My MIL (alzheimers) is twice my size and there is no way I can lift her if she doesn't cooperate. For the past three mornings she will sit on the edge of the bed and refuse to get up. She says "I can't and you can't make me." She sits in pee saturated depends (I put 3 on her every night) on the edge of the bed and acts like she doesn't remember that she can stand up. It requires lots of psychological tricks etc to eventually get her to stand up and this one task can last an hour or more. Once I get her up, she walks. Any advice on getting her out of bed?
Deanna
Thanks.
Deanna
When my mom was determined to do something, she would. It was a different story when I ASKED or REQUESTED that she do the very same thing.
What worked for us was the following, "Mom, I know you ONLY want me to do this for, but I can't do it without your help. If you don't help me, I'm going to have to call someone to come in to help me get this done." In my moms case, she NEVER wanted strangers in the house, or assisting in her care, so this would usually garner her cooperation.
The "you can't make me" sounds like a contest of wills. Let her win.
Many (most?) dementia patients reach a point where it is not feasible for them to be cared for at home. I wonder if MIL is at that point now?