My mom is having difficulty caring for my grandmother. Any suggestions?

Ask your friends if they have one they are not using.. you may be surprised! When I broke my ankle and was no weight bearing for 3 months,, we borrowed a lot of things. I did get a nifty chair from my insurance ( rental) but it did not fit into one of my bathrooms. Lo and behold on of my friends had a old model,, skinny as heck and it fit right in that door! we only used it in the house.. used the newer sturdier one for trips. Believe it or not we used an office chair in the upper level for me,, it scouted right around, and I only used in the upper level to get to bed and the upstairs TV room.. But I was able to balance it.. so that may not work for you. And I have hardwood floors..

I'd go for the transport chair before I would the walker with the seat on it. The walker is HARD to push someone on, especially on carpet and is not made for that purpose. We did that with my mother for several months before we got a transport chair and it wore us out. However, the transport chair may not fit through the bathroom door either, even though they aren't as wide as a wheelchair. I'd measure first, but you can take the door off the bathroom and that will help. Yes, it's a problem having no door but you have to do what you have to do.

Yes a transport chair. She then can just scoot around. How about a walker with a seat. It can be pushed and takes up less room.

To get a wheelchair thru Medicare it will be heavy. If Grandma is not heavy, Walgreens carries lightweight ones. Sometimes they run sales and u can get one for $100 or less.

All wheelchairs are 18 in in the seat area. If grandma is a large women, a regular wheelchair will not be wide enough. There are "wide" wheelchairs. Wheelchairs for tall people. Back is higher, legs longer. Willie's idea is good.

I had OT come to my house to help pick a chair that suited both my mother's needs and the space of the home - we needed to give special consideration to the width of the external doorways. OT's can also point out other devices and modifications that may make caregiving easier.

Hi Fronty. A transport chair would be helpful as it’s narrow. What also might be useful is a walker with a seat. Sometimes Mom sits on hers when she can’t walk anymore and I roll her to the bathroom. I would try the commode again with some type of privacy screen or place behind a piece of furniture. My Mom needed to use one following a fall and injury and it was a dignity issue. Sometimes it can’t only be what the loved one wants. In order to care for them there needs to be give and take.

Fronty, I would try a DME for a wheelchair before getting one from Amazon.    DMEs are experienced in billing Medicare and know how to handle the purchase.   In addition, they can explain proper use of the removable arm and leg rests.    They might even have wheelchair pads available.

Wheelchairs used to be available in different widths; I haven't had the need to use them as we had 2 already, so I don't know if that's still the case.   If it is, you could get one of the narrower ones, assuming it fits comfortably for your GM.

Ask one of your grandmother's treating doctors for a script for a wheelchair.  You might also ask about wheelchair pads; the chairs are not particularly comfortable.

And ask for one that has removable arms and legs; it's easier for transfers.

As to ramps, sometimes communities get grants for assisting residents.   Last time I inquired was several years ago, but at that time I learned that grants are awarded on a fiscal year basis.    There may or may not be any funds left, but it doesn't hurt to try.

The grants sometimes are for emergencies only.   So it might depend on whether your need for a ramp is an emergency, or a "convenience."

If that effort isn't successful and you can afford to have a ramp built, search for "assistive" or "adaptive" contractors.   They also sometimes exhibit at local Senior Expos.   AAA used to host them annually but discontinued that in our area.

Medicare part B will pay for a wheel chair if medically necessary. Very rarely will they pay for a ramp in to the house.