How do I help my elderly parent who has fallen in a cramped location to get back up?

If you feel you can't get your loved one up when they fall in a cramped area, you need to call emergency services (911, rescue squad, ambulance, etc) and request a "fall assist". They will come and get your loved one up and into a chair or bed, and will do a brief medical assessment to ensure there was no injury or that there wasn't a medical reason that led to the fall.

There's a secondary reason for doing this: you don't need to injure yourself trying to lift her in a bad position, where you can't do it properly. If you are the caregiver and you become injured - and thus, can't provide care - your loved one won't be able to stay in the home.

Could you talk to fire department paramedics? They must deal with this kind of thing frequently.

My mother can't get up anymore. She is too stiff and weak to use the chair to pull herself up. I call 911 when she falls. The fire station is only two blocks away, so they get there fast. The workers are also EMTs so they can check her to make sure all is okay.

The safest answer is, get paramedics to help. If you try to lift your loved one by yourself, you will hurt yourself and then you are no good to anyone. An elderly person who has had a fall, is a dead weight even at 5 foot tall. They are no help to you, so look after yourself first. If you weren't there, your loved one wouldn't be able to stay at hopme.

The safest answer is, get paramedics to help. If you try to lift your loved one by yourself, you will hurt yourself and then you are no good to anyone. An elderly person who has had a fall, is a dead weight even at 5 foot tall. They are no help to you, so look after yourself first. If you weren't there, your loved one wouldn't be able to stay at home.

Hi Noblerare
How does your mom get about? Does she use a walker or a cane ? My aunt is almost the same size and age as your mom. She is probably not 5' but tells people she is 5'2". She weighs about 144 - 147. She uses a cane but gets around very well. She is also 90. What's even more amazing is she fell this morning! The first time in several years (that I know about ). She got in a hurry to get to her door (probably without her cane ) to let her aid in. When the aid got to her she was on the floor in the hall. The aid called me to let me know. Said she got her up and she was fine. I didn't ask how. My aunt has always been able to get up from the floor but she usually crawls to her chair and pull herself up. I think she is able to do this because she gets physical therapy fairly often. This helps her keep her balance. So you might consider asking her dr to order it for your mom. Her neurologist wanted her to have it. She has mild dementia so it's a boost to her cognitively as well.

Thank you for your answers. If I call 911 for paramedics to help get her back on her feet, is there a charge associated with that?

It depends on where you live, Noblerare. Some towns and cities have had to start charging for these services due to budget cuts. The best thing to do would be to call your local EMT station (fire station, ambulance service, etc) and find out ahead of time. To my knowledge, my parents were never billed for these services when they needed them (before I moved in), but I know it's not the same in other cities.