Considering a trip with hemipelegic stroke survivor

[silvergoldberry]

Hi!

I'm the friend/live in caregiver for a 62yo man who has been paralyzed on his rt side due to a stroke nearly 5 years ago. He's also an insulin dependent
diabetic, but I think I can handle that, I'll have help with me.

I got a free dining pin email this morning and was thinking that maybe we might give it a try in Nov or Dec. I was at Pop Jan/Feb08 for a week with my husband and daughter and I was surprised how accessible the parks and resorts are.

My paralyzed friend would like to do a longer trip in the next year (Mt Rushmore....we live in Philadelphia, I'm dreading even thinking about the planning.) But I think Disney is a good place to start to see how well we can travel. He has his own power wheelchair and we have a wheelchair van.

I would need to rent a hospital bed, he is a full assist transfer and I just don't want to deal with trying to haul him up out of a normal bed.

Has anyone on these boards done this? I was wondering about how a hospital bed fits in the rooms? Do they rearrange the furniture? How many people do most of the handicapped rooms usually sleep? I believe we would also rent a shower chair for the bathroom/shower.

Right now I'm thinking Pop Century, but other resorts might be an option as well.

Would booking through AAA make any kind of difference as far as the room?

Thanks!

Barb

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Hi and to disABILITIES!

I'll start off by saying the I don't know if they would remove a bed from a room, but I do know that medical equipment can be rented (from off-site at your expense) and supplied.

You mention needing a hospital bed for transfer purposes; does he need the articulation of the bed or would it be possible to use a Hoyer Lift? There have been a couple of recent threads about Hoyer Lifts.

Any you are correct about WDW being the probably best place in the world for people with any disabilities to go on a vacation.

If you click on where it says "disABILTIES" at the top of this page it will take you to the Index. One of the top items is the "disABILTIES FAQ" which will gives lots of useful information. Post #2 and #3 would probably be the best place to start.

Or, if you want an easier route, click on the link in my signature.

 

[silvergoldberry]

Hi!
Thanks for the reply.

We don't use a Hoyer lift here at home, I'd rather not deal with it. He's not a bad pivot transfer if the heights are right. I'd rather just rent the bed, plus he does need to be able to sit up, raise legs, etc.

I called Disney to ask and also to find out what the max number of rooms I could book with my pin code, start checking availability....etc.

I was told (after the CM put me on hold to verify) that the bed would be removed and the hospital bed would be the only bed in the room. He said housekeeping is used to moving the furniture out.

Hmm interesting, I wonder if that means that have to give us another room to accommodate the other person the room was supposed to hold. (per ADA?)

It's beginning to look like we might have a big party (6 adults 3 kids) I wonder if it might be more comfortable to get an accessible suite or villa, we're not pinned down to any particular resort yet.

TIA!
Barb

 

[rogerlovespat]

my husband had a stroke 7 years ago at the age of 54 and we are doing a grand gathering of 12 for our 40th anniversary. he has no idea where we are going or that all of our children and grandchildren are coming with us. I give you a million pounds of pixie dust for doing this!!! I am a little nervous myself but last year we took a trip to New Mexico and Arizona driving 1400 miles in 9 days. it was phenomenal, but did take a lot of planning. Good Luck and God Bless

Hi!

I'm the friend/live in caregiver for a 62yo man who has been paralyzed on his rt side due to a stroke nearly 5 years ago. He's also an insulin dependent
diabetic, but I think I can handle that, I'll have help with me.

I got a free dining pin email this morning and was thinking that maybe we might give it a try in Nov or Dec. I was at Pop Jan/Feb08 for a week with my husband and daughter and I was surprised how accessible the parks and resorts are.

My paralyzed friend would like to do a longer trip in the next year (Mt Rushmore....we live in Philadelphia, I'm dreading even thinking about the planning.) But I think Disney is a good place to start to see how well we can travel. He has his own power wheelchair and we have a wheelchair van.

I would need to rent a hospital bed, he is a full assist transfer and I just don't want to deal with trying to haul him up out of a normal bed.

Has anyone on these boards done this? I was wondering about how a hospital bed fits in the rooms? Do they rearrange the furniture? How many people do most of the handicapped rooms usually sleep? I believe we would also rent a shower chair for the bathroom/shower.

Right now I'm thinking Pop Century, but other resorts might be an option as well.

Would booking through AAA make any kind of difference as far as the room?

Thanks!

Barb

 

[silvergoldberry]

my husband had a stroke 7 years ago at the age of 54 and we are doing a grand gathering of 12 for our 40th anniversary. he has no idea where we are going or that all of our children and grandchildren are coming with us. I give you a million pounds of pixie dust for doing this!!! I am a little nervous myself but last year we took a trip to New Mexico and Arizona driving 1400 miles in 9 days. it was phenomenal, but did take a lot of planning. Good Luck and God Bless

Thanks for writing!

It was right before his 58th birthday that my friend Jack had his stroke. This Dec will be 5 years. He would like to do a nice long road trip, too, but I'm not so sure, I want to see how Disney works first.

Since I posted, I did book us at Beach Club for 12/14-19. I've already got a big list and I'm starting on my timetable of what needs to be done when.

So when is your grand gathering?