When my Mom was stronger and lighter, we were able to pull on her bed pad and move her higher in her bed. Now, when I come to visit, I often find her in the middle of the bed lying flat on her back even though she is fully awake. I feel this position is very bad for her state of mind. When I go to readjust her position, I cannot budge her -- she's just gained too much weight. I am trying to avoid getting a mechanical lift because I think that kind of machinery will depress her. I have two aides who have no trouble moving her up higher on the bed, but they are very strong women. Must I let go my aides who are not as strong and are now having difficulty, or is there some technique to readjust her more easily? When two of us pull on either side of her bed pad, we are successful, but I cannot afford to have two aides present at all times. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!
I am tired of hearing about all these children who are caregivers who risk their own health to take care of parents who dont seem to care about the health conssequences for their kids.
" I am trying to avoid getting a mechanical lift because I think that kind of machinery will depress her."
Don't you think a permanent physical injury outweighs the importance of mother's possible depression? Don't you think you will get very depressed when you may be in pain from a preventable injury?
Hopefully you are using a "draw sheet" on the bed.
Lower the head of the bad as far down as it will go.
Raise the foot of the bed as high as it will go.
Grasp the edge of the sheet, if it is one person grasp at the top, near the shoulders while you stand behind the top/head of the bed and pull the sheet upwards to the top of the bed. If there are 2 people each grasping a part of the sheet, near the shoulder and hip and pull to the top of the bed.
Gravity is your friend here with the head lower than the foot it will be easy (easier) to slide the person upwards.
It might also be time to look at getting a Hoyer Lift. That will make it easier to transfer from bed to chair or even lift her to change her and change bedding.
(I did find it easier to just roll my Husband for a change or even changing the sheets. I used the Hoyer when getting him into the wheelchair and then back into bed. )
Always lay the bed out flat before trying to move someone up toward head of bed.
Here's one I found on amazon for $40 - very similar to what I have. Do search for this: ZHEEYI Bed Positioning Pad with Reinforced Handles 48" x 40" Lifting Turning Patient Sheet Transfer Blanket for Caregiver, Bedridden, Elderly, Black
Thank you.
If any moving or handling task requires above-average strength YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG, and/or using the wrong equipment.
I am female, 57, 5'4" and weigh under 120lbs (if no one has given me any violet cremes recently). Some of my coworkers are taller/heavier/men, and most of them are younger, but once trained two ordinary people of either/any sex using the correct equipment can move any individual in any domestic caregiving context without hurting or risking harm to anyone involved.
If you find an aide standing there looking helpless, send her back to the agency labelled "please train."
If you find an aide using main force to move someone, clip his/her ear.
The commonest problem with moving and handling in domestic contexts is that the designers of hoists, wheeled commodes, stand-aids and the like seem not to have been informed that many homes have this weird stuff on the floor called "carpeting." If you have a 300lb immobilised husband and a thick-piled carpet, please consider relocating at least one of them.
You may be surprised at your mother's reaction to having a lift; she may be relieved at the thought of having no people put out at her expense!
Try folding a flat sheet in half and place it under the person - should be from shoulders to upper thighs. Put any incontinence pad on top of it.
2 people can move her using the sheet by rolling the sides of sheet close to person. Ask person to bend knees with feet flat on the bed. Ask person to push legs while you pull up on count of 3.
A hospital bed makes moving somebody in bed a lot easier.
1 - Raise bed up to waist height to move the person.
2 - Raise feet and lower head when moving person to head of bed.
3 - When person propped into sitting position, raise feet so that knees and feet are a little elevated to prevent sliding down.
4 - Always leave person with mattress in lowest possible position to the ground and wheels locked.
These too are intended for use by two people, as you're currently using the bed pad, but I had no difficulty at all positioning my (hemiplegic, 5'9" fully stretched out) mother by myself. Admittedly she was not especially heavy for her height but she weighed more than I did and it still took no real effort - just get your hold right and you could move a small whale on one of those things.
Also: what kind of mattress on what kind of adjustable bed? The time will come when your mother isn't able to assist positioning by rolling, turning or bridging; when that happens, caregivers need to be able to push the slide sheet under her body and through to the other side. Again no strength required, just confidence in their training and good technique.
Maybe the aide depending on how big she is might need an assist of another person, but it shouldn't be a problem.
I know exactly what you mean that she keeps sliding down, or working herself down in the bed until she's in the middle of it. I had many bedbound clients who did this.
This is how to pull her up in bed more easily.
1) Totally make the adjustable bed flat.
2) Raise the foot of the bed as high as it can go. This will help greatly.
3) Make sure there is not only a good bed pad under her, but there should also be a large, heavy beach towel or draw sheet folded three times and laid width-wise under the bed pad. The positioning of these things should be right under her butt.
4) Stand at the head of the bed.
5) Grasp the bed pad AND the towel or draw sheet then slide her up as far as she can go.
6) If the bed pad and draw sheet is then up too high after moving her, turn her on her side and roll it from one end as tight as possible under her. Then turn her to the other side and repeat.
If this is too much for you to do physically then bring in a lift. Or whatever equipment needed to help with your mom's care. Don't worry yourself about this making her feel bad or depressed. Believe me, she'll feel a lot worse and depressed if you take a permanent injury and she has to go into a nursing home.
The way some people are 'giving advice' here is to 'wait and see what happens (to the caregiver). This is not the way to proceed. Preventative care is.
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