Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 14:33:28 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2019 17:14:30 GMT -5
I can get my husband out of bed and put him in the recliner, using his walker. I cannot get him out of the recliner to change him. He had a bad episode of diarrhea today, and I finally had to help him get down to the floor so that I could clean him up and put fresh Depends on him. Then I had to call the FD, my perpetual saviors, to pick him up and put him in his recliner. I have no idea what we will do come bedtime.
I started looking online for tips on getting him up, and they talked about a power assist chair. The concept scares him, but not as much as never getting him out of that chair scares me. Supposedly, Medicare will help pay for it if the doctor orders it. I contacted his physician through their messaging system to see if he would write the order.
Has anyone used one? Is there anything I should know?
Thanks for help as I try to make my way as a caregiver.
|
|
oped
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 20, 2018 20:49:12 GMT -5
Posts: 4,676
|
Post by oped on Sept 11, 2019 17:33:49 GMT -5
They got one for my grandfather in the last months. So helpful.
|
|
raeoflyte
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 3, 2011 15:43:53 GMT -5
Posts: 14,629
Member is Online
|
Post by raeoflyte on Sept 11, 2019 18:03:27 GMT -5
They're great.
Good luck.
|
|
mollyanna58
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 5, 2011 13:20:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,652
|
Post by mollyanna58 on Sept 11, 2019 18:14:04 GMT -5
My aunt and my father both used power assist recliners, and loved them. My mother sleeps in hers, finding it more comfortable to sleep in a sitting position. It also helps her get on her feet.
I could be wrong, but I think my cousin said Medicare paid for his mother's chair. She had severe osteoporosis, and very limited mobility.
|
|
tallguy
Senior Associate
Joined: Apr 2, 2011 19:21:59 GMT -5
Posts: 14,106
|
Post by tallguy on Sept 11, 2019 18:44:34 GMT -5
My grandmother used to have one. It helped. Don't know who paid.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 11, 2019 18:53:31 GMT -5
We rented a lift chair for me early. It really was a lifesaver, because I simply could not get up without help. I also slept more than one night in it.
By the time I no longer needed it, we could have bought one for what we paid. The chair was huge, and very comfortable. Renting one cost about $90/mo. There should be a battery assist, so if there is a power outage, you can get out. It is a couple of 9V batteries, that are good for only one lowering.
My insurance did not cover mine.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 14:33:28 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2019 19:05:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. I think Medicare pays for some of it but not all. Home Health Care said they needed a doctor's order so I contacted his PCP.
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 26,959
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Sept 11, 2019 19:11:29 GMT -5
We keep trying to get dad to let us get him one.
A friend of mine has one and says he would not be able to get out of his chair without it.
|
|
dannylion
Junior Associate
Gravity is a harsh mistress
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 12:17:52 GMT -5
Posts: 5,194
Location: Miles over the madness horizon and accelerating
|
Post by dannylion on Sept 11, 2019 20:42:55 GMT -5
You might need to get a Hoyer lift to assist with getting him into and out of bed.
|
|
countrygirl2
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 7, 2016 15:45:05 GMT -5
Posts: 16,712
|
Post by countrygirl2 on Sept 11, 2019 21:17:12 GMT -5
I've seen them for sale in our pharmacy, they look like they would be really helpful. I think if the patient were still mentally alert they could use it, otherwise not sure. It basically has a remote, tilts forward and up to help the patient to stand.
I certainly can understand about getting up and down, I'm having more issues. I certainly feel for you. I am fighting to stay active daily.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,119
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Sept 11, 2019 21:22:31 GMT -5
My parents got one for my grandfather. It really helped.
|
|
weltschmerz
Community Leader
Joined: Jul 25, 2011 13:37:39 GMT -5
Posts: 38,962
|
Post by weltschmerz on Sept 11, 2019 21:46:18 GMT -5
You might need to get a Hoyer lift to assist with getting him into and out of bed. I was going to suggest that. I wonder if you can rent them?
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 14:33:28 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2019 22:20:26 GMT -5
You might need to get a Hoyer lift to assist with getting him into and out of bed. I was going to suggest that. I wonder if you can rent them? Right now (everything changes so rapidly), he can get out of bed and onto his walker. I just can't get him out of the recliner. It is too low, I think. Medicare will provide some equipment. But they require doctor's orders. And there is often a co-pay. We can handle that. But we can 't pay full price for everything. The ramp cost $1500 and it still needs staining. I think it needs sanding as well. In my spare time . . .
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 11, 2019 22:40:22 GMT -5
You can rent a chair until you can get the prescription for one.
I was lucky in that when I lost my hips, TD’s late stepdad was a double amputee and he had everything but the chair. So his mom loaned it all to us. Those costs otherwise would have been much, much more for me. I think that the only other item we bought was a gel cushion for the wheelchair. That was a $400+ cushion, and worth every dime.
|
|
dannylion
Junior Associate
Gravity is a harsh mistress
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 12:17:52 GMT -5
Posts: 5,194
Location: Miles over the madness horizon and accelerating
|
Post by dannylion on Sept 11, 2019 22:45:22 GMT -5
You might need to get a Hoyer lift to assist with getting him into and out of bed. I was going to suggest that. I wonder if you can rent them? I would think it likely that they can be rented.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 14:33:28 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2019 23:18:58 GMT -5
Where should I post that if you know someone doing the physical caregiving, you should be especially kind to them? I have done stuff like wipe his butt, and that is easy enough. It is when you try and try . . . I cannot begin to explain what not being able to get him up means.
|
|
|
Post by empress of self-improvement on Sept 12, 2019 0:13:51 GMT -5
Hugs Susana. I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. I am currently sitting on the couch waiting for DH to be finished on the toilet so I can put him back in his recliner and get him dressed. He got an impromptu shower at 12:30 am and I have a back that feels like it's going to die. I almost dropped him earlier but thankfully I didn't. Plus this is my second night in a row that he needed an emergency trip to the bathroom. I think I may try going to bed about 6 tonight and see if I can get some sleep😒
|
|
|
Post by empress of self-improvement on Sept 12, 2019 0:15:26 GMT -5
Where should I post that if you know someone doing the physical caregiving, you should be especially kind to them? I have done stuff like wipe his butt, and that is easy enough. It is when you try and try . . . I cannot begin to explain what not being able to get him up means. It means not killing yourself. If I try to pick him up off the floor anymore, I can just forget about ever being able to move again.
|
|
busymom
Distinguished Associate
Why is the rum always gone? Oh...that's why.
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 21:09:36 GMT -5
Posts: 28,217
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IPauJ5.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 0D317F
Mini-Profile Text Color: 0D317F
|
Post by busymom on Sept 12, 2019 5:07:30 GMT -5
My relative, who is currently in a nursing home, has one of those chairs. They are literally a gift from God for those who have difficultly pulling themselves up & out of a chair.
|
|
NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,119
|
Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Sept 12, 2019 6:39:14 GMT -5
I was going to suggest that. I wonder if you can rent them? Right now (everything changes so rapidly), he can get out of bed and onto his walker. I just can't get him out of the recliner. It is too low, I think. Medicare will provide some equipment. But they require doctor's orders. And there is often a co-pay. We can handle that. But we can 't pay full price for everything. The ramp cost $1500 and it still needs staining. I think it needs sanding as well. In my spare time . . . I see quite a few used chairs in the local paper for a fraction of the cost of new. You'd have to check the condition but it'd be worth a look.
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 26,959
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Sept 12, 2019 7:34:04 GMT -5
I see those on FB garage sale sites. I also see some people asking close to the original cost "because it didn't get used much"
One of my aunts got to use one when she was in the nursing home when her roommate passed and the family didn't take the lift chair when they removed her personal belongings. Mom happened to be there when it happened and talked to the administrator. Staff immediately put her name on it as I'm sure others would have tried to claim it. When my aunt died, my cousin left the chair for another resident to use.
|
|
Anne_in_VA
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:09:35 GMT -5
Posts: 5,502
|
Post by Anne_in_VA on Sept 12, 2019 9:02:11 GMT -5
I see the lift chairs on Facebook for sale occasionally as well as on Craigslist. Might be a way to get one at a reduced cost of you could rent one while waiting on the Rex.
|
|
bean29
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 22:26:57 GMT -5
Posts: 9,887
|
Post by bean29 on Sept 12, 2019 9:18:31 GMT -5
My Dad had a form of ALS, he slowly lost Mobility over the years, went from walker to scooter, to wheelchair etc.
Medicare paid for Most of his equipment. Sometimes Mom & Dad paid for the "extras" like I know my mom said she paid for the electronic controls to lift the bed up and down, but Medicare paid for the bed itself.
Medicare paid for a Scooter, and then a Hover-around, and they paid for a Hospital Bed, I believe they paid for the lift chair. My Mom also had modifications done to the house so she could care for Dad at home.
A Hoyer Lift would not have worked in their house, because of the layout. My parents bought a lift system that went from the bedroom, to the family room and to the bathroom on a track on the ceiling. They had to raise the doors, knock out the ceiling in the bathroom and raise it up, move some plumbing, move the sink in the bathroom to a different location, and add a door where the sink formerly was. I think the lift system cost $36,000 and the resale value to a medical resale shop is a few thousand if anything.
Mom sold the bed to a medical resale shop. She only got a fraction of what she had in it, but she was just glad to get the bed out of the house without family having to disassemble it. She had the impression that they guy pretty much waited to buy it from her until he had someone that wanted it. She said it took him awhile to disassemble it, but he knew exactly what he was doing, and Mom felt if family had tried to take it apart, it would not have gone so smoothly. If you consider buying a electronic bed used, I would think buying it from a shop like Mom sold to would be a good idea. I think she still has the lift chair and the scooter.
If Medicare does not approve, you might look for a Medical Equipment Resale shop, or put a notice on facebook that you are looking to buy. I know what people want for them is often outrageous, but if you post you own notice, maybe someone like my Mom will still have equipment and part with it for a reasonable price to someone who needs it.
My Dad's scooter and Wheelchair were sized and fitted for him. They guy that "sold" them the first scooter said the Scooter they had borrowed from the Church was too small for my Dad and could have made his walking issues worse, b/c there was not proper room for his legs.
My Mom used disposable pads underneath my Dad, on his chair, in the bed and in the car. She always had it underneath him "just in case".
eta: it sounds like you may need more than a lift chair, if he can't get up, you might need a hospital bed too, and a plan for next time this happens we will do XYZ.- you need to have someplace in mind - like the bed, or the shower to go to, so that after you have him cleaned up you hopefully don't need to call for assistance to get him up.
My mom had to call the Fire Department a few times too. She also called on my Brother, Brother-in-law, nephew and DH often to assist with getting Dad up. She did have to call the fire department numerous times, and she said they were always very gracious and told her to go ahead and call them if she needed help. She said they seemed to just be glad to get out of the firehouse and have something to do.
|
|
bean29
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 22:26:57 GMT -5
Posts: 9,887
|
Post by bean29 on Sept 12, 2019 9:36:49 GMT -5
Where should I post that if you know someone doing the physical caregiving, you should be especially kind to them? I have done stuff like wipe his butt, and that is easy enough. It is when you try and try . . . I cannot begin to explain what not being able to get him up means. It means not killing yourself. If I try to pick him up off the floor anymore, I can just forget about ever being able to move again. My Dad had a cousin who's husband had ALS. He was a big guy over 6' tall and she was all of 5'2 and tiny. She cared for him at home. One of her Daughters spend a lot of time assisting her. But, before he died, she dislocated her shoulder assisting him.
|
|
Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:59:36 GMT -5
Posts: 30,626
|
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Sept 12, 2019 9:48:16 GMT -5
My local fire dept. has a specific call type for tracking Lift Assistance calls. We've had 42 so far this year. So don't worry about calling them. They'd much rather help someone get up than some of the other call types.
Previous year's numbers, for the curious.
2018 - 54. 2017 - 45. 2015 - 22. For some reason I don't have 2016 readily available.
|
|
hoops902
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 13:21:29 GMT -5
Posts: 11,978
|
Post by hoops902 on Sept 12, 2019 10:29:58 GMT -5
My grandfather had one for about 10 years, no idea who paid for it. He just didn't have the arm strength to get up out of his recliner normally. Even when he could walk around fine without a walker, he needed help getting out of his chair. For a while someone was helping him as he rocked back and forth a few times, then someone holding his arms to help pull him up...that gets old real quick to need someone to stop what they're doing to help someone get out of a chair (and he was still relatively active) but also just FELT really dangerous...pulling hard on someone's arms, knowing if their legs give out they're going to fall hard, etc. My grandmother was about 5'0", grandfather was about 6'3"...she wasn't helping him get out of that chair. Power chair was amazing...not so sure that at age 40 I might not want one. Getting out of a comfy chair like that gets harder every day...why would I stand up myself like some sucker when I can have a chair do it FOR me?!?!
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 14:33:28 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2019 11:10:35 GMT -5
Right now (everything changes so rapidly), he can get out of bed and onto his walker. I just can't get him out of the recliner. It is too low, I think. Medicare will provide some equipment. But they require doctor's orders. And there is often a co-pay. We can handle that. But we can 't pay full price for everything. The ramp cost $1500 and it still needs staining. I think it needs sanding as well. In my spare time . . . I see quite a few used chairs in the local paper for a fraction of the cost of new. You'd have to check the condition but it'd be worth a look. Great idea! But I don't think one will fit in the back of a Toyota. My BFF offered us the recliner they bought for her husband's mom. It rolls and has a tray. They'd even deliver it. I would take them up on it, but I still think it is too low. We managed to get him out of the recliner this morning and on to the bed in my room. I have a tv in there, and he doesn't. It's an improvement over living life in a recliner.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Mar 28, 2024 14:33:28 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2019 11:12:20 GMT -5
Hugs Susana. I know EXACTLY what you're talking about. I am currently sitting on the couch waiting for DH to be finished on the toilet so I can put him back in his recliner and get him dressed. He got an impromptu shower at 12:30 am and I have a back that feels like it's going to die. I almost dropped him earlier but thankfully I didn't. Plus this is my second night in a row that he needed an emergency trip to the bathroom. I think I may try going to bed about 6 tonight and see if I can get some sleep😒 I think of you a lot, Empress.
|
|
TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 26,959
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
|
Post by TheOtherMe on Sept 12, 2019 11:14:05 GMT -5
Medicare paid for mom's walker. They did not cover the entire cost because, as she put it, "she got a cadillac with all the bells and whistles". Now if dad would just use it.
|
|
mmhmm
Administrator
It's a great pity the right of free speech isn't based on the obligation to say something sensible.
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 18:13:34 GMT -5
Posts: 31,770
Today's Mood: Saddened by Events
Location: Memory Lane
Favorite Drink: Water
|
Post by mmhmm on Sept 12, 2019 13:11:39 GMT -5
I got a lift chair for mother. It suited our needs perfectly. When she needed to get up I stood in front of the chair with her walker while it rose. Really helpful. Don't know if Medicare helps, or not.
|
|