Sometimes #caregivers need help from 911. I’m the type of person who believes I can get through most challenges on my own. But when an impaired #dementia patient lands on the floor, you shouldn’t try to lift them alone.
I had to learn this lesson the hard way. In the course of a year, my mother went from being unable to stand, to walking with support. Then a month ago Mom started losing strength. Now she can’t stand up for long — even with help.
Until January, I was able to get her out of bed and dress her without assistance. Then one day, during our carefully orchestrated morning dance, she let go of her support bar. My eyes were focused on the back part of her body so I never saw her hand move. By the time (a few seconds?) I realized what was happening, momentum was pulling her away from me. I used every muscle in my body to swing her past the sink and the toilet so she wouldn’t fall against them. Although I was strong and fast enough to keep her from hitting anything, I could not prevent her slow fall to the floor.
We were lucky. Adrenaline kicked in and I got a surge of energy. Neither of us hit the ground hard. But once my mom was down, I could not budge her. I tried every method I could think of to gain some leverage. I put a gait belt around her waist and tried to raise her. I pushed a piece of furniture behind her, hoping I could at least lift her to a seated position. Nothing worked.
I grabbed the phone. My friend’s very strong husband did not answer. Then I called a female neighbor who hurried over to help. But even with the two of us working together, we failed. Finally, I threw up my hands and called 911.
Our house is in the woods, so both the fire company and Emergency Medical Technicians are staffed by volunteers. They are very well trained, but most work elsewhere and don’t get paid for the hours they spend helping people. We were so lucky that someone came over right away.
A really nice young man with tremendous biceps arrived at our house. Among other questions, he asked my mother’s weight.
I told him, “She’s about 103 pounds.”
“Okay,” he said, “I’m just gonna give her a bear hug and pull her up off the floor.”
“I can’t wait to see it, ” I replied.
He lifted Mom gently as if she were a stranded lamb and dropped her back into her wheelchair. It took seconds and it was amazing. In that moment, I realized that there’s no shame in asking for emergency help when a problem is beyond the scope of your knowledge or physical capacity. Have you ever faced a predicament like this? Did you get the help you needed?
