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Total Therapy Solutions
5900 Long Meadow Dr
Middletown, OH 45005
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0:00
All right, guys, welcome back. I hope you went and got a drink and kind of stretch your legs for a minute
0:06
Now we're going to get into the information here about home safety preparation
0:11
So setting up your home for your return before you have surgery will help keep you safe, make life so much easier, and aid in your recovery
0:21
Listed below are some suggestions for preparing your home for a safe recovery
0:25
Now, I want to tell you, before we go through some of these suggestions, probably the absolute best opportunity for you right now is to have a home safety evaluation done
0:37
Connect with an occupational therapist or a physical therapist who specifically specialize in home safety, home modifications, because these are the experts
0:49
I'm a physical therapist in the clinic all day long. I do not have the depth of knowledge and experience that a home modification expert does
0:57
And they can typically do a virtual visit with you. It's usually covered by insurance if you're going to be having surgery
1:05
And basically what happens is you use your phone or any kind of device
1:11
You take the therapist through your home. You go through the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom
1:16
You look at all the things and they will provide concrete recommendations for you to help maximize safety, to help improve the experience you have after surgery and minimize the frustrations
1:31
You know, there's nothing worse than getting home from surgery with a total knee replacement, with your walker, with the pain meds and the grogginess and all of this
1:40
Get on the commode and then all of a sudden realize you can't get back up
1:45
These are the kinds of things that an OT or physical therapist who specialize in home assessments will be able to tell you about so you don't get stuck in these compromised positions
1:58
So I'll share some resources at the bottom of this video so that you know where you can go to find information
2:05
And again, Medicare covers this service depending on your if you go with a Medicare Advantage plan
2:12
We can check benefits and do things like that. but I would highly encourage you to connect with somebody who specializes in home assessments
2:21
They do not have to do it on site. They can do it through a virtual platform
2:26
But a couple of the recommendations from the Cleveland Clinic. So traffic patterns, right
2:31
Obviously, move obstacles such as throw rugs, extension cords, foot stools. You live in your house
2:37
You know where all the risks are, but you're so used to them, you don't even realize they're around anymore
2:44
If you have access to a rolling walker, a four-wheel walker, or a walker that has the
2:50
wheels in the front and the skids in the back, use it right now, even though you don't need it
2:55
Take it around your home. See where you stumble, where you trip, where you run into issues, because that is probably
3:02
if you having surgery here in the US that probably what you going to be using after surgery So check your doorways the width make sure you can get through make sure you don bang your knuckles If you don have a walker yet
3:17
try to get one before surgery. They will give you one at surgery, but if you can have one ahead of
3:24
time and you can take it around the house, you will have a world of difference because you'll
3:30
know exactly where the challenges are going to be. Looking at the bathroom, as I mentioned
3:36
ask an occupational therapist or a physical therapist how to adapt the bathroom to meet
3:41
your needs during the recovery. They can do this through a telehealth platform. It doesn't have to
3:47
be on site. You'll likely need an elevated toilet seat or a commode, a shower chair
3:53
We'll make recommendations. I've got a whole buyer's guide that I'm going to share with you
3:58
on equipment that you need and equipment that you might want. There's certain things insurance will
4:04
pay for, certain things insurance won't pay for. We'll talk about all that in a separate module
4:10
Sitting. So sit in chairs that make your knee lower than your hips. Choose a firm straight back
4:18
chair with armrest. A dining room chair may work. But I'm going to tell you right now
4:24
most of my clients find a recliner is most comfortable. There are going to be surgeon-specific guidelines
4:32
Some surgeons will tell you you're allowed to do this, you're not allowed to do that
4:36
You need to follow those guidelines. But most importantly, you need to figure out what's going to work for you
4:43
You have a very specific lifestyle, very specific house and furniture and all of these things
4:50
we want to tailor this advice specific to you. So while yes, it's important to have furniture that's comfortable, safe, easy to clean
5:00
the assumption is you're going to be coming home from the hospital probably the same day of surgery
5:06
You want to be able to clean surfaces and disinfect so that there's less chance of infection
5:13
Also, in case there's some seepage or some bleeding, you want something that you can clean back up
5:18
so that once you're recovered, you don't have bloodstains on your furniture. But these are all factors for you to consider ahead of time
5:26
so that the day of surgery when you're coming back home, you know exactly where you're going to go
5:33
You don't have to think about any of these things. Children and pets
5:37
So small children and pets can pose safety hazards. Small children may need to be taught how to interact with you to maintain your safety
5:46
See if you have pets, make arrangements to keep the pets in another area of the house
5:50
Or maybe somebody can watch your pets for a while. One of the most challenging things is having that small puppy, that dog that just loves
6:00
you so much they cannot keep away from you for a day or two
6:05
And you, in all of your grogginess, the last thing you want to do is step on a tail, trip
6:11
over a leg. So just think about some of these things. I mean, I'm a pet owner
6:15
I love my puppy One of the best ways for me to manage pain is to have my dog next to me during those frustrating sleepless nights I understand the benefits
6:27
I also understand the benefits of being free of the responsibility. I don't have to worry about feeding and watering
6:36
and cleaning up after my puppy. So you weigh the risks, you weigh the benefits
6:41
but have a plan in place. That's the most important thing. have a strategy ready to go. Talking about stairs, I skipped access to items
6:52
To avoid reaching and bending, keep frequently used items within easy reach. Consider this as
6:59
your pre-op programming and strategy. If you're going to have certain things that you use on a
7:06
day-to-day basis, one of my favorite recommendations is start making a list today. Grab a piece of
7:13
paper, have it near you, carry it around with you. The stuff that you use frequently, the lights that
7:19
you need to turn on, the laptop or iPad that you're going to be working on, books, food, dishes
7:26
cups, coffee mugs, get all that stuff within reach. So you're not using step stools, you're
7:33
not bending over, you're not in a low cupboard that you have to go all the way to the back to
7:38
get to, that will make your life easier. You make a little note of all the stuff you need nearby
7:44
So when surgery day is here, all of that stuff is ready to go. I also recommend planning activities
7:51
that you might want to do while you're laid up for the first week or two, you know, while you're
7:58
stuck at home for the first week or two. Even if you get home and you feel terrible and you just
8:02
don't do it, that's okay. But having them available would be really beneficial because
8:09
maybe you love puzzles, maybe you love board games, maybe you play online, you could, whatever
8:16
it is that you enjoy. Maybe you decide this is going to be your opportunity to start a blog
8:22
to write a book. One of my favorite recommendations, especially the way technology is now
8:28
is to create a journal, not just for you, but for people who are going to have the same procedure
8:36
that you're living through right now. Journal your day-to-day experiences. Journal the challenges, the wins and the losses
8:44
the frustrations and the excitement. Put it down into a Word document, a Google document
8:49
some sort of document, and then turn it into a book that you can actually publish and sell on Amazon
8:56
It's a phenomenal opportunity for you to share these things with people who are going to be in your shoes while turning it into a side income
9:08
So guys, just lots of opportunities out there. Now let's get into stairs
9:12
So stairs climbing, it's okay to climb stairs without assistance if you're able to, if you're feeling alert and oriented, not confused
9:22
However, you may need help. You know one of the most common strategies we use is we recommend having a walker on the ground floor and then having a walker at the top floor so you not bringing your walker with you you have two walkers walkers are not that
9:38
experience or experience not that expensive any longer and so if you live in a bi-level home
9:45
it will be safe mechanically the knee can handle you going up and downstairs and your therapist
9:51
should have shown you how to go up and down stairs safely. But it's just a nice benefit to have a
9:58
downstairs walker and an upstairs walker so you don't have to travel with it. Having somebody with
10:04
you is great. There's lots of different strategies for negotiating stairs from sitting on the stairs
10:09
and going up one step at a time on your bottom to going up with the good, down with the bad
10:16
That's a common phrase you're going to hear to even using your hands to bear crawl up
10:21
the stairs. I've seen all of these strategies be effective and safe
10:26
Your safety is priority number one. And then, of course, stuff like laundry, right
10:32
Cleaning. You see below mail, meals like these are things that you want to have set up before surgery
10:42
Create a list again of everything that you do in a day. right if you're the person responsible for washing clothes put that on a list figure out who's going
10:52
to do it while you're you're kind of out of order if you can go a week without washing clothes
10:59
line up your clothes day to day so that if you do have spillage if you do have seepage from the wound
11:05
if something goes wrong you know and you you need to change your clothing you have backups for each
11:11
day. The more prepared you are, the more things are set up, the more peace of mind and the better
11:19
the recovery experience. So driving, most of you will not be allowed to drive following surgery
11:27
Some surgeons require six weeks before they allow you to drive. Some will allow you to drive based
11:33
on your ability to, you know, if you're not on pain meds, you're not confused. If you're feeling
11:38
confident depending on if it's your right leg or your left leg that had the surgery and where you
11:43
live in the world. These are factors that you want to discuss with your surgeon ahead of time
11:49
Again, a physical therapist or an occupational therapist can help you with driver safety
11:54
and returning to driving to make sure that you don't put yourself in danger or anyone else in
12:01
your community. In the next video, we're going to talk about some of the equipment that you might
12:09
use. Certainly the walker, the cane, the crutches, some of those things. So guys, as always, if you
12:17
have questions as we progress through these modules, post your questions below, post your
12:22
questions in the comments, and that will help me bring additional supplemental videos to you
12:28
to answer those questions. We're getting through it, guys. You're doing an awesome job
12:33
Take a break. Kind of let your brain digest the information that we've covered
12:38
Get a little snack, get a little drink, and I'll meet you back in the next video
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