Hello. This morning, my Dad was formally diagnosed with bowel cancer. Fortunately, it hasn't spread to other organs. There are lots of medical decisions to be made about whether he's even going to have treatment or not, but it's most likely that he will be referred to have treatment in my home town (I'm the only close relative not of his generation living in this country), which is two hours' drive away from his home. The alternative is the normal treatment hospital which is two hours' drive in the opposite direction and just wouldn't work. So, this would mean moving Dad to our house on a temporary basis. We do have room for him, but I'm worried about the bathroom facilities. The bathroom that he normally has exclusive use of has a large bath with an over-bath shower. He's currently pretty fit and mobile, and can quite happily negotiate getting in and out of the bath for a shower own his own, but I'm worried that when he starts treatment - he needs both chemo- and radiotherapy before having surgery - and after surgery, he won't be able to manage.
The question is - do I physically help him climb in and out - or should I get the bathroom refitted with a smaller or no bath and a walk-in shower? The cost isn't really an issue, but I'm concerned about the time, as everything is happening very quickly.
Thank you.
Hi Scrabble96
Sorry to hear about your father and understand the idea of having him closer rather than further away. I guess it would be quite difficult for anyone to know exactly how your dad will be with treatment and surgery can also be challenging.
One thing that can be helpful is to speak to someone on his oncology team about making sure things are in place for your dad - and indeed for you. He may well need some care at home at some point and the local council would be responsible for a needs assessment and this should be in place before he gets discharged form hospital. An important element in that car be a carers assessment to ensure that the support is in place for your too.
When my wife came out of hospital they fitted grab rails around our bath, a raised seat and frame for the toilet and a new stair rail to help there. It can be hard to know what is available without talking to these experts.
<<hugs>>
Steve
