Mother with ALS is Immobile...

[awelsh]

Hello. I am new to these boards and this is my first post. My mother has suffered from progressively worsening loss of muscle control in her limbs for about two years, but was just diagnosed with ALS in the last 6 months. She lives at home, but has lost use of her legs and is now bedridden. Until last week she could scoot herself to the edge of her bed, place her feet on the floor and stand just enough to get into her scooter and go to/from the bathroom. But last Friday she had a fall and sprained both ankles. Now she is 100% immobile. My 65 year old father and I are simply not strong enough to lift her into her scooter, so we have been trying bed pans and Depends when she needs to use the bathroom. However, this has been messy and very stressful for my mother. We've heard about equipment that may be availble that can hoist her from bed to scooter so she can move to the bathroom. Has anyone used these before? I'd appreciate any info you can give. We are also considering a hospital bed for her room. Has anyone had a positive (or negative) experience with them? Thanks!

 

[gbrown]

awelsh:
I have been using a motorized hospital bed now for two years and couldn't do without it. When I lay flat for long periods of time, like all night, my back hurts terribly. By raising the head of the bed and also the foot of the bed, it takes the pressure off my back and helps tremendously. Also, when getting up, it will raise me up to a sitting position, which helps greatly.

I also have a "Hoyer" lift for when I fall. It will lift a person out of the bed and you can move them around to a power chair or the commode. It is also helpful to have a bedside commode so you can just swing the person straight to it.
Gordon

 

[awelsh]

Thank you so much for the info! I believe the lift should be ready for my mom any day, and the hospital bed will most likely follow. Hopefully these new pieces of equipment will be as helpful to my mother as they have for you. Thanks again!

 

[Al]

I hope you didn't buy the equipment before checking if ALSA or MDA had them in their loaner closet. I got a lift and the bed from them. I had to buy my own sling for the lift.

AL.