She is very fragile and extremely paranoid and frightened that she will fall. I'm not able to lift her myself and the family doesn't want to use the hoyer lift yet. Do you have an pointers/suggestions for me so I can get her to stand so I can at least put her into a chair or on the commode? I have a bad back due to an injury many years ago.
I sent you a private message.
I hope you stick around, 30 years in the medical field would be a beneficial addition to the forum.
Have a wonderful rest of your day!
Again, thank you for all your input.....but you really shouldn't pass judgement if you don't know the whole story......
If you are not confident using the Hoyer lift, and the family has some deep-seated but unspecified objection to it but no alternative suggestions to make, I recommend you call in an occupational therapist to *show* you how to operate the lift safely and with minimum stress to your patient. You watch, then you do while the OT guides you. It is fiddly - at first - and it requires care and concentration, but it is neither rocket science nor rally driving.
There simply is no safer way to move her, not for her or for you.
A back injury can potentially end your career. Will the family support you?
At times as paid caregivers (such as myself, a RN) we may want to do it all ourselves but maturity is knowing your limits in doing something that may harm you.
I think what they are asking is unreasonable. Obviously a hoyer lift is in that house to assist with transfer, so the family are aware there is an issue with getting out of bed.
If you have reservations, call your agency and inform them of this situation. But don’t donate your well being - you’ve got to stay healthy to take care of you.
Good luck.
Both your safety as well as the person you are caring for.
If you are a paid caregiver you can tell the family that you are no longer willing to place their mother, aunt, grandma whatever at risk trying to transfer her.
If she is frightened that is even more of a challenge because you do not know if she will start flailing or trying to grab at a the bed or grabbing onto you when you are trying to position her.
I used a Sit to Stand with my Husband for quite a while and I was resistant to changing to a Hoyer Lift. I think in my mind it was just another decline and that by holding off...
well I was convinced by the CNA that it really would be easier with the Hoyer Lift. And as usual she was right! Much easier for him, easier for me, safer for him, safer for me. Even though the Sit to Stand was good, and I felt secure and safe the Hoyer was better.
It is possible that the family feels the way I did that it is another decline and declines are difficult to accept. They may also be afraid and fearful on how to use it if they have to transfer if you are not there. The "learning curve" for the Hoyer Lift can be challenging but doable. You are there to help and YouTube is great when it comes to things like this.
I would stress the safety issue ,yours and hers, with the family.
Positioned the wheelchair parallel to the bed, next to the headboard, facing the foot of the bed.
Got the bed raised to wheelchair height & raised the back up.
Had her sit up, helped swing her legs over and put feet on the floor.
Adjusted the chair so it was as close to her knees as possible.
Had her lean forward, put my arms under her armpits and told her to give me a hug. She would attempt to grasp my arms.
Bent my knees and pulled her up and pivoted her into the chair. It was less than a 90 degree move.
At first she was able to help a little but eventually was a dead weight, but it still worked. But Mom was 95 lbs and my back is good.
Great idea, thank you! My husband has lewy body dementia. I can see the time is coming, that one day I will need to lift him from the bed. He has fallen many times in the house. I really struggle to lift him. I am small person. He weights around 135. But, when I try too lift him. It seems like 200 lbs.
I hope for Clara's sake that the family comes to realize that her needs have changed. Loosing a loving caregiver is not their cleverest move.
I hope it works out for you. Hugs!
Take care of that back of yours, you don't get another one.
Please take cwillie’s suggestion about getting training on the Hoyer from a therapist - perhaps her doctor or whoever was the medical official who ordered the Hoyer in the first place could set it up. It takes some training, but all five of my siblings learned how to use it, and it does not take two people to do so. It’s an amazing invention that enabled us to take care of my father in his home years after he had already qualified for a nursing home.
Take baby steps with your patient, similar to how you would teach a fearful child how to swim. The Hoyer will solve the getting in and out of bed problem, but not the bathroom. I think that needs a whole other apparatus. We did not have to deal with putting my father on a commode because he was completely incontinent. We just used the Hoyer to put him back in bed to change his Depends. Again, a physical or occupational therapist should be able to come to the house to train you and the family.
Good luck
If she can help then grab bars like these
https://www.agingcare.com/products/bedcane-136322.htm
https://www.agingcare.com/products/tension-mounted-transfer-pole-grab-bar-445149.htm
and repositioning sheets like this
https://www.agingcare.com/products/positioning-transfer-sheet-448301.htm
And search YouTube for helpful videos on transfer techniques.
My mom also has this horrible disease. Luckily she's still in stage 2, but I see the decline more and more.....