The grab bars stayed after dad’s recovery. They changed everything
Ageing changes how we experience the places we love.
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Though ageing and disability might be inevitable, an unwelcoming world need not be, writes the author.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
Erwin Tiongson
When my dad was recovering from his brain surgery a few years ago in our home town in the Philippines, he had to learn to walk again. A lifelong architect, he directed the redesign of my old room where he stayed for a while and installed grab bars all around the room to support his first tentative steps, including a retractable grab bar attached to the bed to help him get up. Similar bars were installed throughout the house, including in bathrooms.
Though we were happy to see my dad recover fully, the bars have stayed. I am spending the month with my parents in my home town. The other day, as I looked around my childhood home and remembered scenes from years ago, it occurred to me that the bars were not always there. But they meshed so well with the existing fixtures and furniture that they didn’t seem as intrusive or incongruous as they easily could have. And as both my parents have grown a little older and sometimes become less steady on their feet, the bars have become essential, allowing them easy access to various rooms.
