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My mother recently and suddenly lost much of her mobility. We are looking into a chair lift for their home, but in the mean-time she still needs to get down a flight of stairs to exit her home. Are there any tricks for helping assist a very low-mobility senior on stairs? Or suggestions for temporary assistance? She lives in Bethesda, MD.

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Daughter72, before getting a chair-lift, ask the company if there is one that your Mom can try out. Would hate to see your Mom spend that money on a chair lift, try it once, and never again. Then the cost of removing the lift.

My Dad had caregivers helping him go up and down the stairs but eventually it came to a point where Dad became afraid of the stairs and the caregivers were becoming afraid he would fall even though they had a tight grip on him. Dad eventually said it was time to sell the house and move to an one level home, to which he did.
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I think Sunnygirl's idea is the most practical. Even if you can get Mom down the stairs can she get back up again. Have you got a gait belt to keep a good grip on her. Hanging onto arms can be quite painful.
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Research the chair lift. It may be too intimidating for her, especially if she will eventually be using it alone. IMO, there are risks with the device.

Also, rather than risk going up and down stairs, I'd set up a temporary bed on the first floor and avoid the stairs until she's better. Hopefully, there's a bathroom, but if not, I'd get a bedside toilet, use wash pan or sink to bathe. I'd try to avoid any unnecessary risks.

Do you know what is causing her mobility problems?
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The way we used to do it was one step at a time with me preceding. Lead with the strongest foot. Sit down on the step to rest if needed. Another way is to bump down on the bottom like a child does. Depends on how many steps are involved. If there is a landing, put a chair or bench there to rest on.
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If it is only temporary, consider an assisted living place that can do PT/OT on site.
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Thank you all for your replies! What a great community.
Our situation changed overnight. This morning she couldn't even stand at all, so we called an ambulance and EMTs to get her out of the house and to hospital. Hopefully we will soon know what is going on, and meanwhile we have a little more time to figure out her home living situation. I don't think she will be able to stay in her home. :(
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Thanks for the update Daughter72. I'm sorry your mother took a turn for the worse. Hopefully, they can figure it out and get her some relief. Take care.

It's so thoughtful when posters return to their thread and provide an update or at least acknowledge they received the responses, especially, when they have so much on their plate already.
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Could be a UTI.
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