I'm in a real mess here

bigfoot2you

DH  had a spell with very weak legs and fell out of bed.  He is 6'5  and 235 lbs.   He was face down on the floor......he could not get up.  could not get up on his knees or pull himself up with his arms.  I had to call rescue to get him back into bed.     Later on in the night he needed to go again,  I was helping him, got him in and sitting on the toilet and he just kinda melted and fell off onto the floor squeezed between the toilet and tub.  Banged his head and started bleeding.  Could not get up,  called the rescue again and had him transported to the hospital.   They ran all the tests........nothing conclusive.........bad balance and no strength in his legs.........social worker started looking for a rehab place for him.  His legs slowly got better and he was able to walk better.   No beds available within an hour or better drive.  I am having lazer on my eyes and cannot drive after dark............will need catarac surgery.    So i can only take him home and have in home nurses for rehab.........so now we have a nice walker that fits him perfect EXCEPT HE CAN'T REMEMBER TO USE IT!!   Every single time he gets up from the chair he tries to walk off without it............this man has vascular dementia  with ZERO short term memory......any ideas short of super gluing the darn* walker to his hands ?

Ed1937

Sorry this is so hard for both of you. What if you put the walker in front of the chair where he sits, so it's in his way when he gets up? Maybe he'll remember to use it that way. Sorry I don't have anything better to offer.

bigfoot2you

I tried that.......he very nicely moved it........I  told him he needed to use it to walk!   He has no memory of  falling...although he can't figure out why his ear hurts so bad.........

Kibbee

BF2Y…you have my sympathy.  Caregiving for a person who is prone to falling is challenging and scary .  My DH has this issue, because like your DH, he forgets he cannot walk.  My DH most often falls at night or early in the morning.  It starts from being seated on the edge of the bed to an attempt to stand which becomes a slide onto the floor.  Since the beginning of the month he has done this 6 times.  

I am fortunate that he still has enough leg strength that he can get up with my help.  For what it’s worth, here is my technique for helping him get up off the floor.  I put a sturdy bench (1foot high) in front him, braced against the side of the bed.  I put a gait belt around his waist.  He gets on his hands and knees (I put a thick pad under his knees) and then gets his hands up on the bench.  When he is in that position I get the wheelchair behind him, over his legs and tucked right up to his butt.  I stand behind the wheelchair, reach over and get hold of the gait belt at his back.  He then begins to pull one leg up to stand and as soon as his butt rises up a bit I push the wheelchair under him and pull on the gait belt to help guide him back into the chair.  It ain’t pretty but so far we’ve gotten it done.

DH was never able to use a walker properly, he went straight from a cane to a wheelchair.  I’ve tried a bedrail to keep him on the bed, but found it was dangerous because he would attempt to get out and would get caught between the bedrail and the mattress.  At this point I have a Blink camera in his room.  He’s a very quiet sleeper so if I hear him moving around I use the camera to check on him. The camera has a microphone so if I see he is trying to get up & out of bed I can tell him to stay in bed.  That has averted some potential problems.

I know the day will come when he will no longer have the strength to assist in getting himself up.  I fear that will be the issue that will lead to placement.

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Joydean

The weight limit after cataract surgery is 20-25 pounds for 10 days. Just FYI.

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FTDCaregiver

Hi big - introducing ambulation aids to dementia sufferers is extremely challenging as they often rely on muscle memory, and they can become agitated and resistant to caregivers trying to help by getting them to use them as, in their world, they don't need it, never needed it before nor want it. I got some help from one of Teepa Snow's podcasts, Positive Approaches to Care (PAC) where she talked about first focusing on my relationship and addressing resistance.  What's he doing when you try to help him use it? Argue, bat you hand away?  Teepa mentioned that the person has to view you as understanding as to what he's trying to communicate, if he doesn't want to use it, don't force it or attempt to argue why he should.  Be positive, she mentioned if he won't use the walker, lead up to it by having him place a hand on your shoulder and you can guide him, eventually strengthening your relationship and building some memory on seeking help while walking.  She mentions keep introducing and building up to the walker.  With my wife, I started by positioning myself to her left, place her hand on my right shoulder and lead as she's also a shadower and Teepa mentioned they tend to be more relaxed when positioning themselves just off your right side and use you as a 'blocker' as to what's coming at them in their world, strange, but it worked.

Joydean

Victoria is right, you need to check with your own doctor. When I said 20 pounds I was referring to what my surgeon has told me. All surgeon’s are different. 

ImMaggieMae

Joydean wrote:

Victoria is right, you need to check with your own doctor. When I said 20 pounds I was referring to what my surgeon has told me. All surgeon’s are different. 

My surgeon recommended 20 pounds as well for cataract surgery.