What a relief. It's here and I've had my training session. So we didn't have to pull Colin about too much, I managed to get him out of bed and onto his chair and then the OT told me to put the sling on him to make sure I could do it without help. I did ask for help...it was a male OT so I told him he could put the straps between his legs himself. We did have a laugh about it and I had a Crossroads sitter with me to chaperone. Pushing the hoist is like controlling a shopping trolley. Last week one of our sons lowered the threshold between Cs bedroom and our lounge so I didn't have to keep putting the ramp down. As it is now so smooth and a very short distance , the OT said I can wheel him straight from bed to the chair without putting him on the commode chair first. It makes life so much easier.
One problem. I haven't managed to get pants and trousers on him yet. Any ideas? He has a shower in the morning and then sits on his chair for breakfast but I think I'll have to put him back to bed to get the trousers on. He is there now so I'll try before getting him up for lunch. I did think of those trousers male strippers wear during their act. They whip them off pretty quick perhaps getting them on is easy. Not that I've ever seen a live show, I'm thinking of The Full Monty film. A kilt would probably be easier than trousers but don't think C would approve.
Off to put all the food into my new fridge that was delivered this morning and I'm determined to keep the door free from notes held on with magnets and all the coloured letters the grandchildren rearrange and managed to lose behind and under the old fridge. Where do I put all my important reminders though?
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Well J tells me this all started in 2007 so from that I make it coming up to 10 years so really he is doing very well no hoists just about able to walk shuffle to bed, still likes his food, some incontenence, does not say much, coughs on drinks . Everything in sooooo slow motion certainly getting harder to cope with him.
Not at all, it's just that C is a bit further along the line so I wondered if his progression was faster than J as you said you were in the 10th year. C was still shuffling with his walker this time last year so I don't think so. Everyone is different though.
1 sweat pants...elasticized waist and ankles and material easily worked with
2 one leg at a time. Put first leg on, then Bring it up thorough strap, bend Colins leg up and into next pant leg
3 Shimmy pant waist up to desired Colin waist
4 adjust as necessary
5 Put pants on before getting out of bed
6 Put pants on after shower and when back in bed
7 Stripper pants
8 No pants maybe a robe....
Well that's all I got basically same as you got.
Why did you get a new fridge, why can't you put grandkids stuff on it?
Again congrats for the hoist. I am sure In a couple months you'll be swingin' that man around; in and out; through; and up and down like you been doin it for ever !
Thanks AVB. He stayed in bed after all as bottom very red from sitting this morning. I've got loads of grandchildren art about but the old fridge had loads of magnetic alphabet letters on it. The new one looks so clear, the tidiest bit of my kitchen. I won't stop the boys fun though. I've got a huge magnetic board and bucket of letters I got for C to communicate with but he couldn't work out what to do so they can now play with that. I found it in their room with two sentences on it starting with their names, L is wee, S is poo. That's little boys for you.
The trousers and pants are very fiddly. You need to get the waistband and most of the leg as high as possible so that when you put the leg straps on they are higher then the strap.
Or you could look on the adapter wear website because they do special trousers for use with hoists etc. Bit pricey but worth it as once on they look like proper trousers. Janexx
Great news NannaB good luck with new hoist - and a new fridge too, wow. Well done to your son on his handy work, making life that bit easier for you and Colin.
I manage to get W to go out for a short walk today which was great. Hope to continue this, weather permitting of course.
NannaB glad you have got the hoist at long last, and a new fridge, we have got an inter grated fridge, not able to put anything on the door, which I miss, not being able to put grandchildrens drawings up. Hope you are all keeping well xxxxxxx
For Christmas, two of my grandchildren presented me with framed paintings they have done for me. I haven't hung them on the wall yet, not sure where to put them but they have to go up before the weekend, they are coming to stay on Saturday night. Our eldest son and family are coming and staying in the local inn and our middle son and his family are staying with us. Our youngest son and his wife are coming for the day and going home as they live locally. It's the first time they have all been together since September 2014. It's the first time we have seen our 6 year old foster grandson. So a 4 year old, 2 6 year olds and a 9 year old + parents makes 12. The boys are all excited as we are having a banquet ( their word). Not a banquet, I'm doing an OBQ. Too cold in the UK for a BBQ so it will be cooked in the oven instead. I've also found a recipe for new potatoes cooked in a white wine reduction but I'll do wedges as well just in case it tastes awful. Mmmm made myself feel hungry now, better get on with the fish pie.
We have had a few laughs tonight. We tried putting C on the commode which we manage but then realised the relevant part wasn't over the pan. We have decided we need 3 carers, 1 to control the hoist, 1 to direct C and 1 to yell when the one controlling the hoist was about to clonk the the one directing C on the head with the top bar of the hoist. Ouch!
Even C laughed when I yelled.
Practice makes perfect they say. We'll see, although I did manage to use it alone this afternoon quite successfully.
Here's hoping it gets easier with the carers "helping".
So glad they finally got you sorted at last, sounds like you had a bit of a giggle during your training. I reckon that those male strippers have Velcro side fastenings, food for thought eh? Bet you don't manage to keep the fridge magnet free on the outside or well ordered on the inside. These are both things I swear I won't do but as yet haven't managed to uphold. beat of luck with the hoist tomorrow, sure it will soon be second nature. Xx
Hospice delivered us a hoist for my wife, Kim. It was so big and bulky, I had them come pick it up after 3 days. Sine Kim is down to 120 pounds, I can still manage to pick her up and move her quickly to a transport wheel chair. We live in a patio home and just don't have enough room to move that hoist around. Hope it works for you. Maybe you need to visit a male strip club for some advice? ☺️
I'm not sure ours is big enough. In the sitting position he doesn't really go high enough to clear the bed. If I put the bed lower, it traps the legs of the hoist. I have to lift him slightly reclined. Every time I use it I try different straps so hopefully I'll find the best one.
I think ours was too big. You really need a lot of room to move the base around. I think Kim would have been a little scared laying in that thing just a swingin' ... and not the same swingin' as those male strippers.
When i hoist Brian i use short arms and middle legs. That way he is more of a sitting position. If you want more of a reclined position use long arms. Hope this helps.
What slings have you got. We have got a toileting sling and a full body sling. As you will guess i only use the toileting sling. Janexx
A Joerns Oxford mini. We have 2 slings that I can use for the commode but one is mesh and I can leave it behind him in the chair or in bed. I undo the leg straps and flap them back but leave the back in place. Not at night but during the day.
You write such lovely posts , always with good advice and it seems with good cheer. My husband is Scottish and so when we get to this stage I am going to remember the kilt !!!!!! Thank you x
Has he got his own family tartan, if so, what colours? When I was a teenager living at home, my mum, who loved a bargain, bought a tartan stair carpet in a sale for £8. It was mainly red and yellow. Our stairs went straight up and then turned and there were 4 more. Unfortunately, the carpet only went as far as the top of the straight run so it ended up in the loft. When I was 21 I married Colin and we were able to move into our first home, not before the marriage of course, my mum would have disowned me. To furnish it we had to go to jumble sales and accept second hand furniture from relatives. We couldn't afford carpets and then mum remembered the tartan one in the loft. Colin fitted it and it was perfect. I loved it, so much so that when we moved 4 years later, we took it with us. It was down for 33 years and I was really sad when it went. In 1972 a carpet shop had a box of sample squares in the doorway with a notice, "free, dolls house carpets". All the family walked past and took a few that were the same colours as in the stair carpet and I sewed and taped them all together to carpet the landing. I was so pleased with the result and took it with us when we moved. It stayed up in our loft until 4 years ago when we had space in a skip hired for the garage/wet room conversion.
I hope it's a very long time before your husband needs a hoist.
His tartan is Buchanan, don't think that's correct spelling !!! It's sort of yellow and green and navy if I remember right. I think any tartan looks lovely and very regal up a staircase. , have a decent day xx
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