I want to talk about settling in the home as a disabled person. I say that because after the many moves over 14 months, this blog was on a semi-break/ hiatus because of not knowing how long I was to be in one place. I mentioned it in other posts such as What has been happening But when I moved into my final home. I wrote a quick post a few months ago. about what I struggled with and mentioned the list below
This is a list of things that I wish I had known before moving into my final home.
Involve the person with cerebral palsy in the planning process as much as possible. This will help them feel more in control and invested in the new home.
List any accessibility needs, to be addressed in the new home. This could include wider doorways, bathroom grab bars, or a lower kitchen counter.
Start unpacking and setting up the new home one room at a time. This will help to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Familiarise the person with cerebral palsy with the layout of the new home. This will help them feel more comfortable and independent.
Be patient and allow plenty of time for the person with cerebral palsy to adjust to the new home.
For me, because of the previous moves, I was in limbo which meant that I could adapt relatively quickly for the emergency homes. but this is the home I plan to live in permanently. My body could not adjust quickly to the realisation that it could relax. And not worry about falling and knowing was safe.
it has taken months to get used to the idea that I could put my hands on the wall to steady myself or use any of my equipment such as the home-help trolly to help me walk around and learn the differences in the surfaces of each room. I mentioned this in an earlier post A few months. It still stands as valid now as it did then because my body still hasn’t completely relaxed into the realisation it's safe. I think that is because I am waiting for the final things to happen to make it finally ready for the future. That's okay though as I know that these are going to happen but I don’t know when. I'm just going to have to compromise until then.
I hope you took note of the list in either post as I found that it was indispensable for the transition so far. I just wish my body would catch up with the reality that I have been living in a safe place for it for some time now and it won't relax properly consistently.
