Need carers who can lift

Nursing homes have hoists, so they'll deal with it better. Carers will just make him comfortable and wait for the ambulance to help.

But paramedics have equipment to lift people.

If she hadn’t specifically said we will have a hoist and are aware it’s a team of 2/3 that might be the issue. ‘Lift’ means very different things to ‘hoist’ to a care company - worth exploring?

Your DF should have an assessment for equipment required in the home through adult social services,

Separately, DM should request a carer's assessment via her GP to ensure that everything she needs is in place. If she injures herself or becomes unwell, she may not be able to care for DF so the chance of this happening is reduced.

As a side note regarding the good advice about Falls Teams: We found out when caring for DGM that this term means different things in different areas. DGM lived in one Local Authority area and her GP was in the neighbouring area. Therefore, some of the services she had came from one area and others from the other area (depending on whether they were provided by Health or by Social Services. In her home area, “The Falls Team” was a team of people who might be sent out instead of an ambulance when somebody had a fall without an injury. In the other area, “The Falls Team” was a team of OTs and physios who worked with patients on reducing their risk of falling through providing equipment and exercises.

The most useful thing we did was make an appointment to go in person (phone was useless) to the local Citizens Advice Bureau. We could describe what DGM needed and they told us what it was called. Funnily enough, when speaking to her social worker, services that we had been told didn’t exist when we described DGM's needs were actually available when we asked directly for a referral to a team or service we could name.

Yes to all of this.

In my area, SS will provide a hoist if needed. The drawback is that it is often the older type which they provide and they tend to take up a great deal of space.

My Mum was having just the one carer in the morning to help her wash .
She was sadly terminal and I had temporarily moved in to help with everything else .
The carer would not help with getting her in / out of a bath because they said it was more than a one person job and is at least a 2/3 person . My mum probably weighed around 6.5 - maybe 7 stone so not big .
It is more than likely the same for your Dad .

Ask for an OT review as where I am we would do a falls assessment and if appropriate could provide lifting equipment eg hoist or mangar. If your mum is fit enough she could be trained on how to use it. Your GP should point you to the right team but if you Google rehab service in your area you might be able to self refer.

Have a search for a “mangar Elk” there’s currently some second hand ones on a well-known auction site for £500.

It’s essentially an inflatable seat that he’d roll onto and it would be inflated. I imagine your mum would be able to do it with some clear instructions, and the carers would be able to assist too.

With some practice (and the recommendations for a private OT) it’s probably overall cheaper and will get him back up quicker than relying on carers/paramedics.

I think I understood correctly - I was speaking to my DP's community nurse team and they said they had an "urgent" team who could lift up people who had fallen and check them over, among other things. Rather than waiting for an ambulance - or going into hospital could be worth looking into?

Just checked - it's the "Urgent Community Response" Team.

I'm a carer in a care home. We are only allowed to lift residents with the hoist, if they have fallen though they need to be checked out by one of the nurses first to give the all clear. We could be sacked otherwise.

Ask for referral to a Falls clinic or a revised OT assessment.

Please ensure that they know the truth about frequency of falls and struggles to get back up. If there is a local falls assistance service they will get him registered and set up and alarm/ call system.

Just bear in mind that the OT may ultimately also suggest that residential care is the best option.

Of course care workers shouldn't be lifting people - they could hurt the person or themselves.

In our area the LA pays for a 24/7 falls response service. Basically teams of 2 care workers who will go out to someone who's fallen and support them to get up again, often with an ELK (inflatable piece of kit). It saves the multiple ambulance calls outside for falls without injury.

You should be asking for a full falls assessment.

@HermioneWeasley an OT assessment might help .
If he has strength in his arms , torso a standing hoist might help?

Agree with PP that looking into physio to help him safely get himself up on the floor ( perhaps with the help of someone to position items of furniture etc for him) would be the best chance of getting him more independent and confident.

A care home would be a bit drastic. They might well just push him in a wheelchair everywhere to avoid falling which would not be great for his overall mobility.

If he can still walk around with a Zimmer frame there is a chance that he might be able to be taught techniques of how to get up by himself using furniture or specialist equipment. An OT or physio could advise on the matter. My DH falls frequently and the falls team taught him various techniques before coming home from hospital.

thank to those posters saying it’s time for residential care, but we are trying to avoid that, and I’m not sure it would actually solve anything - he’d just be falling there instead

But it would solve it, as nursing homes will have hoists, so if he falls there, they can use the proper equipment to hand, in a timely manner to get him up. Hoists are used for all sorts there, such as getting residents out of bed onto shower chairs etc.

You've had some links about falls clinics and specialist lifting teams.

What's the financial situation? Is he motivated? I would consider a trial of specialist private physio (3 x a week for a few months?) to work on his ability to get off the floor himself once he falls. Obviously if he were that much stronger he might not fall as much anyway.

Well, Im a HCP and I dont lift unless its with a hoist because Ive had a serious back injury, as have many other care staff. Plus its safer FOR THE PATIENT with the correct equipment.

I work in a care home and we are never allowed to lift, not just so we don't hurt ourselves but so we don't hurt a resident. We use a hoist or camel which is a blow up chair which we slide under the person who has fallen. Some councils have Falls Teams who just do this. It's much quicker and cheaper than waiting for paramedics. He needs residential care now I think.

A) Carers are not medically qualified to assess if someone is injured, whereas a Paramedic is.
B) Paramedics have access to equipment such as a Manga inflatable cushion but carers do not.

If you contact your local authority they will be able to advise if there is a community alarm company in your area. Where I live we have one run by the council called telecare, it’s about a fiver a month, you have a button to call for help & someone comes with lifting equipment if you fall. Carers only lift or move people with appropriate equipment in place such as a hoist, your local authority will have an occupational therapy team that will be able to do an assessment for equipment.

The chance of him falling and that coinciding with two carers visiting is slim.

Yes, my DF had this when he was still at home. There was a small cost to this, and the staff were employed by the local authority. They were trained and had equipment to lift elderly frail people who had fallen.