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She actually weighs less than me, but I still can't lift her up. I know to check for injuries before trying to move her, but after that, I'm stumped. She just fell (didn;t quite aim right when sitting down on her recliner chair, so it turned under her or she rolled off, not far from the carpeted floor, so she wasn't hurt. We have a guy living with us, and he is so strong he can heave her up like a sack of potatoes, but today I tried to figure out a way to do it myself, because he isn't always here, and I need to know what to do when he's not here and she falls. I tried blocking her toes with my feet so they wouldn't slide and holding both her hands and pulling her up, only got her inches off the floor. Tried sitting on the couch and having her scoot up so her feet were against the bottom of the couch and pulling her up by her hands. No good. Finally gave up and went and asked him to help, which he did by getting behind her, having her sit up and putting his hands under her arms and pulling her up. I think I would put my back out if I tried that. Any suggestions? If there are no injuries, can anyone tell me a position I should put her in that is best to lift from? Are ther any devices that could help lift her from the floor? I help her get out of chairs and cars all the time, but I just can't get her up when she is on the floor. Also, she is weak, and has difficulty understanding directions if I ask her to move a certain way, so she can't contribute much to the effort. Thanks for any suggestions!

ps. Makes me think, at the very least, I need to get more exercise myself! I doubt if she would be willing to do even the simplest exercises because she does not comply well with things I ask her to do, but maybe someone knows some psychological tricks or theraputic fibbing I could use to get compliance for exercises that could help her be stronger and more able to contribute some of her own effort in this situation.

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So much depends on how capable she is. The best way is to have them crawl on the hands and knees to a straight-backed chair, rest until they get their strength up, then get on their knees with their hands on the seat. When ready, they push up. Help here is fine. Then they sit in the chair until able to safely stand.

Some people use a towel under the arms to help lift from a seated position. This can be very hard on the caregiver's back when it can't be accomplished quickly and requires the cooperation of the person who fell.

Often the fallen person is frozen in fear or is unable to help for some other reason. My father was one of these people. He would lie down and lock his abdominal muscles so I couldn't even sit him up. After one horrible lifting episode, I never tried it again. I called 911. He was too weak and wasn't able to cooperate with the lift. In fact, he worked against the efforts. It always took 3 strong men to get him up.
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I have had to witness my father falling here at my home too and luckily my son was here to help me as I have a bad back and can not lift him. We have the bedrails, walker and bedside commode and he still insists on getting up in the middle of the night. I am constantly on alert 24/7. My answer on this question is to call 911. You do not know if your mother has broken something or what her extent of injuries could be. That goes for internal injuries as well. Those can not been seen. I have told my father that the next time he falls I am calling 911. I am not playing with it any longer. It is too much to take on the role of doctor and nurse when we are only loving family members. I hope you do not try lifting her up by yourself as you can seriously injure yourself and then who will tend to Mother? I know I had three back surgeries already and it is not fun. I send you hugs and your mother. Please call the EMS to tend to her when she falls again.
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As an Occupational Therapist, I often get asked about equipment to help someone up after a fall. There are a handful products available to assist with falls, however unfortunately the ones that would relieve you of "all" physical strain are fairly expensive (e.g. air cushions and mechanical lifts). Cheaper fall recovery products exist such as step ladder products and special vests, but these will still require you to provide some physical assist. Following is a link to an article discussing the various types of product options available for fall recovery and their pros and cons: homeability/get-up-after-fall-part-two/ The step ladder products shown in the article could easily be supplemented by a small step stool, which you may already own.
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One trick I accidentally learned for my mother takes a little time. Rocker recliners that have the foot rest that locks in place can be tilted so the foot rest is on the floor. If the person is strong enough, they can pull themselves up the footrest toward the seat of the chair, resting as needed along the way. The cg stands behind the chair and keeps the back legs up so the footrest stays on the ground. The person can then slowly push their way up and back on the chair until working themselves into the seat. When seated, the cg can lower the back legs and voile! the fallen person is sitting in the chair. This will only work if someone is strong enough to push back & up on the inclined chair.
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A gait belt is very helpful in getting someone up off the floor (or helping them stand from a sitting position, or helping guide their walking). I'm not going to say it makes the process easy, but it is at least easier to have some leverage. The belts are easily available online for less than $10. Well worth having on hand if you live with someone at risk for falling or who sometimes needs assistance getting up.
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It is amazing how a tiny little person can be so much deadweight! My mom used to fall often, and she barely weighs anything. She typically refused my help, though, out of pride. What she would do is crawl to the sofa or soft chair, put her elbows on the seat and kind of pull herself up onto the sofa. The key seems to be DON'T RUSH THEM! It's hard when you need to be doing something else, but I think you have less of a chance of injuring them if you let them move at their own pace and get themselves up. If something hurts, they will stop. Sometimes their skin becomes very fragile and tears easily, and attempts to pull them up might hurt. I am seeing a lot of good advice here ... find out what works best for you guys and stick with it!
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In our town we only have to call 911 and they will come but I hated to do that so I called a fireman I know. He did the firemans lift. You take a sheet and from their upper back it comes around front under both armpits. Each of us took a side of the sheet and up she went, it still took two of us though.
Now, I will tell you how you can do it alone, as I do now. Medicare gave us a hoyer lift with a free sling. You roll your Mom a little bit and get the hoyer sling under her, or get a U-sling, its easier than a full sling. You bring over the hoyer and lower the hooks onto the 4 sling hooks and pump them right up and move them into a chair or the bed, its fantastic. My Mom too doesnt fall, she has slid quite a few times off her chair and I think those slippery disposible pads cause it most of the time, it happens right with me there too! Sometimes she would slid on the floor because I was trying to lift her into her wheelchair and she was so heavy she went down in slow motion onto the floor. Talk to her Dr for a hoyer, or get a used one online, they are great and it will come in handy more and more. I now use it all the time to move her, except onto the toilet, I havent mastered how to do that yet. Good Luck!
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When my mother was alive, we went through many falls. The local fire dept. pararmedics were very helpful & didn't mind being called to help her up so I did just call 911 rather than hurting myself or mom when she couldn't help in getting herself up. Luckily for us there was no charge.
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long ago and in a time far away, i worked in a hospital. what i learned then, i still use today. assuming that the fallen individual is not injured, have them sit in a crouch, i.e. butt on floor, heels as close to butt as possible, sitting erect with their arms (forearms one over the other, ) folded one over the other the top of the forearm grasping the other forearm top at the elbow. from behind, reach under the individuals armpits and grasp their forearms, below the elbow to the wrist, wherever you can get a good grasp. your forearms will be under their armpits and you'll be grasping their wrists. two points of lift on both sides. they must attempt to help by using their legs when they can. you will lift them using some arm strength, but primarily your legs as you raise and lift the fallen individual. practice this on a mobile helper, when you are confident, practice this with the individual who is prone to falling. if you find that you cannot do this without hurting the fallen or especially yourself you will have to rely on others, especially first responders.
under no circumstances should you compromise yourself ! DON'T USE YOU BACK to do any lifting.
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There is an inflatable chair product (I believe it is a Camel) that could be put under a fallen person and lifts them. I think it is pricey but may be good for the right situation. I run into new products all the time with my mobility business.
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