“Those who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than criticize.” ~Elizabeth Harrison

I have been asked a couple of times about the logistics of dealing with my daughter. As she gets older, and heavier, I get older (of course not heavier!) and she is harder to lift. How have I dealt with this?

I recently remodled her room. I installed a lift on a track that goes across the room and on one side is her bed and opposite it is her changing table. I have custom built both on top of dressers. Her bed is high so I do not need to bend over if I need to pick her up without the lift.

Her wheelchair fits easily between the bed and the changing table. So in the morning, I use the lift to pick her up and bring her to the changing table. After she is dressed, she is lifted and lowered into her chair.

Yes, you see an air conditioner, air filter, and on the left by her headboard, a suction unit. The lift goes up and down (duh) and across on the track.

This arrangement basically means I never need to lift her.

I have given her a place in the living room to play and stretch. I found on ebay an adult changing table, new. It moves up and down electrically and can fold up against the wall. It is padded and rather nice. I mounted that near a corner, and have a lift that is attached to the wall with a swinging arm. I can move her wheelchair next to the table, lift her with the lift and she can go from chair to table. She likes to hang out on the table and listen to music sometimes.

Finally, how is she bathed? I made the bathroom completely waterproof, similar to those found in Europe. The floor has a layer of roofing rubber under cement and then the floor and it is slightly sloped. The shower area is completely open with multiple shower heads. My daughter’s room is directly across the hall so she can go from wheelchair to changing table to shower chair with the bedroom lift and be wheeled into the shower.

Somehow it all works.