Getting Out of Bed is More Difficult

My helpers are here Monday through Friday, so Saturday and Sunday I am on my own.

This being Saturday, I had no help to get husband out of bed.  He wanted to get out of be right away, not waiting for his pills to kick in. The last few days I have needed help to get him up and into his wheelchair. This morning I am on my own.  

This morning he seemed strong enough to help himself a little.  I use his ability to grasp and hold his assisting bars to determine how much strength he has. I got him sitting on the edge of the bed holding onto his support bars.  From this position, on days when he is able, I shift his body sideways onto his wheelchair and  he uses his legs to raise  himself to clear the side arm of the wheelchair. I tried to get him to his chair like I normally do when he has some strength to stand.  I got his tail bone to the chair with him still hanging on to his bars.  I could not get him to stand nor could I leave him alone at the front of the chair while I went around back to try t pull him in. So I tried to push with my knees against his, but he was not able to hold himself up any longer and started to slide to the floor.  I told him to let himself down easy as I pulled the wheelchair out and away from him.  When his tail was on the floor I pulled the chair out the rest of the way and lowered his head to the floor onto a pillow.  

Fortunately I have had to get him off the floor on a few occasions so I knew how to use the Hoyer lift ( a mechanical lifting device) to get him up. I got the sling under him and jacked him up. I jacked him high enough to get his wheelchair under him and lowered him into the chair. We went the dining room table for breakfast.  His pills kicked in about 30 minutes after he was into his wheelchair.  Some days it can take an hour or more for the pills to start working. And sometimes they don’t seem to work at all.   He has been taking these same pills for 14 years. We were told in the beginning that the pills will lose their effectiveness after about 8 years.  So I guess we’re lucky they still work for him.  When they work.

corner filed off so Hoyer can get in

I have been wondering how soon I would be needing the Hoyer to get him out of bed.  I guess it’s pretty soon. I have been using the Hoyer to put him to bed for about a year. And the last 2 weeks I am using it to get him onto the toilet during the day then back into a wheelchair for the remaining hours until bed. Maneuvering in our tight bathroom is the hardest part.  I recently sanded off the corner of the sink cabinet to allow the wheels of the Hoyer to get in alongside the toilet. It helps but it’s still tight. 

He’s reading now. I have the air conditioner on. The cats are running around because it is cool enough to be active. (when it’s too warm they sleep)  I hope he doesn’t decide to go to the shop to do wood working.  Although I might be a good change for me to work at something other than sewing or getting votes for the grant.

On the floor? He's trying!

These past couple weeks have been difficult…in many ways. Husband’s condition has been worse, varying from worse to worser. Some days he is nearly a zombie, no speech, little movement, and little interest in surroundings. Getting to the toilet or bed from the wheelchair requiring a gait belt transfer with much difficulty. Other days like yesterday start off fairly well.
We are (I am) finishing a “sun room” addition added on last spring to accommodate an elevator wheelchair lift. The lift was installed this past April and is used every day, sometimes two or three times a day. He has not been able to use the stair glide for nearly a year. We waited more than 6 months for this elevator because we used assistance from our County Area Agency on Aging. The construction was put on hold until the elevator was installed so the contractor would know where to install the entry door. The room is now able to be finished inside, paint, trim, flooring, etc.
I know a little about working wood from building fancy doll houses years ago, so I was able to put up the window, door, and baseboard molding. Some of it was tricky because the addition was made to fit under the front porch roof so there is not a standard room height or door height. Everything is shorter 6-12”. Anyway, the trim came out looking pretty good. The painting is now complete.
The vinyl flooring is next. The unfinished plywood floor is nailed or screwed to the support joists. The edges of the plywood are not level to each other and there are dimples or holes from the screw holes that will show through the vinyl. These need to be filled so the vinyl will lay flat. This part of the project was put off until the walls and trims were painted.
Husband wants to help - Husband insisted he would do this part of the project, using wood putty and a putty knife. It meant he would have to bend over while sitting in his wheelchair to reach the floor to apply this putty. He could not reach the floor. He wanted to get onto the floor so he could do it. No matter what I said I could not convince him he could not do this.
Getting him off the floor…If anyone had seen him they would have asked if he fell. No, I put him down on the floor, dropping him onto his knees onto a foam cushion. He insisted he could do this. I knew better. He landed on his knees, sort of. Then slid onto his side and lay straddling the cushion. I went to get a pillow for his head. I got him into a reclining position, which, because of the small size of this room, could not have been too comfortable.
He wanted to sit up…impossible. He could not stand to get out of bed without assistance; no way could he sit unsupported on the floor, legs out straight. If we did not have the pneumatic sling lift I would not have given in so easily. I’ve used it before for the same purpose, getting him off the floor when he would not hear otherwise.
I told him to lay there for a while to get his breath and gather his strength to get up. He lay for about 2 hours watching me while I continued to work around him on the sun room. Finally he wanted to get up.
Rolling him from side to side, I was able to get the sling under him and get him lifted enough to get him away from the walls. Fortunately this room was made to be ADA compliant for size so I was able to maneuver the lift so that I could get his wheelchair under him again. I should mention husband weighs about 110 lbs.
Once in his wheelchair he sat and watched as I got down on my butt on top of a cushion and scooted myself across the floor to fill the holes. It took about an hour to fill the gaps and holes, moving his wheelchair from one side of the room to the other as I moved across the floor.
Comical? I thought of taking a picture of him on the floor to show him and his daughter later. I did not. I don’t think he would not have seen the humor in it. I give him credit for trying!