Mobility, Dignity & Designing for the Future with Al Neary

Episode Overview

In this episode, Valerie sits down with Al Neary, a mobility and rehabilitation expert with nearly 40 years of experience, to discuss how thoughtful equipment choices and home planning can support dignity, independence, and long-term quality of life for individuals with disabilities.

Al shares practical insights for families navigating wheelchairs, seating, bathing, transfers, and home modifications—along with powerful stories that reframe mobility from limitation to possibility.

Meet Al Neary

• Founder and president of Maximum Mobility (est. 2007)
• Calgary native and longtime volunteer with CADS – Canadian Adaptive Snow Sports
• Specializes in pediatric and complex rehabilitation equipment
• Passionate advocate for function, safety, and inclusion

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Mobility Is More Than a Wheelchair
A wheelchair is just one part of daily independence. Al explains the importance of complementary equipment such as lifts, commodes, shower chairs, hospital beds, grab bars, and change tables—to keep both individuals and caregivers safe.

Why Proper Seating Matters
Comfort, positioning, and support directly impact function, energy, and dignity. Al explains how customized seating enables independence and reduces physical and mental fatigue.

Follow-Up & Maintenance (Especially in Alberta)

• Pediatric equipment is reviewed regularly due to growth
• Adult equipment is user-driven—vendors cannot initiate follow-ups
• Families must track replacement timelines through AADL
• Routine servicing extends equipment life and improves daily function

Bathrooms, Transfers & Home Design
Commonly overlooked areas include:

• Bathroom size and layout
• True roll-in showers (no lip)
• Space for commode access
• Lighting, doorway width, and transfer zones

Early planning—before drywall or final layouts—can save money and stress.

Future-Proofing the Forever Home
Al emphasizes:

• Zero-threshold entries
• Wider doorways
• Ceiling lift planning
• Multiple accessible exits for safety

Accessible design can be beautiful, functional, and a strong resale asset.

Reframing Mobility
Mobility equipment is a tool, not a setback. Al shares moving stories of children gaining independence, inclusion, and confidence through the right supports.

“It’s not about what someone can’t do—it’s about giving them the tools to participate.”

Key Takeaways

• Think long-term, not just for today
• Involve professionals early
• Plan for growth, aging, and caregiver safety
• Focus on dignity, function, and inclusion
• 
  

Live with intention. Embrace the journey.
Thank you for listening to Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities.

Connect with Al Neary

🌐 www.maxmobility.ca
📞 403-769-6166
📧 ALN@maxmobility.ca

Connect with Valerie

info@foreverhomeconsulting.ca

Music Acknowledgement: Audio Coffee - Denys Kyshchuk

Editor: Scott Arbeau

Link for book: The S.H.I.N.E. Principle: The special needs mom's path to strength, hope and happiness by Valerie Arbeau

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CW18ZXGX (Canada)

Learn more about your host at:
https://coachingwithvalerieanne.com/

Transcript

Al Neary

An individual that requires something like a wheelchair generally requires multiple other pieces of equipment as well in order to be functional, wherever their home setting may be. Things like lifts to safely get them in and out of their wheelchair and out of bed, the bathtub, things along those lines. If, however, they're bathing or showering, a piece of equipment that's going to keep them safe and well supported for that activity, a wet, slippery human being in a wet, slippery surface, you know, there's a variety of different kinds of equipment to ensure that the person is safe. 

Valerie

Hello and welcome to Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities. I'm Valerie, mom to two with disabilities, one visible, one invisible. I'm a life coach and an author. This space has been created to help you navigate the journey of creating a secure, sustainable forever home for your child. We'll chat with parents on this path, realtors, financial planners, and other experts who can make the process easier. Why am I so passionate about this? Because seeing my eldest thrive living independent of us was a gift I didn't always know I could give. I want you to have the opportunity to explore giving that gift to your child. 

Hello and welcome to today's episode. Today I have a gentleman as our guest who I've known for many, many years. We are going to be talking to Al Neary, who is a Calgary boy living in the northwest quadrant of the city for most of his life, attending all three schools on the same street. Imagine that. The youngest of seven children and raised by a single mother, he developed a strong work ethic and a desire to help others early in life. After volunteering with the CADS ski program for a number of years, he started working as a shipper and receiver at an independent home health care company called H&H Care in 1988. Positions as a wheelchair repair technician, customer service representative and sales rep followed. When H&H Care sold to Shoppers Drug Mart, Al was tasked with being the district manager for Southern Alberta. Not enjoying the corporate policies coming from Toronto, Al resigned and started his own company, Maximum Healthcare, in 2007, which has been growing stronger year after year. 

Al Neary, welcome to the show. 

Al Neary

Thank you, Val. I'm glad to be here. 

Valerie

Yes, I'm so glad to be able to have you here. All right, so 2007, I didn't realize it had been that long since your business had started. 

Al Neary

Yeah, the years do fly by. 

Valerie

Right. I know. I'm looking at how we have matured. I'm not going to say we've aged, how we've matured over the years. A little slight different color in our hair. 

Al Neary

I still have a little hair. I guess I should be grateful for that, right? 

Valerie

Right. Love it. Love it. All right. So, Al, you developed the desire to help others at a young age, as we mentioned in your bio, because you worked at CADS, you were volunteering there. So can you tell us what does CADS stand for and how that has shaped you for what you do as president of Maximum Mobility today?  

Al Neary

Sure. I learned to ski as an adult, but I love to ski and I wound up volunteering for an organization called CADS. Back then, CADS was known, I think, as the Canadian Association of Disabled Skiers, but they've changed their name now to Canadian Adaptive Snow Sports. But the program is still the same. And what they do is they get volunteers to try and teach a ski program to individuals that are disabled in some way. They have people in wheelchairs, they have blind, deaf, amputees, all kinds of different disabilities that they teach. It starts every January. I think it runs for about eight weeks. It's a two-hour session. It's a lot of fun. And they do focus on fun and trying to give people the same opportunity to enjoy sort of a great Canadian pastime that some of the rest of us enjoy. They still try and improve people's skills where they can and try and, you know, the goal would be obviously to make them an independent skier if possible. But the focus is on fun and having a good time and then treating the individuals with respect and trying to have an understanding of what it is they're going through, and that they might be nervous or afraid. And it's a very, very new experience to slide down a ski hill for the first time when you've never done it, right? Yeah, it's a phenomenal organization. It really is. 

Valerie

Wow. Wow. Thank you for sharing that. I don't ski. I look at people that ski and I just think, wow, it just looks so graceful, you know, when they're doing the downhill skiing and stuff and even the cross-country skiing. I did try it when I first came to Canada a long time ago on a driveway. I was sharing a place temporarily with my first boss in Canada. And so she put me on her skis and I slid down her driveway and when I say slid, I mean I slid down her driveway mostly on my bottom. 

Al Neary

 That's skiing too. That's more snowboarding I think right so… 

Valerie

That's before I even heard of snowboarding because I came to Canada in 1988, so I've been here a long time. So how has that volunteer experience helped shape you for your job now as a president of Maximum Mobility?  

Al Neary

Well, what I started to see was I have always been sort of mechanically inclined. I like to work on cars and tinker. And, you know, I have off-road vehicles, I have a little race car, I have things like that. And I do like to tinker. And I was sort of fascinated by the variety of wheelchairs that were showing up on the hill. And I talked to a lot of people about them that were up there. 

And I was astonished by the cost, I think, as most of us still are to this day. And, you know, a couple of them, I wound up doing very minor repairs on the hill, because I always had, you know, a little toolkit with me. And, you know, they'd say, oh, my brakes not working. And I'd say, well, you know, maybe I can help kind of thing. And I started doing some of that kind of stuff. And then a friend that I used to work with, I worked as a grocery clerk in a grocery store up until that point in time, and he had left and started in this industry. And as fate would have it, he called me and said that they were looking for a shipper receiver and asked if I would be interested in the position. 

And back then the company was small enough that the shipper receiver also went out and did all the installations of wall bars and all those kinds of things and I grew to understand a little bit more about the industry and the equipment that people need and I loved it! It’s never boring. I've been doing it for well you know getting closer to 40 years now and it's still not boring. I still find new things and new challenges all the time and I really, really enjoy what I do. My wife talks to me about maybe I should start thinking about retirement someday, but when you love what you do, it's really not like work. So, I have no plans to retire at this point in time anyway.

Valerie

Well, we're happy to hear that. Al has been a vendor for our family for many years. And so I just can attest to the fact that this man loves his work and does an excellent job. So, thank you for what you do Al.

Al Neary

Oh, you’re welcome. I really say I really, really enjoy it. 

Valerie

Yes. So Al, tell us what kinds of things would a person find at Maximum Mobility in your store? 

Al Neary

So, unlike some of the national chains that are in Calgary or some of the giant retailers, we're not really a retail organization. We don't have a large retail showroom. I don't sell things like pillows and stockings and, you know, things like that. I let the other guys who are sort of specialized in that kind of stuff do it. 

One of our competitors have 15,000 square feet on McLeod Trail. They're good at it. Let them do it kind of thing. We're known more as a rehabilitation vendor than a retail dealer. So we focus more on rehab, some complex rehab, high-end rehab, things along those lines. So, you know, if you were to walk through my warehouse, you would see everything from wheelchairs to hospital beds, change tables, commodes, bathroom equipment, lifts, scooters, a little bit, all those kinds of things. 

We don't really get into lift chairs and stuff. We sell them to sort of families and friends and preferred customers. But again, it's a retail item. It's one of those things that's really nice to go to the big store and sit in first. 

But if it's something that's a little more complex, something that is going to be sort of used every day as opposed to just occasional use, that's sort of where we focus and where we specialize. We've been doing that for many, many years and we don't do vehicle adaptations. Again, there's some excellent businesses in Calgary that do that kind of stuff. We don't do incontinent supplies because again, it's almost a business unto itself and there are people who are very good at it. So we just focus on rehabilitation equipment. 

Valerie

Cool. Love that. Love that. So, you were mentioning about these chairs. So, it's sounding like you customize them for people. Am I getting that right? 

Al Neary

Yeah, you're 100% correct. So as you know, of course, you know, a wheelchair comes out of the box, it doesn't even have a backrest or a cushion on it. And so we focus on ensuring that the person is comfortably seated. Comfortable is one aspect of it, but functionally positioned so that they can actually operate the equipment. If someone is falling to the side because they're poorly supported, it's very, very difficult for them to actually drive, whether it's a manual wheelchair or an electric wheelchair. But if you can get someone properly positioned, belts, cushion, backrest, lateral, thoracic supports, head support, chest support, whatever else that they may need in order to feel stable and secure, then they can focus on driving. It's also far less exhausting for them where they're not trying to hold themselves up. The system is providing the support that they need to where they feel safe. It's less mentally fatiguing as well if they're not concerned about trying to hold themselves up in a position where they can be functional. So, the wheelchair out of the box is just beginning. We spend a significant amount of time trying to ensure that the chair is set up properly, comfortable. And then of course, we spend a significant amount of time trying to run through all the various features with the families at the end of the appointment so that they understand how things work, understand sort of basic upkeep, you know. Things to look out for things as with children, when they grow, what to look for when things aren't fitting properly anymore. Some adults grow too, but in a different way. And that's an issue as well. And, you know, people deserve to be comfortable. They deserve to have dignity in their equipment, and it's hard to be dignified if you're falling out of your wheelchair. so the main challenge isn't really the wheelchair it's getting the person set up in the wheelchair to where they can be functional.

Valerie

All right! So Al, you've shared about the fact that people in a wheelchair need to be dignified to be comfortable so that they can function well. So you spend a significant amount of time making sure that happens so that's great and I love to hear that so is there follow-up once you get these people in the wheelchairs and set up how does that work? 

Al Neary

So, it's a little different for me especially because I primarily work with children and children grow. So the good aspect of that is the parents recognize that the equipment isn't fitting them very well And there's frequent appointments to, in Alberta anyway, it's referred to as seating clinic. And there's pediatric seating clinic runs from the Alberta Children's Hospital and the adult seating clinic runs from the Dr. Vernon Fanning Center, which you're very familiar with. With children, of course, we wind up seeing them on a regular basis because as they grow and change and their abilities change, we are seeing them more frequently. And I think the follow-ups are much more frequent. To be honest with adults, it's sort of user-driven. If an adult is independent and they aren't calling us to say that, ‘Hey, you know what, things aren't very comfortable. I need some adjustments.’ The way the ADL program, our funding agency, our main funding agency in Alberta is referred to as Alberta AIDS to Daily Living or AADL. the way they're set up is they actually don't want vendors reaching out to people independently and saying ‘Hey it's been a year since we've seen you we should get your wheelchair in for service and we should take a look at your seating,’ we're actually not allowed to do that wow it has to be user driven. So, if we don't hear from you we assume that everything is okay, and if we do hear from you then obviously we're happy to try and help.

Valerie

Okay! Well, I was not aware of that in the adult world it's user-driven so parents make sure you write it on your calendar to have a check-in because to be honest with you Al with our daughter Melody-Anne I wasn't aware of this, and so yeah and that's something that I have started to do now is just checking in with okay when was the last time Melody-Anne was seen at Maximum Mobility and when does she need to go again? So just a reminder parents that, yeah, in the adult world, especially in Alberta, I can't comment for any other districts or areas, but it's good to know for Alberta. So, thanks for reminding us of that, Al. 

Al Neary

The government program publishes what they refer to as approved product lists and the approved product lists list quantity and frequency. You know, if you need a replacement cover for your wheelchair cushion while you're eligible for one every year. If you need a new seat belt or upper thoracic support, things along those lines, it's one per year. Backrest is one every three years. Cushion is one every three years. A lot of people forget. We try and tell them that at the appointment. And I actually do suggest if you use an electronic calendar to just enter it, the stuff wears out. Even cushions, which aren't, it's not always obvious, but if you're spending, you know, six to 20 hours a day sitting on the same cushion, that foam or gel or air or whatever it is does deteriorate and break down over time, and does need to be reviewed and replaced periodically. And our government program is excellent and they do recognize that it does need to be replaced, but the responsibility is on the user to drive that. The vendor is not allowed to reach out and contact them.

Valerie

Yeah. And you know, as you were talking, you know, we're given as parents or caregivers, we're given this information, but it's information overload because there's so much else going on. So, I honestly can admit that I never took that in as far as, oh, this is, you can be replaced every year or we can have a tune-up done. Is it every year, I think, or every couple of years? 

Al Neary

So again, that's a common misconception. Essentially, as the chair needs service or work, It can be serviced at any time. It can be serviced multiple times a year if required. The AADL program, again, I can't stress enough, I think it's probably the best program in North America, but all programs have limitations. The program sometimes looks at a chair that's had no service work done to it, and suddenly it's 10 years old, and the family's asking for something that's new because it's worn out. And the government program looks at it and says, well, in 10 years, you've had it in or service work twice, it can't be that bad if it's only been serviced twice. And meanwhile, it was actually the dad that's been doing all the service work on the chair. And, so it almost works against them in those cases kind of thing. So having the chair maintained and tuned up is important. When you get a brand-new chair and it rolls out of the room and everything is perfect and working perfectly, you don't realize how good it is. And things like bearings and tires and all the other components, they degrade very, very slowly over time. It's not usually an obvious failure, but you may find that you're working harder to do the same thing. You know, that your batteries don't last as long as they used to, like any things along those lines. And yeah, contact your vendor, whoever that vendor may be, and arrange to have that chair serviced and looked at. It's important. It makes a huge difference in the longevity of the equipment and the quality of the time that the individual spends in the equipment.

Valerie

Exactly. So, Melody-Anne is in a manual chair and is pushed. So she's not able to manoeuvre herself. So it's only when the staff, well, initially it was when the staff that are caring for Melody-Anne would tell me that it's really difficult to move her chair. Like we're finding it a little bit harder. So case in point, right? 

Al Neary

Yes. 

Valerie

All right, Al. So when people hear mobility equipment, they often think only about wheelchairs, but can you share how your work actually supports independence across daily life, like with bathing and transfers and moving safely around the home? 

Al Neary

Sure. So, mobility devices, things like a wheelchair and stuff is certainly, you know, a big part of what we do. But as you mentioned, that's just one aspect of it. An individual that requires something like a wheelchair generally requires multiple other pieces of equipment as well in order to be functional, wherever their home setting may be. Things like lifts to safely get them in and out of their wheelchair and out of bed, the bathtub, things along those lines. 

If, however, they're bathing or showering, a piece of equipment that's going to keep them safe and well-supported for that activity, a wet, slippery human being in a wet, slippery surface, there's a variety of different kinds of equipment to ensure that the person is safe. Even something as simple as grab bars on walls to give a person a sense of security. A lot of individuals they think well I don't think I really want that wall bar on my wall where I step into the shower. But any human being whether they're special needs or not, if that bar is there they will reach out and put their hand on it, because you're stepping into a wet slippery surface. It's just what our brains do for us, it's just logical to reach out and grab that. 

Toileting is a big one. A range of commode chairs, some of them that would be used on top of the toilet, some of them that would also share a joint purpose of being a shower commode chair, where the individual would be if they're lucky enough to have a roll-in shower in their home. It's just so much easier to be able to put someone into something like that and then have them safely rolled into a shower instead of an additional transfer. Not to say that some people don't like to be transferred and then have a soak in a tub. Many of us enjoy that. And if that's what they enjoy, there's certainly bathtub lifts, there's bath chairs, there's a variety of equipment, ceiling lifts that would allow them to be lowered down into a traditional bathtub so that they can enjoy a soak in a tub. Hospital beds, change tables. There's a wide variety of equipment that we sell in order to ensure that individuals are comfortable and well supported and as functional as possible in all aspects of their life. And to keep both them and the people who care for them safe and injury free.

Valerie

Yes. Yes. Which is huge, which is huge. All right. So Al, you'd mentioned the commode being able to go into a rolling shower. So, we are very blessed to have that in Melody-Anne's home. So, when we bought the home, it had been built for a lady with MS. So in the master suite was this beautiful ensuite bathroom. And so Melody-Anne does have a commode where she can sit over the toilet and then be rolled right into her shower. I have to say it is beautiful. It works so well. And again, as you mentioned, just saves that extra transfer so that she can go from being on the bathroom toilet to going to get showered. So, we really appreciate that.

Al Neary

Yeah, they're great. 

Valerie

Yeah. Yeah. 

Al Neary

I wish all the builders did them as just standard. Right. Everyone likes them, you know, some of the higher end homes. Now you're starting to see them and hopefully there'll be a trickle down.

Valerie

Yes. And I believe that that would be very beneficial because let's build for future instead of building for the needs now. Let's build for future. And for me, as I'm maturing, I really don't like scrubbing a bathtub. So, give me a roll and shower. It is way easier to deal with. Thank you very much!

Al Neary

I renovated my home recently and made a portion of it wheelchair accessible to future proof it. And we hired a designer that was familiar with wheelchair accessibility to assist us. I'm quite familiar with what I need, and I still didn't feel comfortable and I wanted a professional to assist me in it. And the designer was worth every penny to try and have them come in and say, okay, well, you could do it this way or this way or this way. What works best? And then thinking through those options. And again, thinking what would my potential day look like 20 years from now when I'm trying to get ready and trying to make it as easy as possible. So, we converted the upstairs of our house from a four bedroom to a three bedroom and put two wheelchair accessible roll-in showers and made everything wider, made the doorways wider, essentially what I did was I future-proofed. Maybe I'll never need it but, maybe I will and it needed to be renovated anyway, so why not make it to where it's going to work for me regardless of what my abilities are as I age.

Valerie

Absolutely and just think of the selling feature as well! 

Al Neary

No, absolutely! 

Valerie

Yeah, yes.

Al Neary

And it’s beautiful! 

Valerie

Right? I think a lot of people think they're going to look institutional, but they don't. 

Al Neary

Not at all. 

Valerie

They don't. Awesome. All right. 

So, when families come to you feeling overwhelmed by mobility challenges, Al, how do you help them reframe the conversation from limitations to independence and possibility?

Al Neary

I certainly have never had to walk a mile in your shoes, Val, and be the parent of a child who's facing uncertain future, I guess. But I do recall like there was a child that I worked with many, many years ago and parents were reluctant to get into a mobility device because they said the child was doing okay and he was still able to keep up and everything else. And I met both parents and the school therapist at school and it was circle time, which is, you know, for younger kids, they all sit around in a circle down and their child was participating and he was doing just fine. And then all the kids got up and walked away except for him. And it was a powerful illustration of the fact that he couldn't keep up with the other children unless he had a tool to assist him. And the parents, it opened their eyes as well to see that, hey, you know what, I wish we didn't need this. 

And in a perfect world, we wouldn't need to. But the reality is, is that you can look at something and say, I wish we didn't need this. Or you can look at something and say, with the correct tools, I can have someone who is as functional as possible and live as typical a life as possible, which I think is something that any parent would want for their child. It's just often that initial reluctance of seeing what, well, is this the future then? And a lot of parents, of course, sometimes believe that, well, if I get them the chair, they're going to be lazy and they'll never walk. 

And again, I've been primarily working with children for close to 40 years. These children are not lazy, you know, not at all. And a lot of these kids who can walk somewhat do still because they want to, but I really hate to see kids left behind. And I hate to see other children doing things that these children are not able to keep up with and enjoy with them. And if you can provide that simple tool for them to let them join in. That's really what we want. 

I had another child that I did an electric wheelchair for, and this one was at a school as well. And it was a nice summer day. It was probably May or June. And, you know, we set up the electric chair and most schools have like a paved tarmac area outside. And that's what the child was initially driving it around with. And we were explaining things to the child and the parents as to how everything worked. And then the child came up to me and he said to me, ‘Hey, can I drive to those bushes over there?’ And these was just a clump of bushes across the grass in the playground. It was maybe 50 yards away. And I said, ‘Yeah, of course you can. But why?’ And he said, ‘I always wondered what was over there.’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, you go, buddy.’ And he was probably disappointed when he got there. But, you know, there's always going to be something that's going to be that 50 yards away that these kids or adults want to be able to get to. And if we can just give them the simple mechanism to allow them to do these things and to be able to be, you know, as functional as possible, I always focus on function, then how can we hesitate or deny? 

I mean, I can walk to work. It's 15 kilometers. I choose to drive because it's faster. and I'm not exhausted when I get here. So how is that different than a person who can walk a little bit getting and using a wheelchair and being as functional as possible? It's just a tool. It's nothing more. 

Valerie

Yeah, love that. Thank you so much for sharing those stories. As you were talking, I was reminded of when Melody-Anne was younger and we lived in Nova Scotia for a short time. And so that's where she did Kindergarten. And it was just so lovely to see the other kids, because kindergarten age, you know, five, six, seven, kids are all about curiosity right? And so it was so lovely to see these kids fighting over who could push Melody-Anne around when they did gym. They loved to push her around the gym as they did their laps around the gym. And it was just so amazing to see the inclusivity of these children because they they, just wanted to be with everybody and everybody to join in. And I just sometimes wish that would continue as our children get older. 

Al Neary

You know, I love that story. And it's something that I see on an ongoing basis when I'm in schools. It's often a competition in order to help that child get pushed or whatever else. But for me, it is, it's about that inclusivity. And the younger kids are when they start that, the more sort of typical and normalized it is for them. And hopefully those children that have had classes and experienced part of their growing up with a special needs child, they'll continue to have a greater understanding and share that understanding with people who haven't had that opportunity. That these are just people and they wanted to be treated like every other person. And they want to have the same opportunities and challenges, but they want to be included. And just give them that opportunity. That's all that I think any parent or regardless of the age of your child, whether they're, you know, four or 40, it's still your child. And we still want them to have the same opportunities. And we still want other people to engage with them. 

And I love when I will frequently install front tires on manual wheelchairs that light up when a chair is pushed, and what that does is it brings other children over to that child to say, ‘Hey, those are really cool wheels.’ And, you know, maybe that child is verbal and can talk it over with the kid and maybe they're not, but it still gets them engaged and it still brings other kids over to them. And it makes it so that they're not afraid of that piece of equipment. They're just curious. Kids are naturally curious. And I like to encourage that. And sometimes the questions that they ask are not necessarily politically correct, but it's because they're children. And as a child, that's an acceptable question as to, you know, ‘Hey, how come you're in a wheelchair?’ And, you know, answer that. Well, you know, their legs don't work the same as yours. Oh, OK. And then they accept it. And kids are very, very accepting. And it's so beautiful to see. It really is. Boy, I prefer working with children. I just love working with them. 

Valerie

And you're great at it! All right so um, when families are planning their child's forever home or modifying a home what areas Al, do you think are most overlooked especially when it comes to bathrooms, bedrooms and safe transfers? 

Al Neary

Sure, I mean what I usually try and tell people is think of a typical day. Okay, so you wake up in the morning and you go into your child's room and you assist to get them dressed. And then you move them into their wheelchair, or you're getting them bathed in the morning and then you're going to dry them off and get them dressed and into a wheelchair. So, I try and have them run through a typical day and ‘Okay, so how's that going to work in this new home? Are you going to have space to do that? How are you going to dress them? Where are you going to dress them? How are you going to transfer them?’

I've had people who have moved into homes and then they call us over and say, ‘Yeah, you know, we want to get a lift in here.’ And I go in and the bedroom is the size of a closet. And, you know, the bathroom is down three sharp turns and a tiny doorway. And now sometimes it's a monetary thing and this was all they can afford and let's do the best we can to make it work. But sometimes it's just a lack of foresight in taking a look at what is my day going to look like when we move into this house, and how are things going to work? You know, something like a ceiling lift, which is just a piece of track that mounts to a ceiling in the room allows an individual to be picked up without taking up a lot of space in the bedroom the way a more traditional or old school floor lift does. So if you're moving into that house when people are thinking about where they're going to put the bed, ‘Well, how are you going to position the track?’ ‘Well we want the bed in front of the window.’ ‘Okay, well, is that going to be a good spot for the tracking?’ ‘Where's your transfer area going to be are you going to go just from the bed to the wheelchair? Are you going to go to the bed? To a commode chair? Are you going to go on a continuous piece of track all the way to the toilet or shower?’ Just think it through, plan it out. 

If it's a new build or if there's renovations involved, if we can get in there, the sooner the better, it winds up saving you money. We don't charge anything to go out and take a look at the property. And sometimes if it's a new build, especially, or, renovations, we will pre-install some hardware and brackets before the drywall is in place. And that greatly reduces the cost to the homeowner when they're trying to do this stuff afterwards. It's little things like that. It's planning. 

Washrooms, especially most houses, a bathtub is roughly five feet wide. The houses that I grew up in, the bathroom was five feet wide and maybe 10 feet long. That's a tough space to work in. Is it going to work? How are you going to do it? How are you going to bathe? How are you going to toilet? Think it through before you sign on the dotted line, if possible, to ensure that you're going to have a workable space. 

You mentioned that you have a roll-in shower. I mean, a roll-in shower is phenomenal and I wish more builders did them. And when families are talking about building, I often tell them to get a roll-in shower. Roll-in showers mean different things to different people. Some of the builders still put, you know, a three or a four-inch lip on them. And then the family is, ‘Okay, well, how do we get over this?’ And I'm like, that's not a roll-in shower. That's a step-in shower kind of thing. So, the builders themselves sometimes need to be educated on it. 

Sometimes even something as simple as lighting when they're developing something and, you know, they've got one little light somewhere. Well, at the time of renovation or development to add some additional light, if you can just see, it's so helpful. And as I age, I appreciate a well-lit environment much more than I used to. And it's so, so helpful. Space around the toilet. It's so many people have, you know, the countertop going right to it and then the bathtub on the other side of it. And then they say, ‘Well, we want to be able to get the commode chair in there,’ and it simply doesn't fit. And for some individuals, it can work. But again, if you have the opportunity to renovate or to build, take that time to picture what that day is going to look like. 

We're happy to bring the equipment to the home when it's been roughly framed initially, but before the rough end plumbing or anything else has even been installed. try it and see how it's going to work. I've had people simply take a green painter's tape and tape off a section in their living room or family room of, okay, this is going to be the bathroom. How are we going to manage this? And you try and make it as real as possible. Looking at a drawing is great, but physically being able to stand in it and envision that transfer and how things are going to work is much more powerful than any drawing could ever be.

Valerie

Yes, absolutely. Al, thank you so much for all this like pearls of wisdom and this insight. I really, really appreciate you sharing with our audience today. So, speaking of which, where can our audience go to find out more about you?

Al Neary

So, we're a small independent company in Calgary. We have a modest website. It's just www.maxmobility.ca. People are also welcome to call us at 403-769-6166. And they're welcome to email me directly. I can be emailed at, it's just my first name and initial. It's ALN@maxmobility.ca. 

Valerie

Okay, great. Thank you so much, Al. Al, before I let you go, if you could give one piece of advice to a parent who is just starting to think about mobility independence or future housing for their child, what would it be? 

Al Neary

Based on the experience that I had in renovating my own home, again, if there is the opportunity to involve someone as soon as possible, that designer, even a vendor, so that you don't make costly mistakes that have to be renovated again. As much space as you can possibly afford, you'll never regret a bathroom being too big, but you may regret it being too small. 

If it's new construction, or if you're doing any kind of landscaping outside, a lot of homes now that are landscaping the home to where it's a zero transition into the front door. So there's no porch lift, there's no ramp. It looks like an everyday home. You would never know that it's anything special and it'll never break down. You never have to worry about a porch lift failing and having to have someone come out on a cold winter’s day when you need it the most. It works great. If you can possibly have two entrances so that if there is a failure, so if you have that ramp at the front door and you have a porch lift off the back, I know in the case of emergency, there would obviously be someone is just going to grab someone and carry them or drag them if they have to out of a home in the case of emergency. 

But we take for granted the fact that our homes have multiple exits. But someone who's living with special needs, if you're going to build a forever home and you can try and build that into where there's a possibility of having two ways to get in and out of the home, I strongly encourage it. 

Think about things like transfers. Ceiling track is certainly the nicest way of transferring compared to a floor lift. Think about where those ceiling tracks may go. Again, bring someone in early to try and get them involved to get their opinion. If you're not happy with their opinion, get someone else. Honestly, we get second opinions for so many things in our life and people don't always do it for, you know, major, major purchase like a renovation or a house, right? 

So, plan, think things through, think of the future. Your child may be four years old right now, but at some point in time, they may be six foot four and 200 pounds and think of the future with that child, not just today.

Valerie

Yeah. Thank you, Al. Thank you so much. Love that piece of advice. Thank you everyone for listening in. Thank you, Al, for being here. So appreciate it. 

And I just want to remind our audience, Live with Intention - Embrace the Journey. 

Thanks for joining me today on Forever Home for our kids with disabilities. I hope today's episode gave you something new to think about and it increased your confidence on your journey. If you found this episode helpful, do tell others about it. Use the text feature to let me know your questions. Tell me what you want to know. Until next time, take care and keep building your child's future.