25 August 2015
 Categories: , Blog

Whether it's a relative or a friend, if you are planning a visit from somebody who is wheelchair bound, you may be thinking of ways to make that person feel more comfortable while staying at your home. Here are some ideas that might help.

In the Kitchen - This part should be pretty easy!

• It's obvious that you will just move one of your kitchen chairs away from the table so that your guest's wheelchair can scoot right into the empty spot. What you might not consider, though, is that he or she might feel more comfortable at one end of the table where there it will be easier to maneuver a wheelchair in and out.
• Will your guest be helping to prepare meals or treats? Rather than working at your kitchen island, consider bringing all of the utensils and the ingredients needed for a recipe right to the kitchen table.
• A thoughtful thing for you to do is to keep a water pitcher and glasses handy. Adding a basket of fruit and a jar of cookies to the table will mean that your guest can access them without feeling that he or she is imposing on anybody.

In the Living Areas - Planning ahead will help a lot.

• It's a good idea to study the pattern of your furniture to see if a wheelchair will easily fit through the spaces between them. Rearrange seating areas, if necessary.
• Are your living room, dining room, or family room on different levels? If so, consider buying or renting portable ramps, which will make it easy to get a wheelchair from one level to the next.
• If your wheelchair-bound houseguest will be sleeping upstairs, don't even consider transporting him or her by yourself. You'll need two people to do the job, and it's also important for your guest to use a seatbelt during the transportation time.

If your houseguest's wheelchair is too cumbersome to travel with, you might be asked ahead of time to rent a wheelchair to be used while your guest is at your home. Consider renting an electric wheelchair. Not only is renting very affordable, but you can rent state-of-the-art portable electric wheelchairs that are easy to load and unload from the car. When you're going sight-seeing, your friend will probably be able to do all of the wheelchair driving. However, if you do need to step in, you'll find that an electric wheelchair adapts itself to most surfaces and will be easy for you to operate. Look at companies like Jay Hatfield Mobility to see what types of electric wheelchairs are available to guide you in a rental choice.