Heavy lifting [of people!] equipment

Thanks again for your suggestions.

NDIY, I initially rigged up a kind of low profile swing seat that hung below a Clarke Strong Arm lifting leveller dangling from my engine hoist, but I dismantled it last week without having used it because two days after creating it the Community Response service was activated. I may press the swing seat back into use. Obviously my use of it will be restricted by where I can and can’t get an engine hoist in the house.

Sam, we have a pump for inflating air beds but no dinghy pump. I’ll try the first and if no luck investigate the second. Unfortunately, I won’t get the time to leave the house and view products in person to assess and discuss their suitability.

The intention is very definitely to get the patient on his feet, not to make him comfortable lying down. We can make him comfortable on the floor with yoga mats et al. but we can’t carry on with the business of living for long unless we can stand him up to change, feed, bathe him etc.

Could you provide me with an image of the 4 legged arrangement you envisage for the electric hoist? The problem with lifting under the arms [the method we relied on initially] is that as soon as you start to take my father’s weight under his armpits he throws his arms in the air like a seagull getting airborne. He has no idea what you’re doing to him; he only knows he must resist it at all costs.

Sam and Howard, getting the deflated bag under the patient isn’t easy but it’s by no means the hardest part of the task. You basically have to tilt the patient all the way to one side, slide under part way, tilt the patient over the other way, then follow the same procedure. The lift itself using the Mangar airbags isn't child's play; it requires two people either side to stabilize the patient and stop him from falling off the slowly expanding bags.

Gary, I’ve left a message with Remap. Hopefully they’ll return the call.

Ady, I’ve been considering a different kind of Aldi compressor for some time for general purposes. Since I don’t have any Aldi batteries for their cordless range, do you think this mains compressor would be equally suitable as the one in your link?

Bill: I will be very surprised if Remap don't respond, but PM me if they don't.

I bought a Mangar bathing lift in 2017 was £385 (no Vat payable as disabled use) they are now £429.95 (no Vat) from Mobilitysmart.co.uk

Good device works in bath where the sides are stablised by the bath itself. Not in a bath you just need to hold the person to control any wobble. Not cheap but......

Bill, having nursed my late wife through her final years of young-onset Alzheimer's (dementia) at home, including a number of falls -- but not the frequency you are talking about -- I can relate. And I just can't imagine how you are coping virtually on your own with this situation of two dementia patients falling regularly.

Here in Australia we have government programs designed to keep people living at home rather than moving into a nursing home, so they pay for the kind of assistance you need. Is there no equivalent in the UK? Have you spoken to any kind of dementia support group or social worker to find out what kind of support might be available? There must be some kind of national Alzheimer's support association that can steer you toward such help.

Two dementia patients living on their own and falling over regularly relying on the help of a relative residing outside their home is not a sustainable situation. It is a degenerative disease so things get progressively worse, usually more quickly than you anticipate. The time to seek help is before you need it, not after. Things can get overwhelming fast.

Your biggest problem is not getting Mum and Dad back up off the ground, but what is inevitably going to happen to them on the way down. Broken hips, particularly among older women who have brittle bones due to hormonal issues, are almost guaranteed to happen. At that age, they usually never recover from the injury. And one head blow on a sink or corner of a table, or the floor could be even more catastrophic.

I don't mean to be alarmist, but really you need help and need it fast. (Been there, done that.)

Hopefully others on here with experience of such things in the UK will be able to offer suggestions on whom to contact for support in your time of need.

And it may well be that they have reached the stage where living at home alone is no longer sustainable for Mum and Dad. A tough call to make, and one you should be able to get some kind of professional help to make, usually in the form of an occupational therapist or similar's assessment of their capabilities and circumstances.

Reaching out for practical help with the lifting issues on this forum was a good start, but please look at reaching out through the medical and social support services for a much broader range of help that you are rapidly heading towards needing.

From the net, this might be a place to start (if you haven't already of course)

Alzheimer's Society – the Dementia Connect Service for England, Wales and Northern Ireland can be contacted on 0333 150 3456 or email [email protected]. The helpline offers information, support, guidance and signposting to other appropriate organisations.

They also have a list of available support on their website here Alzheimers.org.uk click on "Get Support" at the top of the page for more information.

Forgive me if you have already been through all this stuff to no avail, but your situation sounds just awful to me and I am just hoping you might be able to get the help you so desperately need.

Edited By Hopper on 16/12/2022 12:37:44

Edited By Hopper on 16/12/2022 12:41:08

Edited By Hopper on 16/12/2022 12:41:45

In our area Mencap loan all sorts of equipment, they may help in your area. It may be worth contacting your local support organisations to enquire if something suitable for your parents needs is available. I admire your efforts to keep your parents in their home and they are probably more comfortable in familiar surroundings but you have to consider yourself as well, make sure you get some time to take a few days off and recharge now and again. Dementia is one of the toughest things to deal with both for the sufferer and their family. I hope a solution emerges to help you.

Mike

There's a USA website called "Instructables" huge %age of trivial ideas for construction but frequently some excellent ones. **LINK**

An article therein is "The-Aging-At-Home-Transfer-Mobility-Device-a-Fast-/" Might give you some ideas.

Here

(There were frequently idea-starters for us on that website when I was a REMAP member, so +1 for suggestions above to approach your local REMAP)

Many thanks for the further replies.

Gary, after getting a phone message back from Remap, I’ve now made a full written submission [with photos] via their website.

Mike, Mencap is one of the few potentially relevant organisations I‘ve not investigated, so thanks for that suggestion.

FF, some good ideas there. One thing I can’t quite make out from all the info at your second link is what is meant to be taking the weight of the hoist and patient. A floor joist? Something else?

Hopper, what you say is sound common sense. I’ve sent you a pm.

If there is no serious injury resulting from the fall would the fire brigade be able to assist in such a situation? They have all sorts of lifting equipment and may respond quicker than the ambulance service? Here in France it is a bit different but they would certainly be my first point of call in such a situation.

Good luck

Russell