How can I get my wife up when she falls?

My daughter is an RN and this is how she picked up Mom when she fell in the shower.

Daughter spread her legs apart in line with her shoulders. Then she bent her knees going as low as she needed to get to Moms sitting position. She instructed Mom to put her arms around daughters neck. Then my daughter wrapped her arms around Mom just under her arms. Using her legs, not her back, she lifted Mom to a standing position. Then walked her out of the shower onto the toilet which was right there.

Kbuser's suggestion is really good. Start with a stool and then a chair. Less strain on ur legs. My daughter is short. A taller person should have more leverage.

I've been reading that fire departments are beginning to reevaluate their lift assist policies because the number of calls and the associated cost has increased exponentially, look forward to paying for this service if you don't already. Plus statistics show that 85% of American fire departments are volunteer departments, so unless you live in an urban area firefighters are not necessarily available.

all fire departments in this country provide “lift assists” for people who have fallen. All you have to do is call 911 and request one. They will send the fire dept out to lift the fallen person. At your age I would not try to lift dead weight.

In the beginning, one of us, my sister or myself, drove to the fire department and asked if there was someone available to help us get our mother up and one of volunteers came to help us. They told us to just call 911 in the future and they would call them to come. We were hesitant to do that if it wasn't an actual emergency but they assured us it was OK. When we had a few actual emergencies and she needed to go to the hospital, the fire department always came anyway and were the first ones there, so I guess this is part of what they do.

You might want to check with the local fire department in your area and see what they suggest before the next time it happens, then you will know for sure.

First of all, do visit a physical therapy office that is reputable with your wife; perhaps her doctor can even order this. And practice this. If you cannot accomplish this using good body mechanics practices, then recognize that the fact is that you are risking injury to yourself. I am a retired RN; we all retire with bad backs. That's pretty much a fact. At the point that you have a wife who falls frequently then her care is more, sadly, than you can accomplish at home.
Other suggestions, if this is RARE: call 911 and tell them your wife has fallen, appears not injured, but you cannot get her up. They will not allow this with frequency. But rarely they will.
Is there other family? Some folks actually have neighbors who form "lift teams" but this is unwise; someone injuring his or her own back in your home is an insurance liability.
I hope others have other ideas for you and am wishing you good luck.

My mom used to have falls and I struggled getting her up as well. What I did was use a gait belt, then try to lift her from behind onto something small, like a step stool. Then gradually lift her to something higher, the wheelchair. It was never easy, though. Many times I came close to calling the fire department to send someone out to help.

I need to know how to get my wife up when she falls she is small but dead weight