She Spends the Day in One Chair. Size the Seat to Her Height, the Arm Height, and Your Reach

Many husbands end up with one chair that becomes her whole day. It may be the one she already had, or the one that was easiest to bring home. A seat that does not fit her, or that puts you in an awkward spot when you help her, wears on both of you by the second week. Measure the room and the body first, then decide.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Measure her, seated

Have her sit in her usual clothes, with her usual shoes or slippers on. Measure from the floor to the back of her knee. Measure the seat depth from the front of the seat to the back of her knee, then leave a gap of a few finger widths so the edge of the cushion does not press into the back of the leg. Measure the width across her hips with room to shift. Measure the height from the seat surface to the place where her forearm rests when her arms are relaxed.

Measure your reach

Stand where you would stand to help her in or out of the seat, and mark the spot on the floor. Measure from that spot to the front of the seat and to the arm. You need room to stand at her side with your feet apart and your back straight. If the seat sits against a wall or a heavy table, you may have no room to stand where you need to stand. That is a fit problem, not a personal failing.

Walk the route

Measure the path from the seat to the bathroom, the kitchen, and the door. Can the walker or wheelchair pass? Can you pass beside it with a hand free? If the chair blocks the path, moving it fixes nothing else you have planned.

Compare what matters

Compare the seat firmness, whether the cushion can be removed and washed, whether the fabric is easy to clean, and whether the seat height can be adjusted. Ask whether the arms are the right height for her to push against, not just to rest on. Do not test a seat by lifting her into it. Use the method her therapist showed you, with the chair locked and in position.

What this is not

This is about a plain chair that fits her body and your room. It is not about a recliner with a lift mechanism, and it does not replace the advice of her therapist about how she sits or stands. Bring your measurements to the therapist and ask whether the seat is a good fit for her.