He puts his left foot in and then tries to move his body through steel to get his rear end onto the seat. It is very agonizing to watch him do this. My car has leather seats but his car has cloth seats.
To get in, have him sit down first with his feet outside and then help him lift each foot into the car and turn him around as he does it. This is how my uncle got my aunt who was paralyzed in the car. To get him out, get the feet out first as he is turning around and then help him up. There is a technique I have used to help in getting out, but it is hard to explain in words though not hard to do. You may want to speak to an occupational therapist who would have better suggestions and even can help show you and help you practice. Best to you and your daddy.
I had better add for you to make sure he does not hit the back of his head as he is sitting down in the seat. Depending on how low the hood is this can be a problem. You can hold his head with your hand and remind him it is there.
There is actually a "lazy susan" type of device specifically for this. It rests on the seat and the person sits on it from outside the car with their feet out. As you lift his feet into the car he will automatically "slide around" on the seat and be facing forward. I saw it recently - however I don't remember where - maybe someone else on this post is familiar with it. It was advertised on either maybe "things on tv" or at Bed, Bath and Beyond store. It was advertised to make it easier for anyone to get into the car easier; so it was not at a store with medical supplies. Although I'm sure a medical supply store would have something like this, as this has to be a problem for a lot of others. Or just goggle it. If I find more information I will post. Good luck!
Try Gold Violin or Independent Living web sites for the swivel. Or just Google it. (Seat swivel?) Plus, I got my husband a sort of trapeze-on-a-rope that you hook through the window, something they can grip onto - or they make a bar that hooks into the loop toward the bottom of the door opening, something to push off with.
All good advice above. Until you're able to find the "lazy susan" type device, you may want to try what we're using with my mother, who also has Parkinson's. We put a large plastic bag on the front seat (large enough to cover the entire seat) and, once my mother is seated, she's still able to rotate herself to face forward once her legs and feet are inside, too, of course. We haven't started looking for the actual device yet but we'll get there later this year, I'm sure, probably starting first with a medical supply store or even going on-line. Perhaps, too, the local PD group will know what it's called and where one can get it.
The therapist showed us to back up the walker as if sitting in a chair. Seat them then help them get their feet in while turning on their bottom.. When getting out we found it easier to use the walker just like getting out of the chair, feet out first turning the bottom get both feet on the ground then grab the walker handles to stand up. Our vehicle has leather so it's a little easier than turning on the fabric. You may want to try the swivel there.
Even leather seats become problematic for an elder with PD, as we've learned with ou cars. We tried it with the walker, too, but my mother tends to fall back too easily that way. Holding on to the car (left hand on door, which one of us holds steady for her, and right hand on the door frame, with each hand at the level that's comfortable for her seems to work best with getting seated. WIth PD, there's a heaviness involved - the body feels heavy in addition to stiff, so I'd be very careful with the walker when helping a person with PD into the car.
Regarding my post above about the "lazy susan". I just googled "swivel seat cushion for car" and many, many sites came up showing what I mentioned above. Amazon - has the DuroMed Deluxe Swivel Seat Cushion and if you click on it, they actually have other devices shown for helping getting in and out of the car. Hope this helps. Good luck & God Bless!
My error I forgot to take into account that my mother is a recovering stroke victim not with PD and only 5' & 110 lbs. I can see where someone larger and heavier may present other challenges.
Seems that many people are having this problem of getting in and out of the car. When you check out Amazon for the "swivel seat" it also shows the Standers Car Caddie & Standers Handybar. I'm not sure how they work exactly, but reading the reviews on the products it seems people are quite pleased with the way they work to assist getting in and out of cars.I would also speak with a physical therapist/occupational therapist. Although my mom didn't have trouble getting in and out of the car, they did give me numerous suggestions to solve her other limitations. Good luck.
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