Is there a safe way to lift an elder who's fallen (but not been injured)?

I am hearing more and more good things about the Camel/Elk inflatable cushions from my customers. I don't handle them but they may be the answer in many cases- "pick my brain" if I can help you.

I find myself in the same situation with my father. He falls, I get him off the floor. But, now I have hurt my back and shoulder from picking him up. From now on we have decided to push the Lifeline button and let the Ambulance come and pick him up. It is safer for him and me to do it that way.

NO gait belts! When RK fell on the stairs, he landed face down at the bottom. I told him not to move for 5 minutes, to give him time to be totally aware of what hurts and what extremeties can move. After 5 minutes, he rolled over on his back. Another 5 minutes and he could sit up. NEVER rush to pick them up.
Elders have fragile spines. If they have a slight fracture and you pick them up with a gait belt, you may SEVER the SPINAL CORD.
If they cannot roll over or sit up on their own, you call 911. Be safe.

A bathroom robe belt doesn't have the strength of a gait belt and may break- causing more risk of injury. A regular belt is too narrow and may cause internal injuries to the person. Therapists suggest using the gait belt for guiding- not lifting- for the same reason- however many people use them. The wide cushioned belts I mentioned above would be a better choice if lifting is commonplace. If I can offer any other suggestions to help people please let me know.

Next time call paramedics to do it -- honestly, even if hubby is home. They're experts, can evaluate her condition, and easily get her up without that brute strength you mention that can easily break bones in the elderly. Plus!! Mom will thoroughly enjoy being pampered by handsome young men in uniform!

I don't own a gait belt yet, but I was told by one of my aunt's PT's that you could also use the belt off a bathrobe in a pinch. He showed me the gait belt at the hospital. Could you use a regular belt?

I'll look into the Camel chair - sounds interesting. Thank you!

My expertise is in bed mobility problems but one of my customers just purchased one of the Camel inflatable chairs from the distributor in Michigan. She reported that it does exactly what it was supposed to do- lifts her husband off the floor. The Camel hasn't been mentioned yet in this discussion so I wanted to let new people know it exists. Also- the gait belt is a great helper for guiding people in walking but the medical experts don't recommend it for lifting people. The narrow width could hurt the person- however there are better, wider, cushioned versions (with handles to grab) that would be much better (Posey is the "big name" in gait belts but there are others too). If additional info is needed please let me know.

I saw the gait belt, and think it could be useful. I'll be picking one up. Thanks.

the first 3 significant falls my dad had happened within several days. my dad was 6'2" and a big guy altho he had been losing weight. due to oxygen depletion, dad was confused and could not get him self to a position where Mom and I could help him to stand up. I like Jeannette's suggestion. there is also something called a "gait belt" which is used in rehab facilities. an absolute godsend and only costs $6 or $8 at a medical supply store. Not sure if it can be used for getting someone up off the floor. good luck!

I agree with one of the commenters who said don't try - call the experts and let them do it.

Sorry Eq, I did not mean to imply your mom was ready for MC! My dad was however, as he had a dramatic downturn in one weeks time. His falling was just the "final straw" on us not being able to care for him safely at home. If she is just falling alot, see if you can get a hoyer lift or something similar.

I would never ever lift a frail person because I could not only do damage to them but also to myself. I would call 911 the next time, these fine young men and women live for any type of call as they want to help.

My sig other, who is very strong, is not infallible to injury when trying to lift up my Dad from a fall. One time he hurt his back to a point where he couldn't go to work for almost a week and couldn't even drive... so I had to cancel my parent's appointments for that week. If you are injured, who is going to help your Mom?

I watched some of the videos on youtube tonight. I had no idea they actually had instructional videos on there - I thought they only had things like popping zits and the like lol. Anyway, they were very helpful. Thanks for the suggestion!

There are some videos on youtube. One was titled "helping someone up after a fall" that was pretty good.

sorry eq... You've been going through a lot with the move and all. Be kind to yourself. Is there anyone who went into this without being blinded by something? The sling saves my back and her forearms/wrists/shoulders.

Thanks. Mom is not anywhere near ready for MC yet. Her biggest problem is back issues, although I strongly suspect AD, and she is going in to a neurologist on the 26th. Most days her memory is ok. Some days it's horrible, and she's confused. Some days my memory is bad, too. Some days I feel like it's the blind leading the blind, and I feel that if I had to take one of those mini-mental status exams, I wouldn't do so good. Some days I feel like I'm 85 instead of 58. Today would be one of those days. It's frustrating. Thanks everyone for all your help. I'm going to check on youtube. Looks like I need to learn a few more things.

MC is memory care.

That's happened to me several times now... she no longer can follow directions to either crawl, turn over and other easier things. What I now do, is use a large towel or a sheet and use it as a sling of sorts.... Once I get her into a sitting position, have the towel under arms around waist, I then put my feet in front of her feet so they don't slide.... and uppppp she goes. Also, there are several good videos on youtube that will help.

The awful part using brute strength is pulling your mothers shoulder out or injure her more than you. Sorry Eq!

What is MC?

Call 911 and avoid the injuries

we would try to get dad to crawl to something he could use to help us get him up.. get his legs under him, anything! This is one of the factors that had us look into MC for him.. we just could not "dead lift" him anymore, and he was falling more.