Progress not Perfection

dawnybabes

It’s so hard being a carer, you automatically get put at the bottom of the pile. 

You need to rattle cages and get some support - my friends dad (also a ‘big’ bloke) now has the call / fall thing on his wrist as her mum could not get him up if he fell.  The OT is sorting some things out to help (I think slide mats, some sort of sling and hopefully the inflatable cushion). It’s hard if he won’t  do the exercises but he really needs to be pushed as it will all help.  Could your son get him to do them with him on Saturdays ?

Totally different but when my ASD son was doing and failing his theory test I eventually snapped and before he was given his tea every night he had to come and do 10 questions ! None negotiable……. Could you ‘sell’ the exercises in that he needs to be stronger ‘to go back to work’ ?? 

RelievedSheff

Blimey SA, just catching up on the last few days. Never a dull day in your household.

Hope you are all fit and well again now?

You deserve that day off. I've got the same day off but nothing as exciting as a shopping day here. Just a chap coming to service the boiler    

harddays

Do you Reach and Respond in your area SA. I get it through the memory clinic. Mr SA would have an alarm to press or you can press it they come within 15mins. They use the cushions to lift people .
Other people I know get it through the council.

Sun_Addict

Mr SA did used to have an alarm to press through the council but they would just phone me if he fell and that doesn't solve the problem of getting him up. We cancelled it in the end as we were paying for something pretty useless. 

I'm going to email the county council carers hub as they might be able to point me in the right direction. What I ideally would like is either something to help him up or someone who would come to help in an emergency so I need to look into this. 

He is very aware he needs to be more able to help himself so I might put something similar in place as you did with your son @dawnybabes, tell him he's not watching TV until he's done x amount of weights or whatever. 

@foxgloves no we haven't had any training in how to get him up. However DIL used to work in a care home and showed me a technique she used, although he is still too heavy for me on my own. 

He's still wobbly today and says he feels like he's been in a car crash. He has improved since yesterday though which is a good sign. 

I feel more or less back to my usual self today thankfully. 

harddays

No good if they just phone you . They do sometimes ring to check he isn't just pressing it because of alzheimers.  But always come out again different areas may run it differently. 
Was embrassing when he pressed it during night I didn't hear him and woke to hear voices in house. They had used the safe key box to come in. They were lovely and said that's what they are there for and as long as he was alright.  He had just got back into bed and gone to 😴!!!!!

foxgloves

@Sun_Addict - That's what I thought might be the case re lifting, because if you worked in a care setting, I am sure part of the training would cover how to lift a person & also whether it is possible to do so safely with just one or two people, both bearing in mind the safety of the person on the floor & the lifters. I hope you are not feeling overwhelmed with suggestions - I think we can all see that you are in a difficult situation here & could do with some help. I'm sure that Mr SA would actually like to be stronger, as it can't feel good needing to be heaved up off the floor. Maybe he would feel a little more independent & less helpless if he could work on making his muscles a bit stronger. I wonder if there are any online video routines for this sort of exercises, & he could see other blokes working to get their fitness back. I think a fair few exercises can be done from a chair or standing & holding onto a chair back for balance. I have to admit I am the word's least committed exerciser though, so I am sure plenty of other people know way more than I do about the subject. Just trying to think of things which might help you.
F

Blackcats

Sorry that you've had an even tougher few days than usual.  Nice to see so many of your MSE friends rallying round with support for you.
my dad's emergency alarm has just been upgraded with an additional service where trained folk will come and assess and lift off the floor with equipment if safe to do so.  This started in January so might be worth seeing if that service is now part of the package on offer to Mr SA.

Willowtree222

Glad you're feeling more normal. Sorry Mr SA had a fall though. Hopefully someone can help you out, even if uts providing something to help you get him back on his feet.

The treat day sounds amazing. Definitely deserved and I hope you find a nice treat. When I've got the money and looking, that's when I never find anything. When I don't have the money, I always see plenty x

foxgloves

That sounds a very useful upgrade to a personal alarm, @Blackcats. Most useless EVER subscription to one of these services was years ago by my nonegenarian Grandma:
Me - Were you not wearing your alarm when you fell, Grandma?
Her - No, I keep it in my bedroom drawer.
Me - Well it's not a lot of use in there, is it?
Her- Well, I don't need it now, Foxgloves dear, because I have a special red emergency cord in every room, which I pull if I fall & need help.
Me - And did you fall anywhere near the red emergency cord?
Her - No, I was on the other side of the room.
Aaaaaghhhh!
But I think the enhanced service @Blackcats mentions sounds like a useful enhancement to the service provided by these things.
F

slm6002

Our local sports centre has a group for disabled people who meet regularly to exercise even though most of them are in wheelchairs from what I have seen.  Maybe another area worth looking into, plus when you retire it would give you an hour or so free if he has somewhere to go