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daughterand3 Asked July 2022

My mother has Parkinson's and dementia and we are having trouble helping her to get up from bed. Any ideas?

Our biggest problem is helping her to sit up so that we can then help her get off the bed, she won't/can't hold up her upper back so her legs will be in the right position on the edge of her bed but her upper back will be laying down on the bed still. Any tips would be very much appreciated.

Evamar Jul 2022
Each person with Parkinson is different. If your Mom has severe motor symptoms she needs to be assessed by PT and then OT. M rail works, but, there are several methods.
Meds should be assessed by neurologist, levodopa works after 20-30 minutes in the morning.

JoAnn29 Jul 2022
I had one the M rails Bundle mentioned for Mom. She had fractured a disk and was told it would help her pull up from a reclining position. Moms slid under the mattress and was anchored to the frame of the bed on the opposite side. Once Mom pulled herself up, she held on to it to help her stand. It is only about 18/20" wide but it helped with her not falling out of bed.

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vegaslady Jul 2022
Get advice on how to do this from an Occupational Therapist. Also, are you trying to get her up in the morning, possibly before her morning meds have kicked in? Many Parkinson's people have trouble in the morning "off" time before the first meds of the day have time to make it up to the brain to allow easier movement.

bundleofjoy Jul 2022
dear OP,
:)

my LO also has problems getting out of the bed. as grandma1954 pointed out, an electric hospital bed is very useful.

also, it was thanks to this forum that i discovered the existence of an M rail. you attach it under the bed, and it helps a lot to get out of bed. does your mother have some strength in her arms/hand? then she can grab the M rail, in addition to having the electric bed in upright position.

https://www.drivemedical.com/us/en/products/beds/bed-rails/m-rail-home-bed-assist-handle/p/1222P
bundleofjoy Jul 2022
also the caregiver showed me a technique to get my LO into a seated position on the edge of the bed, from lying down position.

if your LO is lying in bed:
place your arm under your LO's knees, place your other arm under their back, and then in 1 quick/smooth movement, swivel your LO into an upright position, so they're now seated on the edge of the bed.
Grandma1954 Jul 2022
Do you have a hospital bed?
That would go a long way in helping her sit up. You raise the head of the bed as far up as it will go and this will support the back while raising her.
Once she is in an upright position swing the legs over the edge of the bed.
This will be easier if you have a Sit To Stand. Once the torso is upright you put the harness/belt around her, that provides more support then turning her placing the feet on the platform and hooking the loops to the Sit To Stand. The machine will then support her as she is raised up. You can then move her from the bed to a chair, the commode or toilet or anywhere else you wish.
If you do not need the sit to stand now the hospital bed will help a lot.

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