Help Mom Get Up Easier!
Have you wholly exhausted yourself helping your loved one stand up when they need help? It’s an all-day workout assisting Mom or Dad stand up from the bed, toilet, or chair every single time they need to move!
Helping your family member stand up and move from place to place is also known as “transferring”. Transfers can be a scary time because that’s when you and Mom are most likely to become injured, whether through falling or straining yourself.
We’re here to help you stay safe and get more energy back while helping out Mom and Dad!
Photo of man in white lab coat holding a stethoscope by Unsplash
We recommend asking your doctor to refer you for an occupational therapy evaluation on the best transfer technique for your loved ones, even if you think you’ve got the hang of it. An occupational therapist will be able to get a good objective view of how you and your loved one transfer. Then they’ll make recommendations on what will work best for you!
Occupational therapists will also give you ideas on the best equipment and changes to make in your home to make transfers smoother!
Transfer Don’ts
The rest of this blog post will focus on techniques and types of equipment used at home for safer transfers. First off, we got the “You betta don’ts”!
You Betta Don’ts:
Don’t pull on Mom and Dad’s arms and shoulders! It’s really easy to injure those joints when they’re tugged on!
Don’t go fast! Where’s the fire? Slow it down to avoid Slam Town!
Don’t give a lot of help! If your loved one is completely dead weight as though you need to use 100% of the effort to help them move and they give 0%, then you need an occupational therapist to come in with other options on how to move Mom safely. Only give 25% help during transfers.
Proper Transfer Techniques
Instead, use these techniques with Mom and Dad to get them in the best position before standing:
Scoot towards the edge of the seat with feet flat on the ground.
Sit up tall.
Tell your family member to push off of the seat with their hands. If they’re sitting in an armchair, have them push their hands against the armrests. Pushing down is ALWAYS safer and more effective than pulling!
Armrests
No armrests available on the couch or toilet? Consider adding armrests like these below (Hey, just so you know, I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase any of these products, I receive an itty bitty commission!):
Furniture Risers
A great low-tech way to help your loved one stand up is to use furniture risers! Making the seat taller can make it easier for people to stand up and sit down. (This doesn’t work for people with short statures. Hire an occupational therapist to help you figure out if this will work or not!) Put furniture risers under the legs of Mom’s favorite chair, couch, or even her bed!
Gait Belt
If your loved ones need a little bit of help with standing and sitting, use a gait belt. (Click this video to learn how to put a gait belt on correctly). Gait belts help you gently lift and steady your family member when they stand and sit. It’s not a green light to haul Mom around like a sack of potatoes. Sometimes, I need to calm down Herculean caregivers.
You’re strong. I get it.
To save your back and keep Mom’s strength intact, you need to give only 25% help with transfers. If you’re giving more than 25% help to Mom during transfers, it’s time to have an occupational therapist come to assess what type of lift equipment will work for your unique situation.
Seat Assist
The first lift option is a seat assist that gently helps your family member go from sitting to standing. The beauty of these babies is that you can put it on any chair or seat you like! Make sure the seat is securely fastened square on that chair! Otherwise, that seat assist will be assisting your Mom’s butt to the floor!
Sit-to-Stand Lift
A second lift option would be a sit-to-stand lift. True to its name, these lifts help your family member go from sitting to standing and back again. Mom and Dad would need to be able to sit upright on their own to use it safely. Sit-to-stand lifts are great to move your parents to the bed, toilet, chair, wheelchair, shower chair, etc., wherever their heart’s desire!
There are many different brands of sit-to-stand lifts. Of course, your friendly occupational therapist can find one that would work the best for you! Sometimes, insurance will help pay for a sit-to-stand lift . . . (sadly) try not to hold your breath on that though. Contact your insurance company to learn the requirements needed for them to pay for equipment like this.
Lift Recliner
You could also consider using special furniture to help with standing up. Lift recliners help your loved one slowly stand up from a sitting position with the touch of a button. This can give Mom and Dad the ability to choose when to stand up when they want without you standing right there. To learn tips on how to choose the best lift recliner, click HERE.
Sleep-to-Stand Bed
Another type of special furniture is a bed that takes from lying down to standing up, a sleep-to-stand bed if you will! Sleep Simplified is an electric, remote-operated bed that allows your family member to get in and out safely. Less lifting for you! More independence for Mom and Dad!
Sleep Simplified does free consultations to determine if this bed is a good fit for your family!
Hoyer Lift
What if Mom and Dad can’t sit up by themselves without help? That’s when I’d recommend using a hoyer lift. A hoyer lift helps transfer your loved one by cradling them in a sling. You would put the sling underneath your family member by rolling them side to side in bed. Next, hook the sling on the hoyer then use the remote for the hoyer to lift Mom up and transfer her to the wheelchair, recliner, shower chair, wherever she’d like to go!
Ceiling Lift
If your loved one has a progressive condition, like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s, or multiple sclerosis, a ceiling lift would be a better long-term investment. The ceiling lift transfers your family member by cradling them the same way as the hoyer lift. A ceiling lift requires ceiling tracks to be installed on the ceiling in your house, which frees up floor space that’s taken up by a traditional hoyer. Most of the time, ceiling tracks are only installed in the bedroom and connected to the bathroom for easier access to the toilet and shower.
I’d definitely recommend being trained by an occupational therapist to use the hoyer or ceiling lift. I also 100% recommend having a second person help you transfer your loved one to make sure everyone is safe! It’s good to have someone else stand by and be your second pair of eyes.
Just FYI: Floor lifts, like sit-to-stand lifts and hoyer lifts, can be SUPER hard to move on the carpet. It’s easier on your back to use floor lifts on floor materials like wood or vinyl.
What have you done to help mom stand up? Tell us what worked for you in the comments below!
Share this blog post with two of your friends who could use help with their parents!
(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!)