Sinking the spam.

I still have my stool too :), and I agree on the universal access sink height, which is in between low vanity (31 ish) and tall vanity (36) height. Its hard to say without knowing the layout of the bathroom whether the wheelchair accessible sink is feasible (say if the bathroom itself, isnt.) If you are in the framing stage you may want to consider both the layout and such things as blocking for handrails and such. It may seem premature, but my parents moved into a new house when I was in first grade and still live there. Now at 81 and 85 there are some real accessibility issues with the baths (and stairs) in a house that my parents refuse to leave. Watching my mother navigate some parts of the house is like watching someone climbing a rock wall...its not fun. I think you are really taking a lot of consideration if you are considering making modifications for your young children, so, look into making some accomodations for your parents (and yourself!) as you age, while you are in the process.

I've been there Pesky, and lost my mom much too early (almost 3 years ago). There's no easy answer... But in plain terms, the facts are these: -- Your mom's health is likely not good, the predictable cumulative result of years of unhealthy choices. That damage is done -- water under the bridge -- something that can't now be undone with any sort of intervention. So lecturing your mom about her health habits and past choices isn't likely to do any good. -- Your mom appears to be in denial about her health -- the 'What I don't know won't hurt me' philosophy. I get that. It's something we all do from time to time, and to a certain degree, that's her right as an adult. Knowing the bad news only helps when there's something constructive you can do about it. -- But, the combination of these two factors could absolutely mean that a treatable condition goes untreated, both shortening her life by many years, and reducing her quality of life for however many years she has left. And IMO, that is intervention-worthy. Assuring that she live better and longer is a perfectly valid concern. I'd focus the intervention on keeping her in the best possible future health, not on 'bad-news' diagnostics and unpleasant and unwanted lifestyle changes that she'd be unlikely to stick with. Sure, she'd be healthier if she gave up fast food and dropped 40 pounds -- but you can't make that happen, and you don't want to sour your relationship with her trying to change who she is and how she lives. It doesn't sound like she wants to change her lifestyle, and it could be that by assuring her you won't harp on that, you may be able to get a toe in the door medically. What's her personality like? I mean, is she pragmatic? Dramatic? Are her feelings easily hurt? Would talking honestly and openly about her inevitable eventual death (in theory) be painful or offensive to her? If the focus is on keeping her 'reasonably' healthy, independent and mentally active (translation, out of a nursing home!) would she be receptive to that?

bumping down after 2 months...