My husband needs to be lifted off of the toilet. He cannot slide from the toilet to his wheelchair ( there is a 3 to 4 inch height difference), but can from chair to toilet. I am lifting him from the toilet to the chair. I have tried to get home help with this toileting problem. Every agency I contacted said that their people do not do any lifting. Private aids will do it, but usually are not insured against injury, and I was told they will "sue the pants of you" if they are injured. The bathroom is too small to get a mechanical lift in. Any suggestions?
There are hinges that you can use, replace regular hinges and these "Swing Clear" hinges will give you about another inch or two clearance. That should make it a bit easier to get 2 people in the bathroom.
I hate to say it but you may be looking at a situation where he will be bedbound if he can not maintain upper body strength. This will make things more difficult for you in some respects but it might be easier to get caregivers if they are not lifting your husband as that seems to be the crux of the matter for them.
I will addd...if your husband is a Veteran the VA does have some programs that they will do modifications to make it easier for a Veteran to remain in their home. So if he is a Vet you might want to look into that.
It's not a kindness to him for his life to be so difficult when it doesn't have to be. It can't be easy for him to have these toileting problems and (as I am sure he is) worried that something will happen to you, in which case he will definitely be placed with you possibly being unable to even visit him. Or even have much of a choice in where he's placed.
Put him where his condition requires him to be now, regroup, and become his loving advocate. You will have the support of his caregivers there and everyone will be much better off.
He has no other medical problems except for edema in his feet, so it would be a shame to confine his to a nursing home. At age 92 his mind is still as sharp as ever. I guess I'll just have to keep doing what I'm doing and hope I can hold up.
Thanks.
OT and PT have been coming, but they have not had a solution to our problem. We tried a slide board
That needs to stop.
Suggestion: OT home visit to assess transfers & what equipment could make this safer.
Eg If insufficient leg strength for standing with grab rail, then toilet raiser & slide board. If not working, standing machine or hoist to a commode - wheel over toilet (if continent to hold) or have a bedpan tray under (if not).
Problem 2. Will equipment be able to be managed by ONE caregiver?
If 2 x assist, that leads to;
Problem 3. Toilet timing. How to have the 2nd caregiver (aide) there for every toileting?
It is very challenging. We would all aim for dignity to use the toilet but sometimes the functional & mobility needs mean other options need to be explored.
There are other options but you say in your profile...and by the way THANK you for adding that info...that his arms are getting weaker.
The option that You would have suggested would have been a Sit To Stand or even mounting a Trapeze bar to the ceiling above the toilet. but both of those would require more leg and arm strength.
Or getting an appropriate height toilet or riser. There are ADA height toilets, there are actual risers that can be put under the toilet to raise it even more and there are risers that can be placed on the toilet seat.
The other 2 options that you probably do not want to get into is just using the commode he can more easily use or letting him use the Adult Incontinence products and changing him in bed
Your situation has many variables that we don’t know and ideally should be assessed by a professional in person. In the meantime, do not risk yourself by transferring him alone. Caregivers can help manage bowel movements from the bed and teach you if your husband is able to turn himself.
Edited to add: I just read your bio(thank you for that) and agree with others that it may be time for placement. Until that happens, get caregivers in to help you. They will know how to manage toileting without unsafe transfers.
For example: https://tinyurl.com/4mpd6786
I feel like this is to much work for one person. Your going to hurt yourself and won't be any help to him. I hardly ever say this, I leave it up to others to say, but I do feel it's time to place your husband. Then you can visit him and spend more quality time with him.
This is just to much, best of luck
Does he have any strength at all to scoot over from the toilet? If he does, try to get the chair as close to the toilet as possible, so he doesn't have to move to far to get back to the chair? Does the chair have removable armrests (if equipped)?
Then you can hire an aide to come in to put him on a bedside commode which you can put anywhere and will give whoever more room to work in for him to poop.
When my late husband who had a permanent catheter was completely bedridden, I had his bedside commode right next to his bed(which was in our living room)and hired an aide to come every morning to put him on it.
Now my husband was a morning pooper, so that worked out really well. She used a gait belt to lift him out of the bed and then off of the bedside commode. She was a trained CNA, so knew how best to lift him.
If all this gets to be just too much for you it may be time to have him placed and let those at the facility take on his care.
Meanwhile do consider checking with your homeowner's insurance about your umbrella policy, which should be a very good one. You will need coverage if anyone is injured. Check this with an elder law attorney as well.
I would say you have tough decisions ahead. None of this will get any better. I am so very sorry.