Is it safe for my elderly LO to sleep in a wheelchair?

Good morning everyone and thanks!!!!! :)

We succeeded this morning to put my LO in the sofa.

It’ll all work out. He’ll walk again. Just needs the body to heal.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Mice Horses

My mother spent almost 3 years sitting & slouching/leaning to the right (towards the end of her life) in a wheelchair and she did fine. Depending on why they slouch or lean over, it oftentimes cannot be prevented. My father had a brain tumor which caused it; my mother had neurological issues that caused her to lean & slump. She had a great gel seat cushion like Grandma recommended and it made a world of difference. She was transferred to her recliner when she was agreeable to it (she lived in Memory Care Assisted Living), but that wasn't too often; once a day in the afternoon hours after lunch so she could make phone calls. The rest of the time she spent in the chair. At one point, she did develop a pressure ulcer on her tailbone; so her Physical Therapist worked with her PCP to order her a different type of gel set cushion. The ulcer was treated daily and it did clear up. The whole event lasted about 2 months, start to finish, fortunately, and was not a serious thing.

Mom fell out of her wheelchair on a regular basis b/c she insisted on sitting on the TIP of the chair. No matter how many times she was positioned back to where her butt was at the back of the seat, she'd manage to scooch it back to the front of the seat and boom, she would fall. Seatbelts and things aren't allowed in residential care and I'm not sure how effective they are anyway; trial and error is what you'll have to use. In certain cases, it's impossible to prevent falls with elders. But again, you'll just have to play it by ear with your LO to see how he fares with his chair.

When my dad was in a wheelchair for about a year, he NEVER fell out of it even once. He learned how to maneuver himself around it in quite well, too! And even when his brain tumor caused him to slump over dramatically to the left, he still never fell out of the w/c or tipped it over. Mom weighed 190 lbs and even with her slump, she never tipped her w/c over either.

Both of my parents took naps in their w/c's and were fine doing so. Mom never fell out of it while sleeping; just when she forgot she couldn't walk & tried to get up, or when she was teetering on the edge of the seat and tumbled out & onto the floor.

When mom went on hospice, they immediately brought her a different type of w/c due to her tendency to fall so much; it was a high back chair that tilted backwards, like Grandma mentioned. She fell ONE time from that chair, and never again! It was like a miracle. So see what happens with your LO, and if he falls a lot, then look into this type of chair for him. But remember my mother had advanced dementia at play, your LO does not. That makes a huge difference with EVERYTHING.

Mom sat in that w/c for nearly 3 years, like I said, and blood clots were never an issue. Elders who use wheelchairs move their legs and feet a lot b/c they're maneuvering themselves around WITH their feet; blood clots do not tend to be an issue at all unless they're sitting there like broccoli all day long. They DO tend to lose a lot of core strength, however, so physical therapy is a good idea, if you're able to get it ordered by the doctor.

Best of luck!

Trying to be brief here, but pass on some info to keep your LO safe.
If he is sitting up for a medical reason, you want to be aware of the blood clot and circulation issues if his legs are in a sitting position for very long.

Keep him moving. If he has to sit up overnight, get his legs up, supported properly, the entire length of his legs.

He should move his hips, pelvis and buttocks frequently to avoid bed sores,
(wheelchair sores).

Considering this advice it does not seem safe to sleep in a wheelchair overnight:
"The longer one sits, the more strenuous it becomes for the body. If you suffer with nerve pain, sitting for long periods of time is slowly damaging the nerves over time. Sitting can affect the nerves most vulnerable to pain sensations, such as tingling, burning or stabbing pain."

Maybe he has a concussion, in which case he does need to be supervised.

Avoid slumping. It restricts breathing. Sofa to recline when dozing is probably better.

Re transfering: has a Physio advised best way to do this? Is a walking frame or slide board needed/used? Are both legs non weight bearing, or one side?

If he is a large man there is always a possibility that he could tip over the whole chair, nothing is foolproof.
I'm assuming you are talking about a common, readily available, upright wheelchair, if you have the opportunity to borrow or rent a tilt in place chair that is totally different.

Look into getting a Gel seat cushion if the seat is not a soft comfortable one.
And there are non slip films that can be put on the seat as well to prevent slipping and sliding.

You can use pillow and wedges to support your LO if needed.
There are Tilt Back Wheelchairs that might be better and some are Highbacked for more support for the head/trunk.
If you see that slumping is a problem see if you can not get the wheelchair change for one of the high backed, tilt seat one. Broda Chairs are great as they are almost like one of the old "wingback chairs" where sides can be moved and adjusted to provide support but wedges and a high back wheel chair should be good.

Comment on your clarification...
If he is completely non weight bearing transfers can be tricky. If this is going to be for an extended length of time you might want to look into a Hoyer Lift. Otherwise a Sit to Stand would be an option but the person has to be able to support their own weight.

Hello Cwillie!! All your points are good! :)

“he might fall asleep in the chair and if you tie him in he might not fall out”

You think it might work then, that he doesn’t fall?

I’ll clarify:
-“Is he totally non weight bearing”

Yes. But not forever. He’s recovering from something.

-“What is the reason you can't transfer him to his sofa or a recliner?”

This is what we’ll try tomorrow (we are two people to move him).

In case it doesn’t work (it’s really not easy to move him), then he’ll have to use the wheelchair. So I bought the safety belt in case.

Mice Horses

Nothing peeves me off more than seeing someone slouched in an non supportive and uncomfortable wheelchair, he might fall asleep in the chair and if you tie him in he might not fall out I wouldn't recommend it for anyone. Is he totally non weight bearing (although if he is I'm wondering how you are planning to get him into the wheelchair)? What is the reason you can't transfer him to his sofa or a recliner?