You're getting yourself mentally prepared to have knee replacement surgery to address the painful arthritis. You also need to spend some time preparing your house for when you come home from the hospital. Your recovery will go smoother when your home is an easier place in which to navigate while you are healing. Ask a friend or family member to help you get your home ready so you'll have a smoother recovery with less risk of danger to yourself.

Keep to the Ground Floor For Several Weeks

For the first few weeks after you get home from the hospital, it will be a challenge to go up and down the stairs in your home with your crutches. If your bedroom is upstairs, have someone help you move personal items to the ground floor so you can stay away from stairs as much as possible. Rent a bed to make it more comfortable, if you don't already have a guest bedroom on the ground floor that you can use.

If you normally have to go downstairs to do laundry, ask someone to help you for a few weeks after your surgery. Navigating the stairs with a laundry basket puts you at risk of falling and injuring yourself.

Remove Obstacles To Clear the Way Through the House

Get a pair of crutches and walk through your house with them before your surgery. Look for and remove obstacles to getting through your house easily. Throw rugs can slip under your feet. Electrical cords and pet beds in your way can trip you. Narrow passageways through the house make it harder to maneuver in those tight spaces. Have someone help you move furniture around to give you plenty of space to get around your house with the crutches.

Prepare to Make Daily Activities Easier

Not only will moving through your house be challenging, but it'll be more difficult just to do simple daily activities for several weeks after your knee surgery. Take items that you frequently use from the upper and lower shelves of kitchen cabinets and place them on the counter for easier access. Do the same for towels and washcloths in the linen closet in your bathroom and clothes closet in your bedroom.

Consider getting a stool riser from a medical equipment rental company to use for a few weeks. This helps getting on and off of the toilet safely. A shower chair will also be handy to sit on to get off of your knee when you bathe.

Take the time to prepare your home as you prepare yourself for your knee surgery. You'll have an easier and safer recovery period as you gain back the strength and mobility in your knee.

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