The Lift
Over time, after a spouse dies, you begin to rebuild, make new life plans, redefine who you are and look for what the future holds for you as a person, instead of a couple. Much of this is done in the mind, with focused effort and tears. Sometimes, though, you just realize you’ve adjusted and it happened by itself without a conscious effort. I find that one of the most difficult considerations I’ve had to make is deciding how to manage items that require conscious, thoughtful consideration. These, for me are energy draining and painful. Our house was adapted to allow Patrick to stay in our home throughout the ALS journey. We added ramps, grab bars, remodeled our bathroom and even changed door handles you didn’t have to twist to open. But, probably the most significant change we made, very early in the diagnosis, was the installation of a lift that allowed him to ride in his power wheel chair from the first to second floor. Don’t think chair on the stairs – this is a 1,200 pound lift th