Joan, a second thought here... unless you need a home Aide for a temporary health/injury situation, if it is because of routine age decline, you might want to consider moving to a home where everything is on one level. Remember, age decline doesn't' stop declining.
There are times where I feel my own multi-level home is becoming too much for me. After I had an injury which made going down stairs pretty scary [couldn't safely grab the handrail] it was another wake-up call to think about a more elder friendly house.
Has the aide been hired through an agency or was she hired directly by you? If the latter, she might be protecting herself as well as you. If you fell, there's no guarantee she could catch you without both of you becoming injured. As FF suggested, there could be a liability issue with her having to provide fall protection.
I've been in that situation; someone has to act instantaneously to prevent a fall, and that person can easily be injured and go down as well.
Perhaps it's time to look at the likelihood of falling from a different perspective.
Are you getting home therapy to strength your arms, legs and balance?
Joan, when you hired your home Aide, what were the duties she was hired to do? It could be that helping one going up and down stairs is not on the list because the Aide could hurt herself, too, if you should fall. Could be a liability issue.
Joan, can you have your room moved downstairs into, say the dining room or a room that could serve as a bedroom? This is what my aunt and another friend did.
It's too dangerous to walk upstairs if you need help - it puts both you and the caregiver in danger.
Think about a way that you can move downstairs, unless there's no bathroom on the first floor.
As to help with walking, do you use a walker, rollator or cane?
What I do with my mother usually is stay one step behind her when she's going up and one step in front of her when she's going down. That way if she falls, she falls into me. Usually I have to first take her walker and move it to the upper (or lower) landing so it's there when she gets there.
Are you stuck with this home aide? She seems a little clueless.
I would try to make arrangements to avoid the stairs. Stairs are tricky for anyone and the chances of an injury when you are a senior is very high, in my opinion. If there is no way to avoid the stairs, I would try to find out why the caregiver is not more attentive. Helping a senior not fall is a major concern. Can you find another caregiver?
Perhaps she is afraid of the stairs and afraid the senior will fall and she doesn't want the senior on the stairs.
I have seen these little seats that you can get installed on your staircase that a senior can sit in and it will lift them up and down the stairs. I might check into that and see if it was feasible.
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There are times where I feel my own multi-level home is becoming too much for me. After I had an injury which made going down stairs pretty scary [couldn't safely grab the handrail] it was another wake-up call to think about a more elder friendly house.
I've been in that situation; someone has to act instantaneously to prevent a fall, and that person can easily be injured and go down as well.
Perhaps it's time to look at the likelihood of falling from a different perspective.
Are you getting home therapy to strength your arms, legs and balance?
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It's too dangerous to walk upstairs if you need help - it puts both you and the caregiver in danger.
Think about a way that you can move downstairs, unless there's no bathroom on the first floor.
As to help with walking, do you use a walker, rollator or cane?
Are you stuck with this home aide? She seems a little clueless.
Perhaps she is afraid of the stairs and afraid the senior will fall and she doesn't want the senior on the stairs.
I have seen these little seats that you can get installed on your staircase that a senior can sit in and it will lift them up and down the stairs. I might check into that and see if it was feasible.