OP
OP
Thanks for still following, and caring, @Alice B and @WhistlingBadger !
mum and I both talked with the district nurse team and occupational therapist about where she'd want the bed, and which floor she'd rather be on if/when she reaches the point she can't do stairs. Practically wise, the upstairs makes much more sense. These UK ex-council houses aren't large like in the US. Lots of small, pokey, awkwardly shaped rooms, and both upstairs and downstairs have their advantages and disadvantages, But on balance, we've all agreed that upstairs is better for mum, and even more so after the fall.
Downstairs is front door, stairs upstairs directly opposite. To the right of front door downstairs is the smaller living room/den area, which became a storage area/the room I stayed when I visited, so just has a broken down single bed in it, is awkwardly shaped and much much smaller than master bedroom, currently has huge cabinet I was using as a fish tank stand, my wardrobe, chest of drawers (with 15.5g pygmy cory tank on it), a bookcase, two small chests holding paperwork and bedding respectively, and second also doing duty as a bedside table, and that feels crowded, plus contains everything I own now.
To the left of the front door is the living room, long and narrow, leading onto kitchen and back door. Mum would sit in the living room during the day and blare the TV while she did puzzles, and it also houses the two parrots, and dad's 57g fish tank that I inherited, and dad regarded the kitchen as his territory. Kitchen has back door with steps to back garden, mum rarely used kitchen at all, dad, brother or I always fetched her meals and coffees for her, and even more so now as she's lost mobility and stopped even pottering around to water her plants.
No toilet or bathroom downstairs.
Her (and dad's) master bedroom is the one they've shared in this house for 34 years; all her things are there and still mostly set up the way she had them, and at least until yesterday, she could still access the bathroom with my help and the right equipment to have a shower/use the toilet, and brush her teeth. The Master bedroom is easily the largest room in the house - even with the queen sized bed, there was still room for the three wardrobes they have (mum's, dad's, and a third old one mum always used to store towels/bathmats and other cleaning/fabric essentials), and room for a separate sitting area, with a suitable armchair, folding table, room to set up her large TV/porta puzzle thing, and for two or more staff to be in there with her to care for her, and with moving and handling risk.
Since she didn't access the kitchen herself anyway and had all food and drinks bought to her, bringing them upstairs to her makes more sense than getting all my stuff out of the downstairs room, and making her move down there when the room is much more prone to cold and damp, and we'd have to start over, it's never been a proper bedroom set up as was always meant to be temporary and/or used as storage, so it was never one she used regularly anyway, and ideally, she wants to pass peacefully at home with the right care and support, not have to go into hospice, and her own room but comfy and safe in a hospital bed, with a commode and sitting area for while she's able and wants to get up, makes the most sense to all of us so far, and at least the bathroom is still accessible near her room, and my brother is in the second upstairs bedroom, so we both have alert plug ins for her call system, and he's been leaving his door ajar at nights too now, in case she needs him, so he can hear better. He knows he can use the call button or fetch me if she needs more care.
Once she's bedridden, at least it'll be in a more cosy and familiar room, with enough room for staff to work either side of the bed to help keep her clean and turned etc.
Even getting furniture into and out of the downstairs room I'm in is difficult, due the door being right next to front door, opposite living room door, and last step of the staircase sticks out a bit into the tiny "hallway", so it's always been difficult to get furniture in and out of the house, but especially that room, or into the living room. at least straight through front door, straight upstairs, and a slightly larger upstairs hallway to manipulate the furniture around before taking it into master bedroom is easier too.
mum and I both talked with the district nurse team and occupational therapist about where she'd want the bed, and which floor she'd rather be on if/when she reaches the point she can't do stairs. Practically wise, the upstairs makes much more sense. These UK ex-council houses aren't large like in the US. Lots of small, pokey, awkwardly shaped rooms, and both upstairs and downstairs have their advantages and disadvantages, But on balance, we've all agreed that upstairs is better for mum, and even more so after the fall.
Downstairs is front door, stairs upstairs directly opposite. To the right of front door downstairs is the smaller living room/den area, which became a storage area/the room I stayed when I visited, so just has a broken down single bed in it, is awkwardly shaped and much much smaller than master bedroom, currently has huge cabinet I was using as a fish tank stand, my wardrobe, chest of drawers (with 15.5g pygmy cory tank on it), a bookcase, two small chests holding paperwork and bedding respectively, and second also doing duty as a bedside table, and that feels crowded, plus contains everything I own now.
To the left of the front door is the living room, long and narrow, leading onto kitchen and back door. Mum would sit in the living room during the day and blare the TV while she did puzzles, and it also houses the two parrots, and dad's 57g fish tank that I inherited, and dad regarded the kitchen as his territory. Kitchen has back door with steps to back garden, mum rarely used kitchen at all, dad, brother or I always fetched her meals and coffees for her, and even more so now as she's lost mobility and stopped even pottering around to water her plants.
No toilet or bathroom downstairs.
Her (and dad's) master bedroom is the one they've shared in this house for 34 years; all her things are there and still mostly set up the way she had them, and at least until yesterday, she could still access the bathroom with my help and the right equipment to have a shower/use the toilet, and brush her teeth. The Master bedroom is easily the largest room in the house - even with the queen sized bed, there was still room for the three wardrobes they have (mum's, dad's, and a third old one mum always used to store towels/bathmats and other cleaning/fabric essentials), and room for a separate sitting area, with a suitable armchair, folding table, room to set up her large TV/porta puzzle thing, and for two or more staff to be in there with her to care for her, and with moving and handling risk.
Since she didn't access the kitchen herself anyway and had all food and drinks bought to her, bringing them upstairs to her makes more sense than getting all my stuff out of the downstairs room, and making her move down there when the room is much more prone to cold and damp, and we'd have to start over, it's never been a proper bedroom set up as was always meant to be temporary and/or used as storage, so it was never one she used regularly anyway, and ideally, she wants to pass peacefully at home with the right care and support, not have to go into hospice, and her own room but comfy and safe in a hospital bed, with a commode and sitting area for while she's able and wants to get up, makes the most sense to all of us so far, and at least the bathroom is still accessible near her room, and my brother is in the second upstairs bedroom, so we both have alert plug ins for her call system, and he's been leaving his door ajar at nights too now, in case she needs him, so he can hear better. He knows he can use the call button or fetch me if she needs more care.
Once she's bedridden, at least it'll be in a more cosy and familiar room, with enough room for staff to work either side of the bed to help keep her clean and turned etc.
Even getting furniture into and out of the downstairs room I'm in is difficult, due the door being right next to front door, opposite living room door, and last step of the staircase sticks out a bit into the tiny "hallway", so it's always been difficult to get furniture in and out of the house, but especially that room, or into the living room. at least straight through front door, straight upstairs, and a slightly larger upstairs hallway to manipulate the furniture around before taking it into master bedroom is easier too.
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