I have been anxious for some time about getting my husband up and down the stairs as he has severe dementia now, and the rare type means his vision is compromised such that he has been registered blind for the last three years.
Since Christmas his mobility amongst other things has deteriorated markedly such that every ascent and descent is a worry. We only come down once and up once each day but my heart is in my mouth each time. He can start off fine and then freeze part way up or down and there is no way of telling whether it will all go fine or we will have a problem.
I am on my own with him and have no family who can help in the area. David's closest son is 200 plus miles away and the other one is living abroad.
On Monday evening taking him up to bed we had reached the top stair and I was just breathing a sigh of relief as I helped him onto the top landing when I realised he had somehow managed to put his left arm in the little triangle of space between the handrail and the horizontal divider on the top bannister. As usual, when there is a problem, he stiffens up, because he is anxious, and because of this I could not get his arm back out. We were right at the top of the stairs and I was terrified. I managed to get him on the top landing, with his arm still stuck, and quickly got the perching stool from the bedroom so then he was at the top of the stairs, with his arm still trapped, but at least sitting securely. I tried putting some cream on his arm to see if that would help but he was so tense it was no use.
I thought the only way to release it was to get him up from the stool and to step back onto the top stair but he cannot see or follow instructions so this is a big ask of him and also involved moving him to a less secure position.
I have to admit I had a little weep. Then having pulled myself together, whilst calling out to reassure David all the time, I phoned a local friend who luckily was at home and able to come around to assist. Between the two of us we managed to free David's arm.
He was OK. I got him to bed and he went straight to sleep. I was shaking and unable to sleep for hours.
The next morning he woke with a line of horrible looking bruises across his forearm. I feel awful about this. I suppose at least we survived to tell the tale.
Some of you will know I was looking at putting in a through the floor lift so we can circumvent the problem of the stairs. I have confirmed the order today so we just need to hang on for another six to eight weeks.
I have wound a scarf, padded out with the cut off sleeve of his fleece, which I removed trying to free his poor arm, in the triangle where it slipped through in the meantime so there is no longer a gap. At the time this happened I was transferring his left hand from the top of the rail that side to the horizontal rail on the top left hand side and guiding his feet up on to the top landing. He usually just hangs on to the right hand rail until I can take that hand and guide him forward. I had not noticed his hand had gone through the gap.
I think this serves to illustrate to me that I always seem to leave it too late before I address a problem. I did see the stairs becoming a difficulty but I had not assessed that this little triangular gap could be a problem at all.
Tre
Since Christmas his mobility amongst other things has deteriorated markedly such that every ascent and descent is a worry. We only come down once and up once each day but my heart is in my mouth each time. He can start off fine and then freeze part way up or down and there is no way of telling whether it will all go fine or we will have a problem.
I am on my own with him and have no family who can help in the area. David's closest son is 200 plus miles away and the other one is living abroad.
On Monday evening taking him up to bed we had reached the top stair and I was just breathing a sigh of relief as I helped him onto the top landing when I realised he had somehow managed to put his left arm in the little triangle of space between the handrail and the horizontal divider on the top bannister. As usual, when there is a problem, he stiffens up, because he is anxious, and because of this I could not get his arm back out. We were right at the top of the stairs and I was terrified. I managed to get him on the top landing, with his arm still stuck, and quickly got the perching stool from the bedroom so then he was at the top of the stairs, with his arm still trapped, but at least sitting securely. I tried putting some cream on his arm to see if that would help but he was so tense it was no use.
I thought the only way to release it was to get him up from the stool and to step back onto the top stair but he cannot see or follow instructions so this is a big ask of him and also involved moving him to a less secure position.
I have to admit I had a little weep. Then having pulled myself together, whilst calling out to reassure David all the time, I phoned a local friend who luckily was at home and able to come around to assist. Between the two of us we managed to free David's arm.
He was OK. I got him to bed and he went straight to sleep. I was shaking and unable to sleep for hours.
The next morning he woke with a line of horrible looking bruises across his forearm. I feel awful about this. I suppose at least we survived to tell the tale.
Some of you will know I was looking at putting in a through the floor lift so we can circumvent the problem of the stairs. I have confirmed the order today so we just need to hang on for another six to eight weeks.
I have wound a scarf, padded out with the cut off sleeve of his fleece, which I removed trying to free his poor arm, in the triangle where it slipped through in the meantime so there is no longer a gap. At the time this happened I was transferring his left hand from the top of the rail that side to the horizontal rail on the top left hand side and guiding his feet up on to the top landing. He usually just hangs on to the right hand rail until I can take that hand and guide him forward. I had not noticed his hand had gone through the gap.
I think this serves to illustrate to me that I always seem to leave it too late before I address a problem. I did see the stairs becoming a difficulty but I had not assessed that this little triangular gap could be a problem at all.
Tre