Hello!
Does anyone work with a double leg amputee? I recently starting working for a gentleman who has a double amputee above both knees. My question is this: He cannot do much for himself by way of transferring nor moving around in his bed. He is a large man, and refuses to use a transfer board, or a hoyer lift, stating that it is too difficult. His wife stated that they tried using one in the hospital recently, but "it didn't work". I'm not sure what that means. Anyways, I am 51 years old, and it is becoming extremely difficult for me to scoot him around in the bed and also transfer him to the bedside commode and his electric chair. I had found that having him sit on a chucks pad and pulling him (scooching one side at a time) until he is in his chair (or bedside commode), was helping me tremendously; however, now he doesn't want to do that because he states it's too difficult for him since he has to use his arms to help scooch. He does not have strength in his arms to help. How can I transfer this large man, who is too weak to help himself much?? I'm too old to be moving this man around without much help and with his refusal to use any kind of hoyer or aide to help me!
I don’t know how one caregiver could possibly take on this task! You can’t risk an injury by doing this alone.
It’s crazy to expect one person to do a two person job. Look at when a person calls for assistance with the fire department. There were always four strong firemen that came to my house. My mom was tiny but they are always prepared for the worst.
I used to try and lift my mom but I am very small too. The firemen would say to me, “Don’t try to lift your mother, because then we will have two people to care for.”
If it were me in your shoes, I'd quit in a heartbeat & let the agency know precisely why. Nobody should be sent to this man's home b/c they're going to get hurt trying to move him around on HIS terms. Unsafe working environment in every way possible.
Good luck!
Does the Commode have a "drop" arm or a removable one. That would help with transferring him. Same with a wheelchair. But if he is not willing to help, I don't know how you can without hurting yourself.
Maybe a private talk with the wife explaining that as long as he is not willing to help, he is just dead weight and no way are you strong enough to handle him. Next thing is Depends and someone cleaning him up. You'd like to stay since he likes you but not at the expense of hurting yourself. If he doesn't become more helpful, it may mean a LTC facility because an AL will not except him.
https://www.amazon.com/patient-slide-sheet/s?k=patient+slide+sheet
But I'm at a loss on how you can transfer him to his chair and commode when he can't (or won't) help at all and he refuses any device that would make the task possible, essentially you are being asked to use brute strength to lift and transfer a full grown man. IMO the man has to accept helpful devices or remain bed bound because no caregiver is paid enough to damage their own health (at thus possibly their ability to work), hopefully someone at your agency has the welfare of staff in mind and is willing to lay down the rules about reasonable terms of service.
He can’t run the show. Other people matter besides him!