Hello Dear Friends,
Well, this was supposed to be a much better diary, but I spent the day battling the forces of beaurocrasy, so it's only going to touch on the subject I wanted to discuss. I'll come back and do a much better one, with more detail after Netroots Nation. Sorry.
The subject I'd like to talk about is housing, specifically acessible housing.
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As you know, I have osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. These leave me stiff and sore most of the time, and with not great balance. I have a 50% chance of having a bad fall and breaking one of my hips within the next five years, so it's really important that I don't fall. As a result, I now use a walker outside of the house.
When I moved to Ottawa in September, I moved in with a husband and wife who were friends of a longtime friend. The wife had a major back injury, as I have talked about before, and used a walker also. Because of E, the unit was accessible. The car port flowed right up to the door and met the inside floor without a step; the functional parts of the unit were all on the main floor; the bathroom was big enough to transfer if she had used a wheelchair; the kitchen was big enough to use a wheelchair in; the stove and the oven were separate and there as space to wheel right up to the stove and have the front part of the wheelchair under the stove; and all of the doors were pocket doors, which gave more space around them. Oh, and there were grab bars around the bathtub. Having an accessible unit was a revelation to me, because it really helped take away the physical pain of going up and down stairs every day, and the danger of falling in the house.
Overwhelmingly sadly, E died on April 10th, so her husband has to move, so I had to move. Thus began a search for housing without stairs in my price range. Ottawa, like most places, has a shortage of afforable housing, and, in particular, a shortage of accessible affordable housing. The waiting list is five years long, yup years. So I have found a place, with great new roomates in a wonderful area. However, it has stairs, lots of stairs, stairs going up to and down from my bedroom and down to and up from the laundry area. There is a banister, but both sets of stairs turn a corner. I never feel secure going up or down, especially with something in my hand, especially something huge like the full laundry basket.
I'm going to keep looking for an accessible place, or at least one without stairs. Hopefully, I can find something that will work.
Sigh !
So, what accommodations would make your housing easier to deal with ? more safe for you ?
Pull up and chair and let's talk about accessibility.
Hugs,
Heather