Some help for falls

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Tkthiede

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PALS
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01/2019
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Cheyenne
How to get up from the floor after a fall – MacGyver Style! | homeability.com

I fell on Saturday afternoon. I was using my rollator but my shoe stuck on the carpet and I pitched face forward to the floor. I really bruised my knees and no matter what we tried my husband and I couldn’t get me up to a chair. I don’t have much arm or leg strength.Thirty five minutes and lots of sweat and crying later I got in my recliner. I searched for lifting aids I could buy and found the link above.I sent it to my physical therapist. We tried the book idea toward the end of video in my therapy session today. It took us 10 minutes but I was able to go from the floor to a chair. It really worked. I’m making sure I have enough cookbooks and coffee table books to get up and in the chair. The ideal would be not to fall but if you do I wanted people to see the different ways to get back in a chair.
 
I would consider a Hoyer lift. CALS can get injured, too, when they try to lift a PALS up from a fall. Most likely we will all need a power wheelchair and some sort of lift system eventually. You might be able to get one from your ALS loaner closet.

Do you have plans to replace the carpeting with a solid surface of some kind?
 
All the maneuvers shown in that video require some upper and lower body strength and some core strength. Some of us (myself included) are not able to do any of these maneuvers. At that point it’s Hoyer time, or a 911 call. A year ago, I had enough triceps and core strength to lift myself onto a step and then onto my lift chair. Now — no way!

I think it’s instructive to know where your strengths are at any given time and practice ways to get off the floor. If in the Hoyer stage, have a caregiver practice using the Hoyer to lower you down to the floor and then get you back up. My CALS and I had to do it the other day, and unfortunately it was not a practice run. 😬
 
Getting a hoyer lift that can reach to the floor will be your best move.
In the meantime, you can call emergency and be helped.

The energy you used in that time on the floor and trying to solve it could really deplete you for days, so please consider getting equipment in both for yourself and your CALS 💗
 
I enjoyed watching her but agree it won’t work for many and not for any of us forever.
just a reminder that anyone who spends any time alone should have a means of summoning help that is on their person at all times. smart watches are cooler than the I can’t get up alarms😀
 
I’m thinking anyone with ALS who has fallen in their home at least once should get a Hoyer or other lift and a sling. Even if it’s not yet needed for transfers, it’s good to have it for emergencies and to practice with periodically. Keep the batteries charged so it’s ready to go. Failures in ALS can sneak up on us, so it’s always a good idea to be prepared.
 
One more thing about falls, and then I’ll shut up.
If you suspect any sort of head or neck injury, call 911 and do not attempt to move the person who fell. Head injuries are often accompanied by neck injuries. The paramedics will immobilize the neck, and the emergency department doctor will check for a cervical spine injury.
 
They also have medical alert systems that detect when a person falls and automatically calls 911. I've been trying to get my brother to get one for two years because he is left alone for hours at a time and has fallen twice. Once he was on the floor for 20 minutes. The other time he fell in the shower when his wife was sleeping and she found him there just sitting on the floor. She has no idea how long he was there but the water was cold. He has Alzheimer's so, sometimes, he can't problem solve even though he is probably strong enough to get up.

I plan on getting one for myself when the time comes. I have a smart watch but when your fine motor skills aren't good, it's impossible to use. Maybe there is now an APP that deals with falls but there wasn't when I sold mine.
 
I have a smart watch but when your fine motor skills aren't good, it's impossible to use. Maybe there is now an APP that deals with falls but there wasn't when I sold mine.
My Apple watch allows me to voice command SIRI to call anyone in my phonebook or 911. It also has an ability to call my emergency contacts automatically when I fall. Only problem is that it hasn't worked on my 3 falls...not sure why.
 
I have a V.ALRT that the local ALS office recommended. I got it from Amazon for less than $25. You download a free app. Then you program in your contacts and their cell phone numbers. When you fall you just have to press it for 2 seconds. If can also be set to notify others automatically when you fall. It texts your preprogrammed message and your GPS coordinates to your contacts. Then it starts calling them. I have my husband and each of my boys programmed in. No charges after the initial purchase. My dear friend fell and broke her hip and laid out in the cold for two hours so instead of sending flowers, she got the V.ALRT!
 
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I knew when I posted the link that it wouldn’t work for everyone but with my husband placing the books under my hips, it will work for me until we get a Hoyer. I see neurologist tomorrow so I’ll have her put in an order for one and my PT can help me find the right type that will reach the floor. I hadn’t anticipated changing the carpet to a solid smoother floor. I guess we should consider it. Thanks for your ideas. I was trying to post something that would help some pALS but you all provided me with great ideas. Thanks!
Tammy
 
I have a Hoyer and a sling. I suggest getting a good sling, as the one that came with the lift had long straps, as opposed to looped straps, and the first time we used it my spouse dumped me in the floor...
 
When you fall with VAlert, do you always have to press a button. Just thinking about PALS who have no hand function.
 
I have a funny story. I'm not suggesting anyone try this.... But when I was still transferring to my manual wheelchair on my own, I made a wrong move and ended up on the floor. I was alone and no help was going to be available for several hours. I was going to need to pee before then! Plus the floor hurts when you have no muscle left on the buns! I didn't quite have the strength in my arms to get into my recliner or wheelchair anymore and my legs were paralyzed. My power wheelchair was parked near me. Permobil F3, with the 12" seat elevation. I'm 160 lbs, and I knew the chair was pretty stout. So I slid myself over and up onto the foot plates, reached up to the joystick and lifted myself just a few inches of the floor. Slowly drove myself to the recliner and lifted my butt up forklift style to where I could transfer to the recliner where I was comfortable and had my urinal. Was quite an adventure.
A couple months later I fell forward off the toilet while wiping. Very awkward... Had to call my mom in to help. She was so worried about how to get me up off the floor. It was then that I had to come clean and tell her about how I had figured out how to use the Permobil in forklift mode....
A few months later and I finally admitted that I needed to stop the transfers and get a lift😒
 
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