Our Patients Life Improvement - Remodel Makes a Big Difference
Remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms gave us a great opportunity to arrange the appliances and the cabinetry with my bad back in mind. The result from this major project is that I can do more housework with less pain. First of all, the upper cupboards were lowered a few inches so that most items can easily be reached. My old cabinets were placed as high as possible. It’s ridiculous to keep any item up where you need a ladder to get it, or down so low that you must get down on all fours. Only keep kitchen appliances or foods that you use. Keeping the kitchen efficient and knowing where everything is can really save a lot of time. Try to keep everything as close to waist-level as possible. The upper cabinets also have glass in them so that I can see what I’m looking for. It’s a great look. Having that space above the cabinets gives me an extra place to display my collectables. All the kitchen supplies have been cleverly organized. All the serving ware is near the sink and dishwasher. All the baking supplies, the rolling pin and board, the mixer, are all near the preparation counter. All the cooking ware is near the stove and oven. I can empty my dishwasher with hardly moving my feet at all.
All the lower cabinets are drawers. The cabinets under the stovetop and also under the wall oven have pullout shelves. Pots and pans can be easily lifted out. No more bending, twisting and straining to find that pan. I keep the largest ones on the uppermost shelf and the lightest ones on the bottom. Another helpful ‘back’ hint is to get rid of all heavy pots and pans. I know I know…. I loved mine too. I had ‘le cruset’ cookware and some beautiful cast iron skillets which were wonderful for cooking but just too heavy to carry…they had to go. Get some good but light cookware and store it as close to the waist as possible. At the end of the day it will make a big difference in how the lower back feels.
The stove has a pop-up vent that disappears when turned off and the power switch for it is at a comfortable height. The old fan/vent was awkward to reach. The oven wall unit is wonderful. If you’ve ever tried to put a turkey into an under-stove unit you know how difficult, painful and sometimes dangerous it can be. The wall unit is also a convection oven, which cuts down on cooking time, and therefore ‘back’ time. On the left and right sides of the oven are little spice cabinets that open outwards. On the left upper-side of the oven is a tall narrow cabinet for cookie sheets and racks. Everything is at a comfortable viewing and grabbing level. The dishwasher has been raised 5.5 inches. This makes loading and unloading so much easier! It also creates a nice elevated space on the counter. Handy soap and lotion dispensers were added to the sink. Inside the cabinet are long handles that you can grab to pull out the shelves without bending over. There also are flip-outs and other useful storage drawers. The refrigerator is a ‘freezer on the bottom’ type. Again everything is waist level or above.
The washer and dryer were moved from downstairs to the kitchen area. No more lugging laundry up and down steps. The dryer was placed on an 18.5 inch drawer. Using the dryer is much easier now. Again, the dryer door is now at waist level. The large drawer also makes a handy laundry hamper. A brass footrest was added to the breakfast bar. Sitting on a stool can be painful. The feet must either hang or be tucked up under yourself. To be comfortable, the knees should be parallel to the hips. The footrest really helps and it looks nice too!
The bathroom counters were raised 5.5 inches. This brings the sink and water much closer to the face; less bending, less pain. The master tub/shower was replaced with a large shower with seats. The glass doors swing both ways making it much easier to enter and exit. An extra hand held faucet was added with reachable knobs to use while sitting. The toilets were replaced with the ‘handicap’ type. The seats are higher than the standard type and cause much less stress and pain when sitting.
All these changes, a few inches here and there can really make a big difference. All those little stresses and strains from daily activities can really add up to a painful lower back. I am a left BK amputee with a double fused lower back and I can tell you that my new kitchen and bathrooms have made a huge difference in my life. I enjoy doing as much housework as possible and now I can get a lot more accomplished without overdoing it.
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