My Gma has been in this bed for a couple years now. She has Alzheimer’s/dementia and swollen feet/legs now. She can’t really walk/stand. She is the glue of the family and it sucks that we all are going about our lives and she is stuck. My aunt takes care of her but is older herself. An aide comes and cares for her but doesn’t get her out the bed or anything. What services or how do I go about getting her more help getting around. Like for the holiday or something. Last year I tried to carry her down the stairs but she kept pulling at the walls scared. So I put her back in bed. She’s gained a lot of weight from what she used to be. (Not crazy but still)
Move grandma downstairs. place her bed in the living room or other first floor room. If this is an apartment building that is a bit different.
I also suggest that you contact a Hospice. They can help with a hospital bed, equipment that will make it safer and easier to care for her.
And look into getting caregivers that will come in and help. If you have been caring for her for a few years you need a break.
Plus if she’s scared and doesn’t want to go out, why do it?
She needs professional care now
She shouldn’t be tucked away upstairs. Anyone would get depressed.
From the ground floor, you can learn ways to wheelchair her out into the sunshine. We all need Vitamin D, sunshine, fresh air, the sky. She can do PT exercises in the wheelchair, while looking at the sky. She might even become strong enough to walk again, assisted. I guess it’s been many years since she saw stars.
The stairs are an issue. You could have a terrible accident going up and down those stairs if she becomes frightened while you’re trying to carry her downstairs.
Wouldn’t it be better for your older aunt to retire from caregiving and your family could place her in a facility where she would receive care around the clock by a professional staff?
I recommend getting a hospital bed delivered to the first floor . Move her downstairs permanently . You could hire an ambulette service to come. They will put her on a stretcher and bring grandma downstairs and put her in her new bed .
She will be with the family on the first floor .
It's good for her to sit upright and not always be lying flat in bed. I think you probably already have a hospital bed, and sometimes her torso is upright when you electronically move the upper part of the bed into an upright position? She probably eats in that position.
I'm hoping you succeed in bringing her outdoors. After many years, she can see the sky and stars again.
Big difference here.
If it's important to HER, then start with some PT to help build up some muscles and to train YOU how to lift her w/o hurting yourself. Trying to carry her downstairs and she's freaking out? That could definitely be a real disaster.
You can get more aides through the agency you already use. You can have a stairlift installed (they're quite pricey and she may not like it after the fact--so think about that before you jump the gun)
Moving her downstairs sounds like the best option. Even if she doesn't get out of bed, she's in the 'midst' of the action and that may help assuage your feelings that she's missing out.
Honestly with ALz & Dementia--she probably doesn't care where she is. My MIL is on in home Hospice and she thinks she's in a NH. Her kids all see now that the 'golden moment' to move her has passed.
You sound very caring and kind--but you can't roll back the years and make her be the grandma you remember.
And yes, my Mom does the same as yours. If her brain says she wants to sit, she will sit no matter where or what she is doing. Talk about dead weight. Then after she is down on the ground, of course she cannot get back up. Her legs and body are not coordinated enough for me to pick her up and she no longer understands how to shift her weight.
There is a chance that PT could get her walking again. However, it really all depends upon the dementia. The dementia could be affecting her ability to move her legs and shift her weight and to balance. For her to do stairs, its also moving your weight when one of your feet is not on solid ground.
Are you in a position to get a chair stair elevator installed? Is it possible for her room to be on the main level instead of upstairs?
For the swollen feet/legs, I'm assuming she has edema. My Mom uses an exercycle to help the circulation, upon advice of the PT. However, she started using the exercycle before her dementia got as bad as it is now.
I would get a PT to assess your Gma and ask him/her for help. There is a high probability that your Gma will not be able to walk. However, it would be possible to learn to transfer her from bed to a wheelchair and back so you could at least take her outside. The PT can teach you how to do that.
See if it is possible to set up Gma's room on the main level. That will give you a better chance of getting her into something so that someone can take her outdoors.
When the bedroom is set up fire/rescue may help with the first carry downstairs. Tell them what you need.
This will be much easier for your aunt too.
The RN nursing, social work, certified nurse assistant ( CNA), Chaplain , and other services with hospice may all help you navigate the care needed for your grandmother.
This would make it easier to help her transfer from bed to chair during the day. She could also get into a wheel chair (or use a walker if she gets strong enough) to get out of the house and participate with family things. If her house is large enough, invite folks over for family gatherings of some sort. Small groups if the house is small. Limit length of time gatherings are held because if she's been alone a long time, multiple people in the home can be nerve wracking.
Home health via Medicare is not a lot of hands on care. You can get the therapy, weekly nurse visits, and possibly other doctors to do home visits. Podiatrist is a great one to visit in the home to evaluate feet and trim the toe nails quarterly. For more care, you'd have to hire assistance for her. If she's on Medicaid, you can talk to staff at the Medicaid office in your state to see if they have any additional programs.
She really needs to be moved downstairs as soon as possible.
This is a safety issue. If the house were to catch fire (heaven forbid) or extreme weather require moving to a ground floor, it would be horrible to not have the ability to evacuate her quickly.
She also needs very much to be moved out of the bed - even if someone can put a chair beside her bed and sit her in it every day. It will help her tremendously.
Does she have a primary care doctor who can write orders for assessments for home health or for Hospice?
Or perhaps you can contact your local Hospice yourself. They'll tell you what you need to do to have her assessed. They can come out and do an assessment and if she qualifies, they'll provide everything you need, including a bed. If she doesn't qualify for Hospice most of the time she will qualify for palliative care which can provide physical therapy.
Blessings.
but considering everything you said, I agree with others, make a little place for her downstairs. Even with Alzheimer’s people still enjoy parties festivities and smiling faces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI1CMip07tA
A Hoyer might help although if she is resisting, it may be too dangerous causing her injury.
I would recommend that you contact a social worker or geriatric case manager (many of them are social workers). In addition, you likely need two large, strong men to manage whatever you decide to do, if transporting her out of bed.
I hear that there are very strong emotional and psychological attachments to Grandma.
This is understandable. However, you need to put her needs first. Time to have a heart-to-heart talk with the family - and decide if it is time to get her into a facility where they have more staff and ways to manage her needs.
I would recommend that you NEVER EVER try to carry anyone 'down the stairs' - this is a physical risk to both of you. Coupled with dementia, she may not know what you are 'trying' / 'doing' and resist out of fear. Then ... both of you could fall down (the stairs).
Put her safety first. Perhaps she could move into another room with a window - or more of a view outside of a window. Of course, not the same as getting out of bed and outside in the fresh (?) air ... although it is important to consider all possibilities. You are very kind to consider and care for her as you do.
Gena / Touch Matters
I answered you earlier today suggesting that you get her assessed for hospice admit......
I notice a lot of people have mentioned various types of equipment ( hoyer lifts, certain chairs etc). Hospice will provide EQUIPMENT ! Hospice is all covered under Medicare ( or other insurance).
Call hospice......
There are companies that call themselves hospice companies, yet don't give people full disclosure. It is one of the areas that has a lot of Medicare fraud and abuse. Many calls come into the fraud and abuse hot lines because family members were misled prior to choosing the hospice option and found after-the-fact that life prolonging options (e.g. chemotherapy) had to stop or could not begin again.
I just attended a presentation on medicare fraud and abuse where the consequences of the hospice decision were mentioned.
I just wanted people to beware.