Using the Hoyer for the first time

[Chincoteaguer]

Thanks again for all of your input.

We had our second scare during a transfer last night.

The first scare was weeks ago which was not a strength or balance issue. My PALS did not have her legs positioned correctly and fell in my arms.

Last night it was a strength issue. Since she cannot enunciate her words well I did not understand she was asking me to support her. She kind of leaned into her lift/sleeper chair and with my help made a soft landing.

Ordered a U Sling yesterday. Will be here Tuesday.

Until the sling arrives we will be using the bed pan for potty breaks instead of a transfer to the potty.

We might try the lift with the current sling to transfer her to the shower chair this morning.

Ernie

 

[azgirl]

very smart. Do not risk falls

 

[Lkaibel]

We have a Hoyer here at the ready for when we get to that point, which will be soon. I don’t have to lift Brian to pivot transfer, he can stand and walk a few steps. When we reach the lift up point, into the Hoyer he goes. Safety works both ways, and I am trying to be as careful to not mess up my back as I try to be to not let him fall.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

Another fall last night. She knew it was going to happen and made a help sound. I was hovering over her so I caught most of the fall.

No injuries just a big scare. She fell forward into her sleeper/lift chair. I managed to get her aright in the chair. She has been sleeping soundly since with two wake ups to adjust her body position.

Daughter and family will be here for dinner today so I plan to activate the Hoyer. Make it a family affair.

I think part of the falling problem may be clonozepram she is taking. The doctor increased her dosage from 1.5 tablets (5 mg) to 2 tablets at bed time.

I've noticed since the increase that she is less responsive and has difficulty putting words together with her texting ability. White blanket becomes "wits" when she types it.

Should I alert the doctor?

She does rest better with the increase.

 

[KateEmerson]

From my observations of benzos the symptoms you have mentioned can all be side effects of the drug including weakness and confusion. There are warnings to avoid this drug with myasthenia gravis ( a neuromuscular disease) so I wonder if you should ask your ALS clinic doctor if this drug is ok to even use with ALS?

 

[Chincoteaguer]

The Hoyer worked great. Practiced on my daughter. Grand daughter even got in the act. She is ten and worked the lift with me in the sling. Wife observed and was pleased how things went.

Kate;

Thanks for the information. We will be going back to the previous dosage tonight.

Ernie

 

[lgelb]

Some with ALS use benzos for otherwise uncontrolled symptoms, but the tradeoff is definitely "with-it-ness." They are sedatives, first and foremost, and they do foster dependence, biologically.

 

[Lkaibel]

Our Dr. Said bentos are a last resort- I can see why. Hope the reduced doseage helps sndbif not you can find workable alternative bed.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

Went back to original dosage last night. My wife was still groggy but we are now using the bed pan so maybe no issues with falling

She pushes herself up to a semi standing position and I place large bath towel and pan underneath her. She then sits.

When finished she stands again and I gather things up.

Must less time consuming and definitely safer

We transfered to her bed from the sleeper chair at 2am. First time in her bed in 4 nights. Slept like a log.

Laurie;

We tried the UriBag but it did not work for us. Lowering her pajamas and undies while still lying down was not elegant. Also, emptying and cleaning was a challenge.

Ernie

 

[Roger4143]

we have figured out how to put the brief on and pull it up into place before lowering into chair or bed. Less stressful for me and my caregivers

How do you get a brief on while in a sling before being lowered into the chair? Can you get the brief off while in the sling? Could eliminate a transfer.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

Had a bad experience with home care nurse today in relation to the Hoyer lift.

She is the OT assigned and agreed to give training on the use of the Hoyer. Unfortunately, she had never used one before. She got the sling under my wife and started hooking up the straps when I noticed she had the leg straps on the outside of her legs and not in between them. If she had lifted my wife it was obvious she would have slide forward and possibly dropped.

How can organizations hire and pay these people.

 

[lgelb]

Well, she may be a great OT but she should not be doing Hoyer training without having been trained herself. I'm confused -- is she a nurse or OT? You don't usually find both in one.

 

[KateEmerson]

That was our expierence with way too many of the healthcare " professionals ". It caused me to go into a state of hyper-vigilance for the duration . Hoping that you don't run into too many of this type, Kate

 

[Chincoteaguer]

Laurie

Confusion is the key word for me with these home health care people. In answer to your question the person I referred to as the OT person and the one who tried to help with the Hoyer, is actually a PT. She "takes vitals" so I assume some nurse training but maybe not a nurse at the RN level.

These home care folks seem to just show up, sometimes overlapping their appearance, and provide questionable service.

However, and this is a big one, they do sometimes provide invaluable service like helping with the Medicare and insurance issues with medical transport. They also provide the Jevity I am feeding Sibyl and numerous types of supplies like gauze pads, feeding syringes, etc.

As always I heed the advice given on this forum to keep a watchful eye on everything surrouding my wife's care and don't hesitate to intervene even with the doctor's who are generally receptive and responsive unlike some of the ego centric support personal.

 

[lgelb]

Yeah, PTs are trained to take vitals. So we'll just call her a PT. Some PTs are more Hoyer-savvy than others, just like all the other topics.

You're right, keeping the balance and triangulating advice is always key. How is the Hoyer thing going?