My mother has taken a turn for the worse with her AD. She is able to walk with a walker, but is still in need of someone right next to her. Yesterday I had her sit on the sofa and didn't pay much attention to how she was sitting. She was practically lying down! Oops.
We have moved her into a new bedroom which does not have 2 steps to get into the room. She did have the room over our garage that we had re-done just for her. But it has gotten too hard for her to manage those 2 steps. We also have 2 steps for her to get to the stairlift we have for her. Thought about getting one of those with a curve and down the 2 steps, but the whole mechanism is different and would cost upwards of $10,000!
So, the issue is this. I believe that sooner rather than later we will need her to be on one floor. We do not have a full bath on the first floor, and there is no way to make our 1/2 bath a full one without a great deal of renovation which would leave the entrance into the garage in what would become her bedroom. Which would make the house weird enough to make it hard to sell in a few years.
I am planning on keeping her on the 2nd floor and bringing her food up to her. Does anyone else do this? She is getting to the point that she really doesn't know where she is. This is not going to happen immediately, but I'm already feeling guilty about it!
What I haven't done is put in a ramp from the front porch across the yard to the driveway. I'm still mobile and still drive, but my health issues say it's time. My sister says they'll take care of it when the time comes, and I really need it. I'm having a big leg vein procedure next week. You just never know when that time will come when you could continue to be independent with just a ramp installation. AND you have the luxury of finding the company/contractor you want to deal with.
Im challenged when trying to find a contractor who is knowledgeable and willing to do small jobs. And even though I live in Florida, the retirement capital of the world, we don't seem to have handicap or aging management stores popping up all over. We Do have 2 scooter stores in our town now. Perhaps they sell those ramps?? and other adaptive medical equipment??
Have you checked with your state? When I had a house in NC, my neighbor's mother became less and less mobile as she aged. The state put in a lift to help her bypass the 5 steps up to the entryway deck. Later, they reodeled the bathroom so be marble tile floors, with capabilities to roll the wheelchair right into the bathroom.
If your state believes in helping people age in place, you might consult them about your best options.
In my retirement development, it seems someone in the house falls or gets chronically ill and can't do the steps anymore to get in or out. I see a lot of ramps like those at https://www.modular-wheelchair-ramps.com. I feel they are not as expensive as these look, but the idea that the ramp has a SLOW slope, and twists and turns running from the door step out to the driveway is key.
Good luck with your quest. My gut feeling is worry about your mom falling down the stairs when she wanders, not remembering where she is.
Acorn stair lifts offer a flexible product at 15-25% of what you quoted.
If placing Mom in a facility is not an option, you need a pro in making a home accessible for Mom’s specific needs. Be wary of local handymen who claim they can do it. Call a Medical Equipment provider near you (google), most of them deal in making homes accessible and carry everything needed to do so. They can come out and assess your home and make suggestions based on your home’s layout and your budget.