The Vision Behind Brilliant Medical Boutique
When Kyle and I founded Brilliant! Medical Boutique back in 2006, our vision was to provide top notch service, outstanding products, and to treat our customers as family. Brilliant! Medical Boutique has been such a blessing to our family. We have managed to make a living doing what we love, and we view our services as a ministry. Our primary focus is to help others. We are Christians and do try to live our lives according to how Jesus Christ wants us to live.
With all that being said, one of our ideas on how to adapt our little “brick-and-mortar” store, that also happens to be a “mom-and-pop” shop, is to develop multiple options for our customers to shop. Our customers do still want to come into an actual retail store and try products out before they buy. However, the future seems to be headed toward having a strong online presence. In trying to decide how to balance our direction for the future, Kyle came up with a wonderful idea. Why can’t we be both? Why can’t we offer the convenience of online shopping, with the “try before you buy” concept too. If you or your loved one have trouble getting out, we can bring the showroom to you.
This process can start several ways, but the most common occurs when a loved one comes into our store and explains which areas of the home are causing problems. We assess the areas of most concern, such as bathroom safety or mobility issues and then we can schedule a time to bring several products out for the patient to see.
Once we are at your home, we can do a home evaluation to continue to identify areas of concern, and then offer solutions on how to solve those issues. We go over different products that can help and explain how each item works. We educate you on ways to make life a little easier, and safer for that matter.
I have met so many people who are having trouble getting around safely in their own home, but they don’t know what products are available to help. I want to share an overview of some products that can make your home safer and more comfortable.
The most common area of concern for most people is the bathroom. Bathrooms are often small, with flooring that gets slick when wet. Toilets are too low, and there’s nothing really great to grab onto if you need support. Many people reach for the towel rack, but that is not a good idea! Towel racks were not installed with the intention of supporting body weight. Even bathroom doors, in most houses, are smaller than the other doors and walkers and rollators do not fit through them. Here are a few items to consider that WILL keep you safer in your bathroom.
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A transfer bench can make entering and exiting the bathtub safer. It has two suction cup feet inside the tub, and two rubber feet outside the tub to allow you to be seated and scoot in and out safely.
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A bathtub safety bar attaches to the side of your tub and gives you a handle to hold on to when entering or exiting the bathtub. Bathtub safety bars are extra convenient because you are not drilling anything into your wall.
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Grab bars are available and can be attached to a wall inside or outside of the bathtub area providing a safe option in case you lose your balance or need something to hold on to. While they are not as easy to install as a bathtub safety bar, they are the gold standard if you need something to hold onto while in your bathroom. Grab bars come in many different lengths, ranging from about 12 inches to 36 inches.
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Elevated toilet seats or toilet arm rails can make getting up and down from the toilet easier and safer. Both options attach to the toilet easily.
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A bedside commode is often used after surgery or other medical procedure as a potty chair near your bed. But once you are finished with it for that purpose, it can actually fit over your commode as a taller seat. Bedside commodes are also called “3-n-1 commodes.” A lot of people don’t know what the three uses are: 1) beside your bed when you can't get to the bathroom, 2) in the bathroom over your toilet (take the bucket out and the bedside commode works more like a funnel), and 3) as a shower chair.
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Some products to keep you safe in other areas of your home include lift chairs, threshold ramps, mobility equipment, bed rails, and the list goes on and on. My goal is to use this blog to educate you about all the ways to live safely and comfortably in your own home.
If you or a loved one have trouble getting out, but need help staying safe inside your home, we hope you will reach out to us and give us the opportunity to educate you on available products that might help. If you already know what you need, then you can order online, and if you really don’t know where to start, I hope you’ll call or come see us at one of our retail stores. It is our passion to serve you!
Stay safe, Jamie
