Image Source: Pixabay

When a person learns that they need to have major surgery, it is not just their mind and body that need to be prepared for it. Their environment also needs to be prepared, especially if the person is going to have a long recovery. Here are three areas to prepare before having surgery.

Bed, Bath and Personal Items

If it’s possible, the patient’s bed should be moved to the first floor of their home if their home has more than one story. Sometimes, the patient’s health insurance will pay for a hospital bed. The bed should be positioned near the first floor bathroom, or a portable commode should be placed nearby.

The patient should buy items such as toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues and other items to help them with their personal hygiene before their surgery, and have them within reach. The patient should not have to bend down or strain to reach any needed item. A grabber is useful for reaching for whatever is above the patient’s head.

A Basket

A patient who needs a walker after their surgery can buy a basket to attach to it. The basket can hold items such as a cell phone, pens, paper, a bottle of water and even reading material.

Grab Bars for the Bathroom

Grab bars are not only good for people who’ve recently had surgery, but they’ll come in handy when the person is a bit older. Indeed, grab bars in a bathroom can increase the value of a home when it’s put on the market. Grab bars are useful for helping a person by the toilet and getting in and out of the bathtub or shower. One important thing to remember is that a grab bar is not the same as a towel rack. A towel rack will break under the weight of an adult, but a grab bar will not.

Other items to help a person in the bath include non-slip mats for both the bathtub and the floor outside it and a shower chair. Shower chairs may also be paid for by the patient’s health insurance.

Prepping the house for the post-operative period contributes not only to the patient’s comfort, but can make their recovery easier and faster. The patient should consider companies, like Medi-Rents & Sales Inc, that supply such items as commodes, bath benches and walkers. These companies not only accept the patient’s insurance but can help set up the equipment. They also teach the patient how to use it.