broken both arms - what can we do to help?

money_saving_diva

A member of our family has broken both his arms badly. He is going to be in hospital a while but meanwhile we are trying to do stuff to his house to help (obviously as cheap as pos and at least damage/change to house as only short term disability) and I am trying to think of practical things he will be able to do/ we can do to help him?

We have a phone we are going to set up for him that is speaker phone etc, sort out a bidet in toilet.

Has anyone else been in this situation and can let me know of anything that will help with his independance when home? He is going to be really frustrated so we want to do as much as we can now so that he can be as independant as possible when at home.

He is in his twenties - other than watching TV etc are there other things we can sort out for him to do??

amandada

I've not been in that situation, but when I broke my ankle I was seen by an occupational therapist before I was discharged from hospital, and then at home to see what they could provide to help....I'm sure that should happen for your relative.
I had a few things on loan from the OT dept which helped-things like a stool for in the shower etc. I'd speak to them before you go too far in sorting things out, they might be able to assist with more specialist appliances than you might be able to access yourself

grastgirl

My Dad broke both his arms at once. Initially he had pins in his arms that meant he could do a few very light things for himself, although I suspect it was somewhat painful. When he came down with a major infection, they removed the pins and had him in traction (nurses doing everything for him - he just moaned about only the male nurses doing his bed bath). I can't remember how much help he had when he came home, but then there were three of us there, so we probably all did things.

I would have thought straws for drinks may be helpful ie someone brings it to him, but he can't lift it to drink it himself. Is anyone going to be there with him? If not, perhaps a temporary carer may be better/cheaper than house alterations.

meece

My boyfriends mum broke both her wrists. We found clothing was difficult as everything had buttons, zips etc, so maybe get some easy on / off clothes? Also she found a travel kettle very useful as she could not lift a normal one, but could manage this and it gave her the chance to do something for herself, which she was desperate to do!
Hope he feels better soon.

money_saving_diva

grastgirl wrote: »

Is anyone going to be there with him? If not, perhaps a temporary carer may be better/cheaper than house alterations.

Yes he lives with his fiance and she is great but he will hate having to rely on people. She will have to go out to work but we will all work in shifts to be there at meal times/ when he needs us when she is at work (luckily she works odd hours). I am the only one home during the day and so I will be main person going round if needed day time. (I am heavily pregnant and he won't like asking me to come round/do stuff)

I am trying to think of stuff that will keep him entertained because he is going to be so bored!

Bufger

money_saving_diva wrote: »

Yes he lives with his fiance and she is great but he will hate having to rely on people. She will have to go out to work but we will all work in shifts to be there at meal times/ when he needs us when she is at work (luckily she works odd hours). I am the only one home during the day and so I will be main person going round if needed day time. (I am heavily pregnant and he won't like asking me to come round/do stuff)

I am trying to think of stuff that will keep him entertained because he is going to be so bored!

It is a tricky one to answer, especially as we have no idea if he has full arm/elbow casts on, pins in or just forearm casts in slings etc. Can he bring both hands together? how much movement does he have in his thumbs? what sort of weight can he hold?

If he's a bloke in his 20's and can bring his hands together and work his thumbs then i think the best possible solution is the XBox360! its possible to spend hours on that very easily. A couple of good multiplayer games, connection to the internet and a years subscription to xbox live will sort him out.

If he cant move his hands together or has little movement in digits then its possibly going to be CD's and DVD's so make sure you can gather up a good collection by asking to borrow from family members (cheapest way). If he likes books maybe a couple of good audio books? they can be really long and something he can look forward to each day if there is a story he likes.

daska

Speak with the hospital OT, they should be ensuring that his home is suitable for him to return to and will probably be able to provide a range of equipment you'd never even think existed LOL.

heretolearn_2

Not quite as bad, but I lost the use of one arm last year for several months (and combined that with breaking the other hand as well after a few weeks, but not too seriously, just effected me in a minor way).

clothes were my nightmare. At least he doesn't have to struggle with bras! But make sure he's got plenty of pull on/off trousers especially (like jogging bottoms) so he isn't left panicking in the loo trapped behind his zip when he needs a wee!

His fiance can open food/drink for him before she leaves for work.

My other half also used to pop the day's supply of painkillers etc out of their blister packs and bottles for me as I couldn't do them myself at first.

Get those shower covers ready for his casts. A decent shower every day feels like a real luxury after a stop in hospital, and a sponge on a stick thing will help. He may not be able to wash or comb his own hair. Make sure there's a really good mat in the shower and on the floor for stepping out on to (fixed to the floor) as he will be unbalanced and liable to slip more easily.

The OT department can give a lot of help and advice.

patchwork_cat

Am I the only one that has the first thought how on earth would you wipe your bum?! I suppose that is where the bidet would come in. I am afraid I don't have any helpful suggestions, but I wish your family member all the best as it would really p*ss me off.

money_saving_diva

daska wrote: »

Speak with the hospital OT, they should be ensuring that his home is suitable for him to return to and will probably be able to provide a range of equipment you'd never even think existed LOL.

I am hoping this is the case but we are just trying to think of things we can do/get ready meanwhile.

heretolearn wrote: »

Make sure there's a really good mat in the shower and on the floor for stepping out on to (fixed to the floor) as he will be unbalanced and liable to slip more easily.
.

Thank you - I had not thought of this but I will grab a few good shower mats when I am out shopping. Good point!

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Am I the only one that has the first thought how on earth would you wipe your bum?! I suppose that is where the bidet would come in. I am afraid I don't have any helpful suggestions, but I wish your family member all the best as it would really p*ss me off.

Yes - this is why we are doing a bidet so he can feel like he can do something himself going to the loo - we know this will be his biggest worry. It is the first thing we all thought of as soon as we heard what his injuries were - it would p*ss me right off too which is why we are trying to help in this area the most. Does anyone know what the OT dept might do to help in this department??

There isn't much point trying to talk to OT dept yet because we don't know how much movement he will have when he comes home. It looks like the casts will stay below the elbow but he has pins/plates etc and may need another op yet. He can move his fingers to prove he can move them but can not move them good enough to use them yet.

Bufger - He will be on his xbox 360 live as soon as he can - no worries there but no chance of that at the mo unfortunatly.

Thank you everyone for your ideas/ past experience it is really helping to give us ideas on ways we can help.

Bananabelly

You are bring very helpful and nice to this chap, but jumping the gun a little bit perhaps? It is useful to think about entertainment, etc and get prepared. However, it is extremely likely that the OT for that department already has a referral and is waiting to see the outcome of further ops etc before deciding on appropriate equipment. They will know about items (even to help with the bathroom) to help him be independant that you have never even conceived of, so let them do their job. They will let you know if there is anything else you could do, and if you are really keen ask to speak to the OT on that ward and see if they have any suggestions of things you could be organising now.

TBH, if he still has the use of both elbows it won't be that bad and he will be able to do more than you think (I am a physio BTW).