My in-laws live in a home that was built in the 1950's and there isn't much room in the bathroom. They recently remodeled it to accommodate my FIL's wheelchair but there isn't much room between the toilet and the shower. The shower can accommodate a wheelchair but there is a soffett above the entrance to the shower. Don't have the actual measurements though. Does anyone know what the measurements need to be? I know there is a lift that a metal bar of sorts is put into the ceiling; this is out of the question as far as my MIL thinks, so the lift will have to be on a stand. Also, is it difficult to transfer a very elderly man whose legs do NOT support him from the toilet to the lift or the lift to the toilet?
She is strong but has no clue how to use it as her dementia is so advanced. She cannot hold on, her hands curl and she cannot understand. She cannot walk, says a few words here and there. So I guess the answer is no upper or lower body strength. I finally learned how to get her straight into a wheelchair with the hoyer by tipping the wheelchair back, yeah! Hoyering her into her recliner and into bed is no problem either. Lets say she wakes up soaked , which she always does, my morning helper and I lift and pivot her right into the wheelchair, then lift her onto her feet and pivot on and off the toilet to bathe her and do her business. Once back in the wheelchair if she needs the bathroom again, I have to do all that lifting again. I have a ranch, all smooth wood floors and the bathroom is just 2 doors down. I could wheelchair her in there and have the hoyer in there, but how do I get off her diaper, then the hoyer sling off to bathe her and how do you get the diaper and pants back on without lifting her by hand? I ordered a U-Sling thats mesh but I had a nylon one before and she seemed unsafe with her entire rear hanging out. Any ideas appreciated, my left arm I am afraid has been ruined for life now from lifting her. Thank You so much! RR
Now, if you can tell me how to hoyer Mom on and off the toilet and remove her diaper and redress her I would be golden! lol THANKS!
I do have my morning Aide I hired , thanks God for her. Thanks again! RR
I learned myself thru the brochure, research, talking and youtube , how to use the hoyer very well and its great for me. My issue with getting her on and off the toilet is my problem. This week I have had my morning helper and I havent changed my mom until my husband gets home and he helps me, gives my arm a break. Fortunately she didnt get uncomfortable that I had to take her into the bathroom before he got home.
Rural, Hospice only sends one Aide to operate the hoyer here and its really nothing to operate alone, its the rolling of the patient to get that sling under them thats impossible . If I could only figure out how to remove her pants to hoyer her onto the toilet I would be all set. Dont let it scare you, they are great. Thanks everyone and take care.
Now to your questions, my father is unaware anymore of when he needs to eliminate. We have now completely gone to diapers and pads. Unfortunately, at that point you need to be able to roll a person and tuck under them similar to when using the lift. It sounds to me as tho you need more help. Has anyone taught you how to roll up the sling and tuck under her? Is your mother at a point whre you can enroll her in hospice? We thought, and had been told, that a person had to be within 6 months of death. We found out that is not true. When the nurse came to do the assessment of my father, she was amazed we had not enrolled him earlier. With hospice, we have an aide that comes in 3 times a week to bathe my father and a nurse comes in 2 times a week to check on him. The social worker comes in about once a month to see if there is anything else we need.
Can your mother stand? Before my father became completely disabled, we had found a walker with an attachment at the top for him to hold himself upright with his arm strength so we could get pants on and off of him. I do not know what the thing is called, but it has a place to put the forearms in to help support the body.
Perhaps someone else has something they can suggest. I wish I could help you more. Please take steps to ensure you don't hurt yourself further. You don't want to get so hurt that you cannot take care of your mother. Please take care of yourself.
I Have to learn how to get Mom onto the toilet without lifting her. The hoyer will fit in the bathroom but how do I get her diaper and pants on and off?
HELP Anyone, Please, I am really desperate and will not put my Mom in a Nusring Home. My Moms very sweet, smiles and laughs even thou she does sleep alot and I just love her so much.
Thank You .
FIL still has some upper body strength, at least as far as I know, I think what part of the problem might be is for him to be able to follow instructions. Anything new confuses him. A couple of months ago when they first got their lift-assist recliner, the caregiver was trying to help him get into the chair. She had to use both hands to direct him and he had the lift control in his hand. Instead of pushing the reclining button he kept pushing the inclining button even though the caregiver was telling him to push the other button. He wound up on the floor but no injury. Caregiver had to get a neighbor to help her get my FIL up off the floor.
I did suggest to my MIL that they have another evaluation from a PT or nurse to see if there is anything that they could recommend. I think the last evaluation was in May but that is a long time ago at this stage of my FIL's life. She hasn't done anything about getting another eval. I can only suggest things and have to be VERY careful or she gets testy.
NO muscle strength in his legs. Am wondering if it is all due to arthritis or can part be due to his declining mental state. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.
You may want to see if you can get an order for a physical therapist. The one they sent us, before the last hospital stay, showed us and Daddy how to transfer safely from the bed to his wheelchair and from his lift chair to the wheelchair. At one time Medicare would not continue to pay for the therapist if the person was not making progress, but right before Daddy went into hospice the nurse told us that was changing. She said that now they will pay to maintain the physical status instead of just progressing.
Life has now changed with Daddy in hospice. The last hospital stay was disasterous. He was taken to the ER for choking and left ready for hospice.
I will see if I can find the website I used. It had a built in application where one could pick the lifts of interest and put them into a spreadsheet showing dimensions, attributes etc so they could easily be compared.
I don't know anything about the type of lift FriendlyBedGuy mentions, but my father has become completely disabled so it does not sound like something he would be able to use. We use the lift to move him from the bed to the living room so he can sit in his lift chair and be with everyone else. He can also be moved from the bed to a wheelchair in it.
How about a potty chair for the bedroom if he can swivel into it. A bedpan would be the next option. Using a hoyer lift at home can be dangerous. My husband slipped out of one when we tried it. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt. He's now in a nursing home. Their hoyer lifts are much better, safer..and the aides do the transferring. Best of luck , hugs, and prayers. Corinne