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She only weighs about 130lbs but she's dead weight.

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IF 911 is available in your area I would call them exp. if she is not able to assist at all in getting up does she use a cane or walker or does she fall often and is it because she rushes doing things if it continues you may need to get a lift or have someone available to assist you if you try to get her up alone you will only hurt your own back.
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If she's falling or sitting on the floor that much, it may well be time to move to another way for her to get around like one of those small wheelchairs from home health. However, have the doctor order it and insurance will most likely held pay for it.
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I pull a chair close and one can usually help to pull themselves to a place of comfort. A gate belt may assist you when positioning one.
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Medicare will usually pay for assive devices as lonf as the same thing or similier has not be gotten for that person in the last five years.
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On Youtube, look up
senior fall prevention
elderly fall prevention

have yet to find video on how to lift someone up who has fallen, but there may be one. Otherwise tons of good advice, ingenious devices you might consider.

The few minor falls my mom had, i used a padded low foot stool for her to put her forearms on. A chair is too high, initially. She'd have to roll over onto her knees and start to push herself up. Then a chair is better height.

But nothing says action like my strong next door neighbor.
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AlzCaregiver you hit the hammer on the nail when you said next door neighbor. My mom took a fall once after she'd had her stroke. She was in the hallway and we were walking back from the living room to her bedroom. Don't ask me why I let her talk me into thinking she could do it....anyway I tried and tried to get her up and she just didn't have the strength to push herself up and I couldn't pick her up. I placed a sheet underneath her and dragged her into the bedroom hoping she could hold onto her bed and pull herself up, no way.

Finally after about 25 minutes, and a whole lot of sweating, I went x the street and asked my neighbor for help. He was very glad, and even gave us his phone number in case we needed future help.

Now I transfer her like this. I pull the walker up to her bed or wherever she is, I also use a gate belt, and I pull as she holds onto the walker. I slowly turn it to where she's going, the wheelchair, the recliner, the pot and as she feels for the closeness she's able to transfer to that comfort zone.

I don't know if that helps but I just wanted to share it with you.
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I have done all the suggestion from everyone and they all work but finally had to make the doc. order a lift for my mom. Medicare will pay if the doc. request it. Mom fell so many times that I had to get the lift. She would just forget how to walk or stand and down she would go. Good luck.
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ksue I had that lift too, it was way too big and kept getting in the way. I had the equpt company come pick it up. It's nice and fit right underneath the hospital bed but it was just too big for the room. You must have a large room.
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Is your mom using a walker or cane? If her falls are infrequent, such aids are no-brainers. Are there rugs, uneven floor surfaces,
or tight spaces or poorly lit areas to negotiate?
If she's falling alot and is largely unaware of 'danger' spots, she should probably be evaluated by her doctor and opthomologist.

If she has some upper body and leg strength and is steady, then each time she falls -- be sure she hasn't injured herself--have
her get on her hands & knees and hold onto a chair seat, put one foot flat on the floor to begin to lift herself, then the other foot. With a gait belt of gentle steadying, you & she should be able to get her up and onto the chair.

Frequent falls may be a sign that something physical or neurological is awry.
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It sounds like your mom is actually still mobile, is that right? If so, if she's sitting on the floor or has fallen:

(1) Take a deep breath, she doesn't need to get up right away.
(2) Check that her legs aren't under her or twisted in a way that is going to cause further injury.
(3) Sit with her on the floor and be calming. It's scary for her too.
(4) When she's ready, use proper lifting techniques for heavy objects. Ie. stand close to her, tighten your abs and back, crouch and use your legs.
Call out for someone to help, two-person lifts are easier.
(5) If she doesn't have the strength support standing, then 130 lbs is too heavy for you. While it is very disconcerting to just "leave" her there, I would suggest that until someone can help you move her to her bed.
(6) And it will be time to work with her on using a wheelchair, utilizing a rollator (rolling-walker), etc.
(7) Also start to "fall-proof" your home, much like removing sharp objects and loose items with a just-starting-to-walk toddler around.

On a cruise once, my father fell backwards on the lip to the shower in the cramped bathroom. He was scared, asked, "What is he going to do now?" I had to fight my initial panic, look to see that he wasn't actually hurt, and remain calm, saying, "No big deal." Then after we both had caught our breath, I helped him get up. After that I asked the cruise staff to bring in non-slip tape to put on the shower floor, which they did.
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pamela6140 we had to move mom to another room. First we had to clean up . She keeps everything. There was only a path wide enough for her to walk to her bed. It took me days to make room . Than the lift was hard to push on her carpet. So we all changed rooms. I gave her my room which is small but we took everything out. only thing in there is her bed a one dresser for her supplies. It has wood floors. My son took her room which is the biggest room in the house if not for the carpet it would of been perfect for the lift. I took his room because I just sleep in there . He lives in his room so I was nice and gave the big one to him. Anyway Moms does not bare any weight on her legs anymore . We could not live without the lift. Good luck and I hope things work out. Many prayers coming your way.
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This is the big reason my mom landed in the nursing home. I could not get her up when she would fall, and she was falling frequently. There were no assisted living apartments available when we moved here to be closer to my sister. I was under the assumption that my sister's family would help out more when we came here, I was doing it all. Then she started falling a lot. We called 911 one to many times to get her up, then social services intervened. At first they sent over someone to inspect for trip and fall hazards, then she was still falling so they told us she needed to be in the nursing home. I do not have any strength in my arms and have back problems, so I am not much help myself in getting her up. For a while she was able to kind of jack herself up using a chair or footstool, but then she got so stiff and unsteady that she couldn't do that anymore. The doctor told me to be careful about letting her get herself up, or moving her in any way because she had very bad osteoporesis and back fractures from previous falls. I wish we could have started out here with assisted living and maybe this wouldn't have happened, but in a small town like this there is a shortage of assisted living apartments so they end up in the nursing home.
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We are able to call 911 where I live and whoever answers the call will ask what help you need and if there is no injury they will send one or two police officers or vol. fireman to get the person up I had to call about 50 times sometimes several times a week and they would come out and get him up in some towns or cities if they are called often to one place they will send in social services to appraise the situation but not where I live actually it would have been better if they had because he really needed to be placed long before he was-he was not at all carefull and fell often but I was not able to pick him up-it took at least two people-but that is why we have 911 available and the taxpayers do pay for it-I never would ask a neighbor to lift him he was very heavy.
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When my mom was falling we called 911 twice but than I was told not to because of social services. I could lift her at first when she would help but she stopped helping. I called my sister, son from school , brother in law many times. And one night it was so late that mom and I slep on the floor . I made her a nice bed and than in the morning I called my brother. But now that we have the lift I can do it all by myslef . She does not fall anymore . But I did drop once but that was when she would fight us . She does not do that anymore. I have not dropped her or she has not fallen in months. Thank you lord.
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Does anyone know if there are devices that help lift people?
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There are lifts but they are bulkey and really need two people to operate safely-in nursing homes and hospitals the staff has to have two people operate them and you need a large amount of space to use them but they might make smaller ones now.
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I would recommend checking to see if your local fire deparment or police department offers lift assists. Many of them do and can come out to help. If you mother is falling more than that I would talk to her doctor about it and see what options he/she recommends (and check for any medical problems that might be causing an increase in falls).
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I have a lift actully two. One I got from the med. supply place which medicare payed for part so it is mine now but broke than hospice gave us one to use. You can get one if the doc. write's it up and medicare will pay a portion. It only cost us $40 a month for a bed , wheelchair and lift for about a yr. or less . now I own all. If you have hospice they will bring you everything you need and you have to pay nothing.
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thank you all for your comments
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My m-i-l falls sometimes and at first I tried to get her up. No such luck--she's dead weight when she falls. I have tried either a chair that I keep next to her bed or the bed itself. If she's responsive, usually she can get herself up from one of those two things.
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Mangar makes two products - one's called the CAMEL, the other is called the ELK. Both are inflatable chairs that lift seniors from the floor. Basically, you put the deflated chair under your senior loved one. Next you push the button on the air pump to inflate the chair, and raise your loved one off the floor to a seated position. Their not the most stable chairs during the inflation process, so you will have to hold them while the chair inflates.
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I had to start calling for help than the doc. ok'd a lift. If it is doc. ordered madicare will pay most of it. Ask the doc.
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stephens...wow thanks for that information...while I was reading the entire blog...I was thinking to myself wow they should make some kind of crank like when you change a tire...and this inflatable chair seems to be the genius of that same concept. Will keep it in mind if I need this in the future. My mom fell down the steps on Sunday (she always running after me checking on me needlessly) and I was at the store getting groceries...she only had mild scrapes on both knees and elbows...she's still pretty tough at this stage. I told her you should use your cane when going down the patio steps.
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the lift is just like a tire jack. You put a basket like thing under your love one but roller her side to side. Than hook it to chains and start pumping. The handle looks just like a jack handle. It is great.
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i know what u mean - moms weighs 140. i get her to roll over onoto her bottom - sit up - put my fore arms under her arm pits- bend my knees into a squating position - stiffen my arms- and push up with my thighs- amazing - no stress on my back- but i also work out with weights cuz i see that when u get old your muscles need to be excercized. i have a video monitor in her room from babies are us- and a motion detector from radio shack that beeps in my room when she sits up in bed so i can assist her to the bathroom 3-4x a night cuz she fell at my brothers when going to the bathroom and broke her arm- she cant take pain meds.- they made her hallucinate-dont want her to go thru that again- good luck
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I had to leave mom on the floor all night once. I rolled her back and forth to get some blankets under her and we both slep on the floor that night. Than early in the morning I called my brother to come help me get her up. She weighed about 180 than. I got her up a few times when she would help a little but she stopped helping. Thank Goodness she has not been on the floor in over a yr. But we have a lift now and I have used it to get her up off the floor but it has been along time.
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