Since my sister Lynnie age 49 died a little over 4 years ago suddenly by a heart attack caused by a undetected Pulmonary embolus, I’ve been dealing with grief raw and painful and taking care of Mom who has declined since my sister died. I just had to put her in Long Term Care which is horrible for me because I miss her at home so much but because of my declining health from Psoratic arthritis and working 12hour shifts as an RN. I couldn’t take care of her properly anymore. I felt like I gave my child up, for adoption. It’s very hard on me, she is barely able to adjust being there and begs me to take her home, and believe me, if I could I would. But I can’t do it physically anymore and work, and if I were to suddenly die or get critically ill she would have no one to care for her. Which was my biggest worry. But thank you all for helping me the past 4 years. I’m still struggling with grief and still in my mind my sister is alive. She was my best friend and we were RNs together at the same hospital...my heart is so broken I am lonely without her. She was my only help. I still have a dad alive and he doesn't live with me (whew ..dodged that bullet). But, he needs lots of care and I buy him groceries and take him to appointments. He’s another story for another day.
I do have one question for you all, my mom sits in the wheelchair all day at the nursing home. Since she’s been admitted they have had a horrible time getting her out of bed in the am. She fights and screams. She’s afraid... it’s all new to her. They now have psych nurses to talk to her and will be monitoring how she is approached getting out of bed in the am. The problem is till then I have asked to please get her a recliner so she can sleep if she wants, but it seems as if my requests are being ignored. How do I approach the subject over again without being demanding or mean? I worry about Mom and I just want her comfortable. I need some advice thank you...and lots of hugs for each of you.
31 Answers
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
Mom still doesn't like certain people even her private caregivers so I'm not surprised your mom is having some issues with the Nh staff
Letting folks sit in wheelchairs all day is just awful especially when they lose some muscle and lean forward with their heads on the table or slide out of the chair altogether
I know you can find Geri recliners on line or perhaps a reclining wheelchair with elevated footrests - I just bought my mom one for about $320
ADVERTISEMENT
Are they proposing meds for agitation and anxiety? They helped my mom a lot!
I hope you get your answers, and that your mom can be made comfortable.
There might be a liability issue, so I'd be sure staff knows that the chair is being added to her room. We encountered that liability concern when we wanted to bring in our own walker, or wheelchair....it was over a decade ago and I don't remember for sure except that the staff balked at our bringing anything assistive device (except a grabber) into Mom's room.
I/we also had a Geri Chair that was alright but not "the perfect chair". the Bariatric one was the size of a love seat and the regular one was too small.
Then we got a Broda Chair. Reclined, had sort of like wings on the sides to prevent my Husband from listing to one side or the other.
As you can see there are lots of options.
I would not do a regular recliner as that may be difficult to get her out of. The power lift chairs might be good but if she tries to get out of it herself there is a very real risk of falling once the chair reaches the maximum height it is easy to slide off the seat of the chair.
As a side note the reclining wheel chair or the Broda chair make re-positioning much easier all you have to do is change the recline a bit and that helps shift weight throughout the body. The Broda chair also has foot rests that are much more comfortable.
The size of the wheels makes it a bit difficult if you go out for a walk and are on an uneven surface. All 4 wheels are small.
A disadvantage to both the Broda and the Geri chairs is they are heavy and not meant to be easily loaded into a car to go out. But a reclining wheelchair is just as easy to maneuver as a traditional wheel chair.
See All Answers