Difficulty Standing Up from Sitting Position
A couch low to the floor may spell “trouble” for some folks! Photo by Unsplash.
Is your loved one struggling to stand up from the couch?
I’ve worked with many clients who start having a hard time getting up and down from their furniture. In some cases, people will choose not to stand up at all because it’s too hard (even if they have to go to the bathroom!).
These clients start to rely on family or friends coming over to help them stand up from the couch. Not only do these people struggle to stand up from the couch, they also struggle with chairs and beds too!
Eventually, these clients move around less and become physically weak. They start falling at home and generally just downward spiral into needing more help from family members to take care of themselves.
I don’t want to scare you, but these people tend to end up in nursing homes!
I just want you to know that struggling to stand up from the couch can lead to life changing events down the road. (Stay active, people!)
I’ve also seen family members “helping” their loved ones by experimenting with stacking pillows or blankets on the seats of couches and chairs.
You may think this helps your loved one stand up easier, but stuff starts to slide around when people stand up and sit down. If you stack pillows, you’ll find that Grandma may slide onto the floor more easily than standing up on her own!
So what are you going to do to help your loved one stand up easier? Not all of us can afford to buy a new couch that’s customized to our body dimensions. What are some other ways to make it easy to stand up without great physical effort?
Furniture Risers
One option is to place furniture risers under your furniture at home! Furniture risers are affordable (some packs of eight cost as little as $9) and come in a range of colors and styles. They lift your furniture up one, two, three or more inches. It’s amazing how raising your couch up one inch can make it easier to stand up!
(FYI: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy products through these links, I receive an itty bitty commission to help run this website! Thank you so much!)
Don’t feel obligated to put furniture risers on every single piece of furniture! Choose the furniture that you use the most, like your favorite armchair or your bed. You’ll be able to stand up painlessly every time!
A word of caution: Don’t put furniture risers on chairs that are moved around often, like kitchen or dining room chairs. Depending on the type of furniture riser you have, they may not be as securely attached to the leg of the chair and come clean off!
We don’t want any lopsided chairs to deal with! That would defeat the purpose of making it easier to stand up.
Couch Standing Aids
The next option has a lot of different names to it. But if you search for “couch standing aids”, you should be able to find what I’m talking about pretty quickly.
Couch standing aids are like handrails for the couch. You put them underneath the couch or under the couch cushion based off of the instructions the equipment comes with.
Sidenote: ALWAYS follow the instructions! I’d hate to see someone get hurt from improperly using a couch standing aid!
Some couch standing aids act like a cane for people to pull onto and come to a standing position. Others allow you to push down on them to make it easier to stand up. Choose the couch standing aid that’s going to work the best for your loved one in the home!
Lift Recliner
The last option is the lift recliner. I wrote an article on how to choose the best lift recliner for your loved one HERE. Through the push of a remote control button, your loved one can raise the seat high enough to stand up easily on their own.
You can’t beat the modern convenience of electronics!
Lift recliners can also recline back and raise your legs up just like a regular recliner. They’re very comfortable and help make people more independent in choosing what position they want to be in!
With the lift recliner, it’s important to keep it simple with the remote! It’s so tempting to buy Mom or Dad the fanciest version with all the bells and whistles. All you really need is the two button option: the up button lifts the seat up high and the down button lowers the seat, reclines the back, and raises the legs.
I’ve seen so many clients who easily become confused by more than two buttons. One lady had a chair that even massaged her! She told me about the time when she really felt the urge to go to the bathroom. She thought she pushed the button to lift the seat up and the chair started to vibrate. She felt so flustered that it took her a while to stop the vibration and find the right button!
Don’t do this to your loved ones! Two buttons is all you need!
A little caveat to the lift recliner’s comfort is the tendency for people to start using it like a bed. I’ve had clients who tell me that getting in and out of bed is too hard, so being in the comfortable lift recliner is preferential. It allows them to sleep and get up and take care of themselves more easily, like taking more bathroom trips. Especially for those who have breathing problems, the lift recliner allows people to raise their heads high enough to breathe easier compared to layering pillows in the bed.
Different strokes for different folks! If people like using the lift recliner as their new bed because it helps them be more independent in taking care of themselves around the house, is it really that bad?
Conclusion
Tell us what you’ve done at home to make standing up easier! Have you used furniture risers, couch standing aids, or lift recliners? If so, please share the brand and where you purchased the equipment! We want to know the brands to keep and the brands to toss!
Remember, you better do it before you need it!
Hard Time Wiping? Let’s Talk A-booty It!
(Hey, did you know we have an awesome online course for people who have a hard time wiping after using the toilet? It’s an awkward topic that you can learn how to solve in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Learn more about the course HERE!)