Why Independent Living Design is our passion.
As told by Lisa Huben, co-owner of Custom Kreations.
Why we do what we do.
This is my Grandma several years ago, very independent, and at 93 yr. old grandma suffered a stroke. Life, as she knew it, was gone in a flash. She totally lost her entire right side leaving her wheelchair bound and completely dependent on others. There was absolutely no way possible she could continue living in her apartment, so the family had some important decisions to make. We, nor she, liked the idea of going into a nursing home.
It turned out we offered for her to come and live with us. Our house wasn’t completely accessible, but we quickly made some changes to help accommodate her better. We gave her our master bedroom/bathroom. We had to remove our bathtub and take some space from the walk-in closet to put in a walk-in/roll-in shower. We had extra lighting put in, handheld shower head, non-slip flooring, in floor heating all added. We built a ramp to get her in and out of the house, and installed a pergola to protect her from the hot summer sun on the patio deck. We didn’t have too many changes to make, but enough.
The moral of my story is, my grandma had no other options but to go into the nursing home. I just couldn’t imagine her going there when we had the room at our house and I had the luxury of adjusting my schedule to take care of her. It was a huge undertaking and responsibility, but overall, the best decision I ever made. I am so proud of myself and my family because I know we made a difference in her life and she sincerely appreciated it. Three days before she died, she took Steve’s, Shaylee’s and my hand. She couldn’t talk anymore, but her weary eyes said it all. She told us thank you for everything we did for her. And she told us how much she loved us and how grateful she was that we made her last month’s so meaningful. She lived with us 7 months and passed away at 8:58 pm, August 20, 2013 holding my mom’s hand and my hand.
This experience has given me the inspiration to help others be able to stay in their home forever. If a tragedy were to happen, I want your house to be able to adapt to your needs so you can live comfortably and as independently as possible. We want to make a difference in your life!