Hope you all had a great Christmas but I for one are glad it is over and done with. Have been needing to go to HEB but I just have not been able to talk myself into making the trip.
Yesterday, it was a beautiful day in the 70's. Today a cold front arrived and it is gray and chilly for this part of Texas. Not complaining though, many people up north wish they could have these temperatures.
Mom has not been feeling well. Her iron levels have been very low and she was given vitamins that are supposed to help her but that many individuals can not tolerate. Her doctor told her per Medicare guidelines they have to be tried first before they will pay for the more expensive IV administered ones.
She will fall asleep and when I tell her to go lay down, she will say she is not sleeping...she is just resting her eyes...when that is not the case. I know better than to argue with her!
I was in my bedroom when I heard a terrible crash and then my mother scream. Ran to the kitchen to find her laying on the floor. My god it was a terrible sight to behold. Made sure she was alright as I ran to get pillows and stabilize her before I tried to move her.
I tried as hard as I could to lift her off the floor but with my bad back and in her weak state she was unable to help me. Ran outside to see if any of the neighbors were out but it was Christmas and not many were home. Saw a light at the neighbor across the street, he too was just about to leave but he and his son came to my aid and effortlessly lifted her off the floor.
She was fine just her arm was scraped up a bit so I cleaned up the wound and bandaged her up. One thing was clear we were NOT going to the local hospital's Emergency Room. She was lucky because she slid off the chair when she fell asleep and did not actually fall while walking. Either way it was not a pleasant situation.
I am so glad I was home, I would hate to think of her laying on the floor for hours waiting on me to come to her rescue. It is at times like this that I wish I had family and friends close by.
Not much else happening. Walter has been here for almost a week but I wrote about that on his blog.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Spurs Corner
We lost the last two games but even Pop seemed to take it in stride. The December schedule has been brutal with many back to back games, not to mention the overtime they have had to play.
I am more concerned about Kwahi's hand. Did not like what the doctor said about not having seen an injury like that in 40 years.
Terlingua Dreams
Governors Landing Campground - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, Texas
I am so sorry to hear about your mom's fall, but glad you could find someone to help you get her up. And while I had one of the best Christmases ever, I'm glad it's over with too.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky that the neighbors son had just pulled up to pick him up and that he volunteered to come along and help us.
DeleteYour Mom's fall had to scare the 'you know what' out of you, I'm glad she was ok.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rob.
DeleteIt definitively scared me but it also made me feel helpless that I no longer have the strength I once did.
Hoping all turns out OK over there! Keep us informed with updates!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sb, will do.
DeleteSometimes a chair will work, they can use it to help them, and you, pull up.
ReplyDeleteWe tried Trouble but Mom was too weak to grasp it.
DeleteThank God you were there for your Mom, hope you both feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Thank you Suerte.
DeleteThank goodness all turned out well with that.Your helpful neighbors were home & your Mom didn't break anything - THAT is a great double Christmas gift right there!
ReplyDeleteThere do exist some emergency inflatable lift pillows that caregivers can deploy in a situation like that (the 'ELK' and the 'Camel', both made by Mangar) but like a lot of home health care products geared toward the elderly, they are obscenely & exploitatively expensive.
I was thinking that maybe one of those hi-rise inflatable beds (purchased on sale, of course) would make a waaaaay cheaper yet worthy substitute especially if the patient is tiny like your Mom is (if I recall correctly) and her frame wouldn't fight the built-in air compressor too much.
You really only have to get the person elevated a little bit & then like TroubleinTx just said you can pull over some chairs for leverage & use other muscles to maneuver them upright which wouldn't put your back at risk. It's those first few inches which are so dangerous for the caregiver.
Anyway, if you have an inflatable bed there and there are no neighbors available, it might be worth a try if this ever happens again, because it really would be horrible if both your Mom and her caregiver - you! - get pulled out of commission with a fall. She'd need to depend on you during a recovery but you'd need your own caregivers, Andy & Rob! ;-0
Indeed, she is very fortunate as frail as she is, that she did not suffer any broken bones.
DeleteThanks for the links, had no idea such products existed but as you mentioned they are very expensive. Watched the video and that lady has a lot of room to work with...such is not the case in Mom's kitchen.
While I do have two inflatable mattresses they both have air leaks and my inflator died as well. Might not be a bad idea to buy another one when I can find a sale. Again the main problem is that there is not enough room for it to inflate but as long as she is off the floor it might very well be worth it even if it bunches up.
Thank you Leilani.
Good point that a bed would require lots of floor space and people aren't always gonna fall in the middle of a big room. Maybe a sturdy inflatable ottoman instead? Or even a bunch of blowup pillows stacked up to mimic the $$$ ELK system (at 1/100th of the price!)
ReplyDeleteThanks you for the links Leilani. I think both the inflatable ottoman and the blowup pillows might be a good and cheaper alternative.
Delete