She can't get her button back far enough in her recliner. She does not have enough strength in her legs, arms, or back, to help us help her slide back into her seat. She ends up sitting so her back is lying on the dang seat of the recliner! She's starting to form bed sores at the top of her butt (tailbone area) from the pressure of laying on her back in the chair. Any idea of a product we can use to slide her butt easily in her chair? Help? Thanks in advance!
I too would be worried about that sore. They can get worse pretty fast. You may want to call her Dr and see if he can get an "in home" woundcare nurse to see her.
My Mom was a small lady and the recliner she had was a little too big. I found a smaller one that fit her just right. When she sat down her back hit the back of the chair and the end of the seat hit the back of her legs and her feet hit the floor.
I am wondering if placing a slide sheet on the seat & back before Mom sits down would help?
Use the slide sheet as you would for moving up the bed ie
* flatten the chair
* 1 person each side (2 is best)
* slide Mom up to the correct spot
If only one person, stand behind chair at head end & slide up. Then sit the chair into preferred angle.
Not ideal.. need to ensure the carers bend at the knees (not bend the back) & move from foot to foot (avoid twisting the back)
If Mom is light & this is easy - good. If not, time for a Lifting Hoist machine.
An OT may be an idea (if available/affordable). An OT can give advice, show carers how to transfer & recommend other equipment that may be useful.
Slide sheets are cheap to buy. Hoists are not + may be quite hard to use in a home setting. (Depends on the person, home & carer's ability).
I regret the time Mom spent in a recliner.
We moved Mom to a hospital bed with pressure sore prevention mattress when the pressure sore started.
Kennedy ulcers often appear near the tailbone and in most cases are deadly, so please have a wound specialist help with your moms bedsores.
And perhaps a hospital bed may be a better option for your mom as she can sit up in it or lie down in it and you don't have to worry about her butt being back far enough.
And it's much easier to have your mom reposition herself(or someone else reposition her) every few hours in a hospital bed than it is in a recliner.