RivalBlue
New member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2016
- Messages
- 2
- Reason
- CALS
- Country
- US
- State
- Indiana
- City
- fort wayne
Hi,
I'm a CNA doing homecare for a lady that has ALS. I've been working with her for just about two months now. I'm not experienced with ALS patients at all and could use some suggestions.
I work the night shift with her so her husband can get some sleep at night. He was doing it on his own up until a couple of months ago.
The first thing is that she hardly sleeps. She has a sleeping pill prescribed, but rarely takes it because of how groggy it makes her at night. Which I have tried to gently tell her that that's a good thing, and sleep is very important. She generally wakes up every half an hour without it.
Another is turning. Generally its a good idea to turn someone every two hours. She wants to turn about every hour, which isn't a bad thing. I've noticed the last couple weeks though her arms are getting weaker and any movement we do causes her to moan. I'm at a lose of what to do to help her. I just put a pillow behind her bottom to prevent pressure sores, but she has now resorted to snapping at me no matter how gently I do it. She complains of her shoulders hurting and the such. I go as slow and gently as I can but there is only so much I can do. We also have to turn her to put her on the bedpan so there's no getting around not turning.
Also any suggestions for muscle spasms? They wake her up many times throughout the night. We do range of motion 6-8 times throughout my 8hr shift, and stretches. I don't know what else to do that isn't prescribed. She takes a muscle relaxer but I have a feeling she needs a higher dosage. Unfortunately the husband won't take my suggestions and I'm not around when her hospice nurse is in.
Anyway thanks in advanced. She is a great lady, but I get to frustrated because nothing I can come up with seems to be helping her.
I'm a CNA doing homecare for a lady that has ALS. I've been working with her for just about two months now. I'm not experienced with ALS patients at all and could use some suggestions.
I work the night shift with her so her husband can get some sleep at night. He was doing it on his own up until a couple of months ago.
The first thing is that she hardly sleeps. She has a sleeping pill prescribed, but rarely takes it because of how groggy it makes her at night. Which I have tried to gently tell her that that's a good thing, and sleep is very important. She generally wakes up every half an hour without it.
Another is turning. Generally its a good idea to turn someone every two hours. She wants to turn about every hour, which isn't a bad thing. I've noticed the last couple weeks though her arms are getting weaker and any movement we do causes her to moan. I'm at a lose of what to do to help her. I just put a pillow behind her bottom to prevent pressure sores, but she has now resorted to snapping at me no matter how gently I do it. She complains of her shoulders hurting and the such. I go as slow and gently as I can but there is only so much I can do. We also have to turn her to put her on the bedpan so there's no getting around not turning.
Also any suggestions for muscle spasms? They wake her up many times throughout the night. We do range of motion 6-8 times throughout my 8hr shift, and stretches. I don't know what else to do that isn't prescribed. She takes a muscle relaxer but I have a feeling she needs a higher dosage. Unfortunately the husband won't take my suggestions and I'm not around when her hospice nurse is in.
Anyway thanks in advanced. She is a great lady, but I get to frustrated because nothing I can come up with seems to be helping her.