Small Home Adaptions After a Workplace Injury

When Your Home Changes, and the Entire Place Feels Different

When your home changes, and the entire place feels different.

Imagine yourself as a child for a moment; you came home from school, and no one was there.

Mom’s car was in the driveway, but no Mom. Very unusual. Luckily, you had a key and were old enough to be alone for short periods of time, so you trusted someone would be home soon.

After a while, the family truck pulled into the driveway. It was too early for Dad to be home, so you followed the truck up the driveway, and Dad got out of the passenger side of the truck with a hospital gown on and his arm in a sling. You froze in fear, crying and worried.

Your Dad kept reassuring you, but he was slurring his words and not quite himself. Mom hugged you, and you helped Dad into the house, got him settled in bed, and everything changed forever. Your Hero, your Dad, wasn’t infallible; he could be hurt.

Mom explained he had an accident at work, and his hand was crushed, so they had to amputate the finger of his right hand. She said he’d be fine; he needed rest, so let’s cook some dinner, and we’ll take care of him.

But then came all the changes in the house, and you noticed just how important a home’s layout and how important the way everything is sorted really is. It’s how rooms connect, where things are being stored, what you’re using as storage, how easy the home is to move through, safety – things like that become very important in these situations.

And you don’t usually think about them unless something bad happens.

How a Home Changes After an Injury

No denying that home life changed for the family that day.

Everyone took on more responsibility, made more suppers, did chores, and helped Dad with his therapy. We had to adapt the house to help deal with the injury. And we learned most of the things that are causing issues along the way.

Dad did most house things, roof repairs, yard work, going out and picking up wood for the fires, cutting, splitting, and bringing it into the house. 

And then you realize that that stack of heavy boxes is suddenly a problem, because there’s no one strong enough to move them. And what would be a 10-minute job becomes a day-long effort. And not only that, but money becomes a problem as well. A child mightn’t understand, but the problem is there. Mom starts working part-time, and while Dad did get workers’ compensation, the future was uncertain. 

Would he be able to go back to his job? What will his recovery entail, and how long will it all take? 

The unknown factors are the most stressful ones. 

Luckily, they didn’t have to make many changes to the house to accommodate his injury, but the healing journey was long, so even the neighbors came over and did snow removal and salting the ice, chopping wood, and carrying it.

The small routines (e.g., how tools are being organized, clearing the walkways, and managing everyday stuff) suddenly became a big part of how the home was arranged.

And while the changes might be subtle, they can quickly add up. Here are a few:

Key Areas of the Home That Require Adaptation

• Entrances & Walkways: Rugs are removed, paths need to be cleared of obstacles and clutter, and uneven/high steps need hand support (rails) to get into and out of the home more safely.
• Living Room: Seating arrangements should be moved close to the floor, and side tables should be lower so that they’re easier to reach. Keep in mind that if the seating is too low, it’ll be harder/more painful to get up, and there’s a greater risk of falling because of the pain.
• Kitchen: Items that get used every day need to be moved from the high shelves to lower cabinets/drawers.
• Bathroom: Non-slip surfaces in the shower/bathtub and on the floor tiles are A MUST. Plus, add a few handrails from a material that won’t get slippery when wet.
• Bedroom: Beds need to have a comfortable mattress, but keep in mind that the bed cannot be too tall (like what you see in hotels) because it might cause pain to get out of the bed each morning. Have some soft/ambient easy-to-turn-on lighting for during the night so that it’s not pitch black.

Legal and Financial Realities of Workplace Injury

When a workplace injury happens, it’s the victims who have to deal with the various rules and regulations bestowed upon us by the law. And each state might have its own laws. 

In a place like Chicago, which follows Illinois law, victims can recover damages as long as they aren’t more than 50% at fault (it’s hard to know how to determine these percentages without help).

Of course, there was an investigation into the accident, and there are so many things that people don’t know in these types of situations. In industrial centers like Chicago, workers’ rights and complex liability laws come into play; it’s necessary to consult a Chicago punch press injury lawyer to go through the legal aftermath. 

It’s the clarity that comes from knowing you don’t have to worry about the legal side of things and the financial compensation that might come out of this that’ll determine whether a family will be able to afford all the home adjustments required to make life for the injured person easier.

Conclusion

All in all,  Dad made a good recovery, lots of therapy to learn how to use his hand differently, and he was even able to take on the task of building a new garage out back in the coming years.

What stayed is the way we use our home and move through it. It’s the little, subtle changes that were forced upon the family that were recognized to be useful, so they didn’t stop once recovery was completed.

This entire experience is a good example to learn that not all tragedies have to be tragic, and with the proper mindset, support, attitude, and by making meaningful changes throughout your home, you can help overcome any difficulty.

A home layout and the way a home is built and arranged will be the determining factors in how it’ll perform if it becomes a support system for someone.