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soonerwife

Very helpful member
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
1,571
Reason
Lost a loved one
Diagnosis
10/2015
Country
US
State
OK
City
Cleveland
My PALS would like to visit Mount Rushmore.

I am thinking that we need to wait until at least June to go for warmer temps?!

I am worried about whether he will be walking by then?! If he is wheelchair bound, it brings up a lot of unknowns for me...

I guess the biggest thing is will be still be able to do standing transfers?!

His power chair is on order but we don't have a vehicle to accommodate that.

If he can still do standing transfers, we should be able to manage the trip. If not, I honestly don't see how?!

Any suggestions?
 
Hey Sooner,
My wife wants to go as well! and I am all for it. We checked and wheelchairs are available first come first serve. Driving is out for us, I'm only good for about 3 hours and she 2 or so. we would have to leave now to get their by spring. We definitely have to wait til warmer weather as big as I am I shake like a Chihuahua when its in the 70's . Good luck on the plans!
Arlee
BTW...I want to thank you for being the first one to say HI to me on here. That means a lot! I have been told to keep my posts short and brief and do not bring up Jesus. There is apparently a little dark room in this forum where people who believe need to go and write. So if my belief offends you or any others, I apologize, if not then neither of us will never know the true fear that others experience. With that said, my prayers are with all of you who need them and want them. Im sure my time on here is short.
 
Travel is pretty reasonable with standing transfers. There is also a stage where you can use a sliding board to get in and out of bed and the car. We did that a lot. Showering is an issue at that stage, as you'd need a shower chair tha tyou can raise the arms on to use the sliding board.

We now travel with a hoyer lift and tilting shower chair, and I have to find rooms with roll in showers and beds on legs instead of platforms so I can get the lift under the bed. I also have an inflatable bladder that uses and air pump and lifts the head of the bed. It's not as good as a hospital bed, but for one night stops it's better than Matt being flat on his back and unable to move.

If he's in a wheelchair, can you rent a van for the trip?

Arlene, welcome. The room is not dark, and those of us who use the new posts function see all the new posts, but the rule seems to work well. I hope you are willing to stick around, as I have never known so many caring folks in one place before--and this disease creates great need for support.

Becky

If you haven't seen a sliding board, either Google it or ask your OT to demonstrate. They are marvelous.

Oh, if you are driving at least take a transport chair that you can put in the trunk. Just in case....
 
We went last October, great trip. Weather was great, one cold day. Also not crowded. My husband had a great time but the altitude did get to him. We are planning another trip in March. It's a bit of work for the caregiver but was totally worth it.

Debbie
 
Hey Sooner,
My wife wants to go as well! and I am all for it. We checked and wheelchairs are available first come first serve. Driving is out for us, I'm only good for about 3 hours and she 2 or so. we would have to leave now to get their by spring. We definitely have to wait til warmer weather as big as I am I shake like a Chihuahua when its in the 70's . Good luck on the plans!
Arlee
BTW...I want to thank you for being the first one to say HI to me on here. That means a lot! I have been told to keep my posts short and brief and do not bring up Jesus. There is apparently a little dark room in this forum where people who believe need to go and write. So if my belief offends you or any others, I apologize, if not then neither of us will never know the true fear that others experience. With that said, my prayers are with all of you who need them and want them. Im sure my time on here is short.

Hay Arlee,

Who told you your posts had to be short. As long as you break them up into paragraphs, that is all that is necessary.

I'd like to see our Religion forum rocking again so please post anything you wish on there.

There is a place for anything you need to post here. I've not held back on anything.

God bless you.
 
Soonerwife, I sure do hope you can make it work. I also know that you can get a rental van and there may be some help to get you there. I will text you tomorrow
 
We went when steve was in a wheelchair. There are ramps and a fairly long walk uphill to get from the lot to the monument. If using a pwc is possible, I would. It is quite accessible but a workout. There is an elevator in the museum that can be used to get to different levels to view the monument. If heat is an issue, this building is heavily air conditioned and the monument can be seen quite well from it.
 
I don't think driving is an option. It is about 14 hrs from here. I feel like if he is not doing standing transfers, that driving is the only way?
 
In my opinion, if you don't make plans for the trip, it will not happen. So, plan away!

Our approach is to plan trips in such a way that there is an acceptable financial impact to cancel them.

We have not yet had to cancel a trip, but have come very close to doing so on a couple of occasions.

We take trips that involve 12 to 17 hours of driving each way. We spend as many nights on the way there and back as necessary to break the driving up into manageable portions.

I am still able to transfer, so don't have experience with what it will be like to travel when I can no longer transfer. My plan is to travel as long as I can. Eventually, that will mean carrying along a hoyer lift and other equipment. It is just part of the challenge we must overcome.

I have not yet taken a flight with my wheelchair. Flying with my wheelchair is not a concern. The concern is about transportation for the wheelchair and me once we arrive. Renting a wheelchair van seems prohibitively expensive. Relying on public transportation seems too limiting. I am going to figure it all out, because I plan to take a trip to see my brother, who lives on the east coast.

Good luck with planning your trip. The black hills are an interesting place (I used to live there). There is a lot to see there.

Steve
 
Thanks Steve! That's is exactly what I am worried about. I honestly don't know how he is still walking. Not sure it will last until June. My PALS hasn't been up for more than a 4 hour drive in several years so I don't really see him walking to do it three days in a roll. We don't have the pwc, vehicle or hoyer at his point. The unknown is just really overwhelming right now.

I am glad that we traveled a lot when he was diagnosed.

I am still up for it, just worried. I feel like he hopefully will be able to still transfer even if we have to use the manual chair the whole time. I am good with that.

Maybe I should just buy the tickets and make it happen...
 
Flying.....if you fly, make sure you fill out the section of the ticket where it asks if you require assistance. When we flew, I said we needed transfer help. They helped stece to go from his chair, to the airplane chair to the seat. This was on Southwest. For 60 bucks we also got trip insurance. Added a lot of piece of mind. There is an issue with lithium batteries right now. I dont know what is in your husbands chair but be sure it can go.
 
Just saw this while on vacation in Hawaii. I have travel wheelchair that is collapsible and fits in a golf bag. My husband has been pushing me all over in it. I can still transfer from car to wheelchair but need help lifting my legs up in to the car. We have a hotel room with roll in shower and bench, a bidet and plenty of space. We had some issues at the airport with my bipap machine, it took them 30 min to say yes to bringing it on the plane. Our hotel also has lifts to get me in and out of the pools.

Also, there should be an app for handicap people where we can readily find handicap bathrooms, restaurants that are accommodating, and places where we can navigate. Another pal suggested we rent a beach wheelchair and tour the beaches. That was great fun.

I think it is important to get out when you can. It makes you feel alive! Go for it!
 
One more thing. Bring a letter from your doctor stating you are permanently disabled. Ask for a national parks access pass. It is free admission for everyone in your car at all national parks.
 
As spring is in the air, just a reminder that for some of you, accessible day seats or sleepers in Amtrak or trains wherever you are may be an option. Booked early, the fares are generally reasonable, you can have meals brought to you, you have help with getting on/off, if you are in a sleeper you can stretch out when you need to, many beautiful views and no worries about BiPAPs, wheelchair batteries, etc. Obviously, if you need the positioning of a hospital bed, train beds are no substitute but it's worth considering for those of you whose itineraries fit.
 
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