My dad had a stroke & needed a wheelchair. We borrowed 1 for a short time from friends.Didn't work out well! Dr. gave us prescription for it since he could not walk without walker & safety belt & someone holding belt & 1 side of walker. They are very unstable if you want to fall off to 1 side,could easily flip it over. So wheelchair was best way to get dad to table & to his easy chair ,bathroom & bed. Not so easy. The wheelchair people came & measured couple of doors & brought a wheelchair, well, couldn't get it through area where bathroom is, too wide of wheelbase. Also when I tried to fold it & lift it so we could get him to dr. when required,they had sent out a heavy 1. So we measured doors & came up with narrower size,dad was only about 140 lbs so could have smaller area in seat without a problem. They got us a Karma Aircraft-Grade Aluminum Alloy frame chair with silver & black & very attractive & I could actually pick it up & get it in trunk of car(very important),easy to get through the house & he could even move it himself down the hall or out of kitchen so "not stuck somewhere", so lot of things to consider.We haven't had any problems with it, just added a thick cushion as he sat in it a lot with a soft light blue baby blanket(type that doesn't bunch up) so if he spilled food or drink could easily change it for another little blanket.(folded twice so about size of seat.) So anyone needing a chair these are the things you need to be aware of. My neighbor had a wheelchair & said I could use it- It wouldn't fit in the trunk of car even with 2 of us trying to get it in there. That's when I knew it was not going to be easy! Good Luck folks & be persistent!

A lot of good advice above. Also, if there is a Harbor Freight near you, they carry a few very basic wheel chair models, at a fraction of the price of going to a medical supply store/drug store. But I must warn you of one thing with Medicare. There's a certain protocol there. If you get a wheel chair (indicating your mother is completely disabled), and then decide your mother needs something like a walker, or electric lounger to help her get up (something for a partially disabled person)--Medicare may not pay for second item. It's complicated, but for medicare to pick up the tab, you have to buy these things in a certain order, and at certain intervals. Before you make a decision, talk to the folks at your local medical supply store to see what they recommend. We just paid for mom's wheel chair, because it wasn't worth losing benefits she might need further down the line (for something more expensive). Also, mention among your friends, at your church, etc, that you need a wheel chair--ofte people have them sitting around the house because they're too expensive to throw out when they're no longer needed. You may find someone who is willing to lend you one. Or, if you only need it for excursions out of the house, I found that most places I wanted to take my mom had wheel chairs to borrow--and we just skipped those that didn't, until we finally got her one of her own. Good luck.

Fully agree about having a removable bench versus a tiled-in built-in in an accessible shower. At a later date once use is figured out, you could add a folding wall bench. There are also roll-over collapsible dams for wheelchairs. Talk to your building department if this will be a permitted and inspected installation. For the most part, residential isn't bound to accessibility standards, but you do want to tweak your design towards it. See what ideas your inspector has about your design prior to starting construction. A 1" to 1-1/2" vertical drop into the shower is significant for being in a chair. Ideally you're looking for 1/4" to 1/2" max. Code generally requires 2" vertical between the top of the drain and the top of the curb. Code also specifies a minimum floor slope in the shower of 1/4" per foot and a maximum of 1/2" per foot. So you have wiggle room in terms of vertical curb drop plus slope drop to get the 2". There are basic design guidelines available online. Your building department may have a packet for you too.

If you are going to sell the home immediately, put back carpet as it is the cheapest covering, and you will lose the least amount of money. Get a thin pad and low pile, and he will still be able to manage if not stay in other areas of the house with more suitable flooring. Your strategy right now needs to be getting out with as much cash left in your hands as possible. Also, if you are a US resident, your husband should qualify for a couple of months of in-home physical and occupational therapy provided by Medicare if he has qualified for that coverage. The therapists can suggest appropriate techniques and equipment to avoid another such disaster. If he is too young to automatically qualify for Medicare, he should be able to get an exception based on his condition. Check with a social worker at a local home health agency to learn more, and best wishes to you. I hope he was not injured too badly in the accident. I care for my severely disabled, heavy mother-in-law at home and sympathize a lot with your predicament. We use a combination of Bath Buddy, Hoyer lift, and sit-to-stand lift to get her safely transferred.