Help please mobility aids for elderly !

nearlyrich

My mum who is elderly and quite frail but very independant, recently had a fall down the stairs and she has broken her collar bone. Fortunately she is on the mend and home from hospital and we are trying to make her home safer and life a bit easier for her particularly whils she has one arm in a sling although she has severe arthritis and spondylosis (sp???) so some of the stuff we can get her to agree to will make life easier anyway we hope.

So my question today is about what's available, for example we have sussed that she needs a bath board or a shower stool ASAP so she can get in the shower (it's over the bath) and I have seen a lot of options and a lot of different prices, do we buy the size to fit the width of the bath from the wall to the outside edge or do we measure the inside of the bath

Has anyone got any recommendations for products and suppliers, we can't wait for social services to do an assessment we need the stuff now, if we waited for them she would still be in the hospital for weeks as they have a long waiting list.

Thanks in advance:A

Tallymanjohn

Give your local British Red Cross a call - our local one was very helpful with providing advice, an assessment, good quality aids (some free, others at reasonable cost).

Savvy_Sue

I don't know what they're called, but definitely worth trying to find out if there's a Disabled Living Association in your area, they may not always have the same name but it's a group that gives advice on independent living. Of course there are shops which sell lots of different aids but you can't always rely on independent advice from them.

Your local library might be able to point you towards them.

nearlyrich

Thanks for the replies, I found a local mobility supplier and picked up a bath board which was the urgent thing, I didn't know that if you have a long term disability you can get these things ex VAT that might help someone else hopefully.

If anyone has any further advice please post it:A

julesgr

Ask for an assessment to be done by the occupational therapists or get the hospital social worker to contact the local authority re an assessment by their occcupational therapists. If your mum needs aids they will advise and supply them and this will ensure you don't spend a fortune on something that may not be suitable.

oopsjust read about the wait

Nytehawk

nearlyrich wrote:

Thanks for the replies, I found a local mobility supplier and picked up a bath board which was the urgent thing, I didn't know that if you have a long term disability you can get these things ex VAT that might help someone else hopefully.

If anyone has any further advice please post it:A

It's important financially and for the sake of your mums health to get an OT assessment (He/She who shouts loudest gets seen first). Having been involved with the elderly for some time in one way or another I can suggest an electric chair :rotfl: (No not that type silly!!!):rotfl: It has a rechargeable battery and it raises to the level of the bath, mum sits on it, puts her legs over and into the bath and you/mum gently lowers the chair into the bath by using a remote control. These chairs are very effective and give the user the opportunity to have that well earned soak which many of us take for granted. While the OT asesses her needs there will be so many more items that are helpful to maintain her independance and give you peace of mind. I would also suggest getting her a lifeline. It's a small pendant with a button placed around her neck. If she has a fall or suffers pain she can press the pendant which triggers a call via a small speakerbox near her phone which in turn calls a control centre which will be aware of the person who pressed the pendant and have contact details of NOK (If you need any more info on this bit of kit PM me)
Best wishes
VW

hardpressed

You mum's GP should be able to arrange for a community occupational therapist to visit her and ascess what help she need. Get on to them and keep pushing till it gets done.

nearlyrich

Thanks everyone, we have been in contact with social services and they will do an assessment, my mum is staying at my sister's for a week or two till she get's used to managing one handed and gets over the fall so they will assess her when she is up to it, as I said earlier there is a wait.

We have bought a bathboard because that was pretty urgent and one of my brothers has ordered a lifeline for her, we had one for my grandma years ago and they are good for peace of mind.

We are going to put a second handrail on the stairs and on the steps outside (or get social services to do it if they will) and the OT from the hospital has ordered a perch stool etc.

The mobility company I found has a catalogue and a showroom so I might take her there to see if there is anything she could use to make life easier when she feels a bit stronger.

The GP referred us to SS as did the hospital and because the hospital is in a different area to the SS there is a bit of red tape to get through, it must be hard for people who need help but don't have relatives who can help them get it.