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[Guest guest]

Hi, Fred Krepps here, I would like to add the following about making my

home accessible for myself. This was done by adding a bedroom and bath

to the back end of my home. I put all the doors at 36 " width and with

door levers instead of door knobs. All light switches set low, so at a

standing position I only have to move my hand forward to push the big

rocker on the switch. This is convenient for myself now and when I hit

the wheelchair for good it will be ready.

I have a 5 foot shower which only has about a 1/2 " lip on the entrance

so I could be rolled into shower It of course has grab bars all the way

around with a personal shower head with the hose on it. Next and

attached to the outside wall of my shower is my handicapped grab bar and

commode and on the other side of the commode is a swing away grab bar

that when it is up out of the way I have room to put my wheelchair when

that time comes with about 39 " space. The bathroom measures 11 ft by 7

1/2 feet which gives good maneuverability. There is a closet built in

at the end of the 11 feet which gives me about a 28 " deep by 7 1/2 foot

long. storage. Total width of both is about 13'+.

My bedroom is 19' X 13 1/2 feet which gives me room for a lot of

furniture and very accessible for getting around and if needed later

on, a space for a hospital bed.

I will be 66 on March 1st and I still get around with leg bars and a

cane. I was forced to retire at 59 1/2 years young. I have four

children and they all have CMT. We found this out about 5 years after

my youngest was born. I served in the Army but it was not a good time

for me as I knew I wasn't your average man but didn't know what the

problem was at the time. Just so happens most of my siblings have CMT

also as do their families. We traced it back to my great grandfather

and just within the last 6 months it appears that my great grandmother's

family also had it, kind of like a double whammy.

Hope this helps someone when it comes to making yourself comfortable.

Regards, Fred

PS I use 3500 Series MPD hand controls on my Caravan to get around and

like them very much.