Celebrations

[gypsywoman1947]

After going out to celebrate the New Year in and neither of us having a drop to drink bar cups of tea we arrived home in the early hours . My husband is difficult to get out the car and would not let go of the door handle once I had managed to stand him up, I had to prize his hand away and as I did this he fell backwards and in my effort to prevent this I fell on top of him on the driveway.

We have not been in our new home many weeks and our neighbours would be unaware of my husbands illness , I'm hoping no one was peeping from behind the curtains.

I scrambled up and then began the laborious task of managing the elk lifting gear on the driveway.!! Anyway, no lasting damage but it must have been a sight to behold.

Incidentally ...has anyone else got an elk??? I find it extremely difficult to manage, for a start it is difficult to even get him positioned on the thing and inevitably he rolls off it. It's exhausting in itself. !!

[NannaB]

Not funny for you but if someone had filmed you, you would have got a lot of "hits" on Utube. We have an Elk. Colin can no longer get on it so I have called the paramedics when he has fallen during 2015. They are always grateful we have one as the NHS ambulances don't have them in this area.

If you can get your husband to roll over onto it and into a sitting position, stand behind him and hold onto one shoulder while you have the controls in the other hand. Once C had reached the full height I let go of the controls and walk to the front of him holding both shoulders. I'd then take both hands and he could stand up from there. Before trying to get him on the Elk, I made sure there was a chair nearby for him to be transferred on to as he was always tired after the effort of getting on the Elk. Later I used the commode chair or wheelchair so I could wheel him wherever he needed to go. The more you have to use it the easier it gets but you don't want to have to use it. Once it became difficult for me, I dialled 999 and it was ages ago the paramedics told me never to try and get C up.

I hope you don't get a lot of use out of it and hubby stays upright.

X

[gypsywoman1947 in reply to NannaB]

Thank you for replying, it's extremely awkward for me to even get him on the elk , it's a 2 man job almost but then if 2 of you are around you might as well lift. My daughter bought me a manual handling belt which I clip around him and heave, shove and pull. I've never yet called an ambulance He is utterly helpless once down. Falls are daily , 2 weeks ago resulted in a fall needing 20 facial stitches, I got him to hospital myself. Last week in the early hours I found him in the bedroom flat on his back with the commode on top of him.!! I've always wondered what sort of response I'd get from ambulance service if I called them to pick him up when I've got the elk. I presumed I was just meant to struggle on. It is exhausting isn't it. Xx

[NannaB in reply to gypsywoman1947]

No the paramedics always say they would rather come and pick someone up than the carer ending up hurting themselves. You may have read before Colin had to go into a home for 2 weeks as I hurt my back and couldn't do anything for him. It was awful for him as he could still walk but fell 6 times in the first 8 days there. He came home with 2 black eyes and a cut forehead. I can't remember if you get CHC but if you have a record of 999 calls it is more evidence that 24 hour care is needed. I've got a handling belt as well and tried getting him up once but had to dial 999. The belt was still on him and the Elk next to him when they arrived and they stressed that I was never to try and get him up again.

Take care...easier said than done. I'm limping with a painful knee after moving his hospital bed and crashing my knee against the metal corner...ouch!

X

[gypsywoman1947 in reply to NannaB]

Thank you , that's a good idea.

[goldcap in reply to NannaB]

Nana, sorry you got injured in the call of duty. Gypsywoman I had to laugh though it is all really not funny but oh so familiar. I think the stage where they are not yet willing or ready to use a walker or wheelchair is the most frightening as they seem always be one step away from a gnarly fall. He has endured as many blows to the face as a boxer in a ring who keeps getting back up and going in for more. Now our most difficult transition is from bed to chair and back. We had a therapist show him how to roll over from his back and get up on all fours and then pull one knee up to kneeling at a time then into standing with support. It takes a long while and I feel mean not helping but when I have tried to pull him up we both go down hard. I have suffered bad sprains and lacerations trying to protect him from getting hurt. I am not familiar with the piece of equipment you talked about but if it helps it is a good thing. During the worst of it we lived in a two story home in a very rural area. He fell down the stairs one time too many before I moved us into the guest room downstairs. I never called any ambulance because it would have to wait for them to come all the way out and then all the way to the hospital. Took less time to get him into the car and drive him myself though I admit there were times I felt overwhelmed. I hope you get through this trying period without many more scary incidents. And for God's sake woman-get a room-HA!

[Amilazy]

I agree with NannaB please call the ambulance if your husband falls. It saves your back and any injury and enables you to continue to look after him. What I did when we moved house about 2 year ago was to go round to everyone at least 2 doors each side and across the road. Introduced myself and explained M`s condition and gave them the PSPA fact Card, explained the slurred speech and limited mobility. It helps as they all give us a wave when the see us and when M took a tumble out of my arms a couple of weeks ago, 2 were over the road to help me before I could say we were OK but I let them help as never turn down help.

Best Wishes good luck in the new Year Tim

[gypsywoman1947 in reply to Amilazy]

Thank you. That's a good idea,

[jzygirl]

gypsywoman1947 please phone the ambulance if it is no longer safe to use the elk. You could hurt yourself and then what situation would you be in then. The ambulance staff are always happy to help. They told me they would sooner come out and pick Brian up off the floor and leave him safe and well in my care rather then have to deal with one on the floor and one hurt carer.

Janexx

[peterjones]

hi are you \ really a gypsywoman or just name I had a gypsywomasn come to my house once tried too sell me some clothes pegs when i refused she rambled on about putting a a curse on me \\\\\i think it worked ]]]\\\\\ but I loved your story matey I am glad that neither of you were hurt in your\ fall and as for the neighbours mate they will get to know about psp a bit quicker have \a great day both of you best regards peter jones queensland Australia

pspbloke

[NannaB in reply to peterjones]

Hi Peter Jones, your post made me smile. When we were children we were always getting ladies with headscarves and aprons knocking at the door with clothes pegs, lucky heather and bunches of lavender. A few days after a call when the seller carried a basket over her arm bulging with very aromatic lavender, one of mum's friends popped in for a cuppa and mentioned that someone had cut all the lavender that made a border around her front garden. Mum hadn't bought any! never bought anything as she said the seller would tell all her friends and we'd have hundreds calling and she was very pleased she didn't have a vase of lavender on show when her friend called.

Keep smiling and stay upright and hope 2016 is kind to you.

XX 👍👍

[gypsywoman1947 in reply to peterjones]

Hello there, Gypsywoman alias Kathy I am. The name came about cause when joining and a name was asked for my husbands favourite tune by Don Williams was being sung on radio.....Gypsywoman......and he said " call yourself that " it kind of stuck as a memorable password for lots of things. Happy New Year , as best it can be for all of us.

[Robbo1]

Poor you, still, it will be a New Year's Eve to remember! By the way, what is an elk? X

[gypsywoman1947 in reply to Robbo1]

Yes

[gypsywoman1947 in reply to Robbo1]

Yes ,certainly something to laugh about when we recall. An elk is a sort of inflatable cushion , four layers blow up individually by a compressor to the height of a chair. Difficulty is in getting the patient onto the thing to blow it up !

[Robbo1]

Oh I see. My husband has a button on a cord around his neck that he can press if he falls and people come to get him up using one of those. Trouble is, he won't use the button despite the fact that we have been paying for if for about three years. I have a wrist button included too which is a back up if I need help. It is a Council run scheme. Mum has one and they were great when her stairlift broke down and she couldn't get to the toilet upstairs. They brought her a commode, but also helped her upstairs to bed so that she didn't have to sleep on the settee. As it was late and she lives 40 mins drive away from us, I was very grateful for their help. They kept in touch with me too, to reassure me that Mum was OK. Best wishes. X

[gypsywoman1947]

My husband has the button pendant but he also does not press it , in the earlier days I once left him on his own for a day with visitors set up to visit throughout the day.My daughter arrived for her stint to find him in the garage wedged in the lawnmower box still wearing pendant. On another occasion I arrived home to find him still wearing pendant sat in chair bleeding profusely, he had fallen in garden and crawled back into the house. I am thinking of dispensing with this pendant now as he can not be left at all as he can't walk unaided. I do run to local shop and I put it on him in case he attempted to get out of chair but I am certain he would not press it if needed !!!