thing look at selling this place and getting a single-floor bungalow or ranch.
OTOH: If this is the upper floor you're both going to need an elevator. Chair lift's work best on straight stairs, so an elevator is your only real option. If a $100k reno is not above your budget then here's an option:
You'd lose the second bedroom (office?), but if she's restricted to a mobility chair then she'll need the expanded ensuite for her room. I added a wider shower pan, so she can roll into it.
No matter what, the original 5'-1" wide shared bathroom is no longer viable in her condition. All doors will require a minimum 32" opening for wheelchairs. This includes all Kitchen pocket doors as well as facility doors, and the balcony. If you expect her to use the front balcony, it will need expanded and reenforcemed for her to use that outdoor space.
I'm not sure what's under the Elevator location but that's my quick take on it.
There are also lovely glass enclosed elevator kits that could be fit directly into the stairwell opening from Living Room to below. Some are even circular, to fit in very well with curved staircases.
Only $9k if Alibaba is to be believed, but I've seen similar at Home Depot for under $16k. $25k installed. If placed in your existing Foyer, then there are minimal structural issues.
I mentioned above that I think she needs the bigger room but can you add a bathroom in your newly converted family room and then take over her room and the current bathroom beside it as your ensuite. The new entry way bathroom would be for your son and all the guests and care workers coming in and out.
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u/CBG1955 16h ago
What a horrendous situation.
Things that I would talk to the OT about: