Why Life is Easier Now

by Jared Wayland

Happy New Years! As I sit back and reflect on the craziness that was 2020, one of the things I am most thankful for is my Stretto, which I received this past April. In previous blogs, I have discussed how it has made life much easier for me - but I’ve also realized how much easier it has made things for the people around me, such as my fiancee and my family and friends. This is going to be a little bit different style than my previous blogs, but I thought it would be the best way to show some of the biggest ways the Stretto has made life easier for everyone.

My Stretto has given me the ability to be more productive in the kitchen without the assistance of others. When I was in my manual chair, I would often need to wait for my fiancee to come home from work to help make dinner with me, or I would have to have a family member or PSW come over to help me to prepare things With my Stretto, I am able to easily access everything in our kitchen safely (cupboards, stove, oven, fridge, etc.) which has allowed me to fully prepare dinners that are ready for us both to eat when she comes home from a day at work.

My Stretto has allowed me to contribute more to the day-to-day chores that come with owning a house. Due to the Stretto’s iLevel technology, I am now able to reach higher areas that I want to clean or dust - a task which was normally reserved for my fiancee. I am also able to freely move around my house collecting garbage to throw away, or to clean up areas I was previously unable to access. Before life with my Stretto, I often felt like I wasn’t able to contribute as much as I would like to with tasks like these - but now it is definitely one of those things that have made our household run much more smoothly, and has taken some of the load off my fiancee in terms of house work. It is much easier when you are able to split up chores. It allows us to spend more time together, which I am grateful for.

My Stretto has also kept me safer (in my opinion) during the Covid months of the past year. Previously, if my fiancee wasn’t home, I would need to have various people from PSWs to family and friends come over to help me with things throughout the day. A few of these things ranged from people helping me access items I needed that were out of reach, to simply helping me stretch my legs (thank you to Stretto’s extending foot/leg rest!) or get to the bathroom. Because I can now do a lot of these things independently, there has been far fewer people needed to come to our house during the pandemic, which keeps us safe and limits our contact with those outside of our “bubble”.

My Stretto has also given me the freedom and independence to leave my house basically whenever I choose - allowing me to go to stores that are close by for anything we need. Now I can get groceries and other items that previously I would have needed someone to get for me. Again, this has allowed my fiancee and I to spend more time together, as she is not the only one now who has to do the “running around” for things.

All in all, my Stretto has made a huge difference in my life in 2020 - and has taken some of the load off those closest to me. I am looking forward to 2021, and can’t wait to see where my Stretto takes me next - and all the new things I will discover with it.