PALS toilet needs

[Tomswife]

TOM, PALS, can no longer shuffle to the bathroom. And we live in an old small colonial with narrow halls, etc.
For the past few days the process is: a) use urinal from recliner; b) transfer from recliner to manual WC, then from WC to toilet.( and reverse back to recliner).
We have started the process for a hoyer type lift, but that will take a week or so.
My question is ....where are we going with the lift?
The lift will not fit in hall outside bath.
I can order a commode from amazon. But should I get the more expensive commode that is like a wheelchair? But the issue with those is that the back is very straight.
I could order a wheelchair commode with a somewhat slanted back?
Overthinking again?

 

[affected]

Yep with the lift you can place him on a commode, or even just lift, put a pan under and lower again. Can be in a wheelchair, recliner or even in bed.
Some people have done this for a long time very efficiently.
The condom catheters work well too, especially at night or if you get the PWC and go out.

 

[lgelb]

Not seeing the point of the wheelchair commode. It is hard to "push" when upright or against any hard surface like even a slanted back, while there is still torso movement. And when there is no more movement, positioning in any wheelchair commode doesn't seem very likely.

For BMs, he may need to hover over a bucket (we used an unused commode bucket from his shower chair inside a higher wastebasket for height, but of course, those pieces are also available a la carte) or commode in the sling wherever the lift fits. He can use the urinal in his recliner, MWC, or the power chair when he gets it.

Is the problem with fitting the lift in the hall length or width? They come pretty narrow. We had a zig zag hall. Does it fit in the bathroom but not the hall, or neither?

I take it you are committed to staying in this house and remodeling is not an option? Is there enough room for the power chair to go wherever he needs to?

 

[Mary2]

We used a portable commode for many months...16 maybe...but then one day it just wasn't worth it and PALS really didn't have the posture to sit on a commode any longer. We have been placing the hoyer over the bed with blue pads and this has worked out okay. I could see how a bucket might be better, but we have gotten away with
using the blue pads so far.

 

[affected]

bucket or a bed pan as I said works extremely well

 

[affected]

oh and wheelchair commodes are truly only safe to pull backwards, never push like a wheelchair (one of the first things I learned when nursing)

 

[Mary2]

My Pals got a narrow wheelchair...there are pros and cons to it. The pro is we can get him down the narrow hall. The other pro is he doesn't tilt to the side as much as he might in a bigger chair. The con is that it really is rather a tight fit for a 250 pound man's body. There is very little room on either side of him.

 

[MupstateNY]

Disclaimer -- I don't know anything about this yet.

Just wanted to share that someone in my virtual support group said she spends a lot of time in her shower chair, and that somehow allows her to do her business comfortably.

Also I read somewhere that there is a "ceiling lift" -- I have no idea if that would help.

Also note that my local "independence center" lent us a commode for free. My plan right now is, next time my family forgets to ask if I would like to use the bathroom soon, and then parks themselves in there for an extended visit, if I feel urgency I can use the commode.

Tomswife, have you ever looked at this site? ALS Patient Care From Both Sides I'm slowly starting to digest the info there.

 

[lgelb]

Yes, a shower chair often comes with a commode bucket that can be taken in and out. That can work for a time, but it's an awkward position and won't work forever. That is why we are jumping ahead to the need for a Hoyer-type lift ("floor lift") and sling.

The ceiling lifts are pretty pricey and I wasn't envisioning them working in an older home with small rooms -- they require track, like a monorail. There is a freestanding type more like a swing set, but it wouldn't take you between rooms or from a hall to a bathroom.

Diane has some great stuff on her site, and is a member here, but it's important to remember that she still has some limb movement so YMMV.

 

[KimT]

I had my master bedroom and bathroom configured for a ceiling lift. That was back in 2017 and the price then was $16,000 for the lift. I imagine it's much more now. It would replace the Hoyer lift entirely and take me from my bed to the bathroom. It had turns to get me into the roll in shower or toilet. I even had the doors cut high so it could install in one or two days. I had to move to accommodate my future needs. All my doors are now 36 inches wide and the PWC goes into every room and out the door. I live on the first floor of a condo that has accessibility ramps to get me off the grounds and to the pool.

The ceiling lift is very pricey. My ceilings are 10 ft. high. The Company was Sure Lift. I have no idea if I'll use this option. Money is tight and caregiving rates are high.

 

[Mary2]

Sounds like a nice set up Kim. Being able to get to the pool. I like that. Just seeing a pool or any body of water relaxes me!

 

[Jimi]

I'm paralyzed from the shoulders down. I've been using the SB3T roll in showerbuddy for about four and a half years now. The tilt makes it easy to get into from the hoist. My wife does it herself no prob. She is like 4'11"
I'm in a small apartment. I don't fall forward when it's upright and it fits over the toilet. Now that I have a trach and feeding tube and pretty much no muscle except some head movement, I no longer have to go over the toilet. I use the same chair but now have to have my wife digitally extract. Not pleasant. But controlling my food with the feeding tube means that it's only every four days and 99% reliable with no accidents.
Sorry if that is too much info. I would have found it useful to know before

 

[KimT]

Jimi, Do you use any stool softener or laxative?

 

[Jimi]

No. It's too unpredictable. Id rather have an unpleasant little time every four days then worry about if someone is home that can lift me before there a mess .

 

[Jimi]

There is nothing worse than stressing about over if you are going to get to the bathroom in time every day