Stairlift to Heaven

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
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Does anyone know if it's right that dementia patients won't be fitted with stairlifts by Occupational Therapy? We have been denied it because of mum's dementia and told just to move her bed downstairs. Don't they think she's had enough upheaval in her life, she's been in that bedroom 40 years and is familiar with it. (Obvioulsly not in it in a Norman Bates sort of way! She does come out)
Is a through the floor life banned as well? (Did anyone spot the Freudian slip there! I meant lift.)
Does anyone know? It's been mentioned by an OT before, but of course, no follow through.
 
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Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
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Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Magic,

Oh, I do admire your grim humour in the face of adversity.

This sounds like more OT hogwash to me. Do I not remember that a stair lift featured on the Panorama programme? I may be hallucinating here, but I'm pretty sure that at least one of the three homes had a stair lift, mainly because I was glad that we lived in a bungalow and didn't have to airlift the oldies to bed.

Can anyone else remember?

Jude
 

eden

Registered User
Nov 23, 2003
12
0
Kent
That's correct

Yes thats what we were told 3 weeks ago by OT. They said unless the patient could get on and off unassisted and operate the remote by themselves, it is considered too dangerous and they recommended moving the bed downstairs, using a commode and the kitchen sink for washing! Apparently it's also unsafe for a person to walk alongside. They said a lift could happen but would be a long long wait as very very expensive.
 

Norman

Registered User
Oct 9, 2003
4,348
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Birmingham Hades
Eden
did they tell you how to get mum in and out of the sink for a bath?
A lot of these pros read too many bloody theory books without the practical experience to back it up.
Like the health visitor with no kids.
Gawd help us
Norman:confused:
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
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near London
While I agree with the general thrust of the conversations here, I can also see part of the reasoning regarding safety.

People with dementia don't necessarily have an appreciation of danger that they once had. Jan, for instance, once tried to get out of the car when we were doing 50mph on the A303.

If someone tried to decamp from a moving stairlift then they could suffer serious injury, and the people who put the thing in might be held responsible.

Do the stairlifts have a powerpoint off switch, such that it can be used only when someone has turned it on - i.e. when there is a carer with the person, able to ensure their safety?

I have used someone's stairlift - the stairs were open ones, and I felt most unsafe on it.
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
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Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear All,

Does anyone have any practical experience of using chair lifts. It does seem a bit daft to be unable to walk up beside them safely. Even for oldies who don't have dementia, but are phsyically frail could have problems. What happens then?

Jude
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
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70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Norm,

'There was an old lady, stuck down a lavatory....'

I would have thought that washing elderly people at the sink was a complete health hazard in the kitchen.

My father has just decided to wash up early morning teacups in the bathroom and wipe them dry on his previously used bath towel. How gross!! More supervision until this trend wears off...

It's all very well to move beds downstairs - what happens if the bathroom is UPSTAIRS and there is no downstairs WC? This is band aid stuff....!

Jude
 

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
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Jude, when I was given a power bath chair to lift mum in and out of bath, I promptly gave it back as she was afraid of the noise and I knew it would never be used. I thought it was only fair since all you ever hear about are waiting lists, that someone else could have the benefit. When the OT then suggested the walk in shower I said yes, as I shower mum everyday and you have to step over and into ours, which is very difficult with her arthritis and a stool or chair won't fit inside it. She said I could be put on the emergency list but her team leader then deemed it wasn't an emergency (obvioulsy because I'm managing with great difficulty) then the OT said,
"Could you not just wash her?"
Again, as my mother has dementia, she is now classed as a non entity and obvioulsy is not entitled to or should enjoy the luxury of a shower like the rest of us. What a pack of heartless gits!
On another note, my brother deemed to phone today as he is having family problems and wanted a shoulder to cry on. I blew. I said why should you bring your problems to my door when you have all made it quite clear that I am the lone ranger where mum is concerned? Also had a visit from a crying sister and her husband yesterday as I was meant to referee their marital spat. The brother then said if it's all getting too much for you then it's time mum was put in a home. He informed me he would visit this afternoon to discuss it. I informed him that he may certainly visit but there was a danger that if he upset me or mother he would be leaving without his conkers!
And still I wait.
 

Kriss

Registered User
May 20, 2004
513
0
Shropshire
How can family be so b*****y insensitive and selfish!

I used to think "why me" "why aren't there some other relatives out there to share this with". Now I think "thank god its just us" cos I reckon the load will always fall on the willing one and the rest just would push off making poor excuses (marital spats and family problems amongst them). It just makes the whole situation even more stressful!

Bet there're all bemoaning their woes to anyone and everyone who will listen long enough and they'll add in "poor Mum" to their list as well, even if they're not taking any of the **** that you have to deal with.

Oh - is the OT male or female? If male a few threats to his conkers might be appropriate - if female then its not worth the breath as she has obviously had all sense and feeling surgically removed.

Kriss
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
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70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Magic,

This washing scene is all a bit of a pain in the butt here too.

I've got a bath seat and a safe step, but can't get Mum in to the bath since a few bad experiences at the Close Care accommodation. She panics if we take off all her clothes. I don't quite know what went on at the Respite Home, but she really becomes hysterical at bath time. So now I or Carole just wash her from top to toe, twice a day and do the top first and the rest afterwards.

My father has decided that he is back in the Army and strip washes himself every day - this takes him about an hour each morning. He has his own 'kit' bag of shaving gear, toothbrush, toothpaste, flannel, etc and woe betide anyone who touches it!

He has recently expressed interest in using our new shower unit and I'm trying to introduce that to him slowly. I've got him as far as sitting on the bath seat to wash his feet, but that's all. Slowly is the operative word...... but I'm hopeful. It's obviously a bit awkward with Dad because he won't be too happy for me to help him if he is totally undressed and he needs to maintain some dignity after all.

Re your family - why don't you send them all a nice letter telling them how busy you are and that you simply don't have time to listen to their marital woes and whinges. Be very polite, tactful and FIRM.

Probably the other thing that you need to practise is how to say 'No'. This is a direct 'No' without any shade of guilt or maybe's attached. The answer to the next load of questions under the headings of 'Why not?' are anwered with a very simple 'Because I don't want to [listen to you, have to put up with your endless whining, look after your 12 dogs for the weekend, go on holiday with you, etc etc'.] End of story! Don't listen to any excuses or conversation if you can avoid it. The best thing to do is just keep repeating 'Because I don't want to'. There's no come back from that. It works brilliantly once you've mastered the format.

This is part of Jude's as yet unwritten book entitled 'Self Assertion for Whimps Like Me'.

Jude
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
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70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Kriss,

I thought I might have a load of T Shirts printed up with 'Why Me?' plastered in large letters on the front and 'Beat Me Here' printed on the back.

I thought these would come in very handy when I was in one of my 'I Hate my Life; Sod the Oldies; Atlzheimers Sucks; Nobody Loves Me; Inlaws are the same as Outlaws - Shoot on Sight; 'I'm going down the garden to eat Worms' types of mood. These moods happen quite often to me .......

Any takers? It's hard yakka some days isn't it?

Jude
 

snuffyuk

Registered User
Jul 8, 2004
188
0
Near Bristol
PS. Remember a silly poem.

Everybody hates me nobody likes me
sitting in the garden eating worms
big fat??????
Can't remeber the rest, anyone know?
Snuffy
 

carol

Registered User
Jun 24, 2004
196
0
Surrey/Hampshire
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
I'm sitting in the garden eating Wo-o-o-rms
Big fat juicy worms
Slip slap slimy worms
Fuzzy wuzzy wuzzy wuzzy worms
First one was easy
Second one was squeezy
third one got stuck in my throat
Big fat juicy worms
Slip slap slimy worms
Fuzzy wuzzy wuzzy wuzzy worms
bite off their heads and
Suck out their guts and
throw their skins awa-a-a-y
Big fat juicy worms
Slip slap slimy worms
Fuzzy wuzzy wuzzy wuzzy worms!

Nobody loves me, everybody hates me,
Guess I'll go and eat worms,
long slim slimy ones, short fat juicy ones,
itsy bitzy ftlzzy wuzzy worms.

and so it goes on ...........
 
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Kriss

Registered User
May 20, 2004
513
0
Shropshire
Snuffy

that was my song!!!

I am always reminded by my mother how I used to sing it constantly as a small child...

Carol

my version had "big fat juicy ones, long skinny thin ones, going down the garden eatin' worms" in there somewhere.

mmm...think I'll just go and see what I can dig up...!

Kriss
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
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70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Gang,

If you want fries with your worms, it's a done deal. No worries.

Can't remember the rest of the worm poem, except that it was seriously nasty... and very tasteless. In fact, most of the nursery rhymes are exactly that.

The 'Ring a ring of roses, a pocket full of posies, atisho, atisho, we all fall down' is a particulary horrible example. This stems from a smallpox outbreak. The ring of roses is the rash on the body, the posies are the herbs that were used to try and break the fever, the sneezing is one of the fatal stages and 'we all fall down' is when the victim dropped dead.

Great stuff to teach kids isn't it?

Jude


Oh, I DO like to have a good whinge here....

Jude
 

carol

Registered User
Jun 24, 2004
196
0
Surrey/Hampshire
okay .. rest of worm poem

Wiggle goes the first one, goosh goes the second one,
Sure don't wanna eat these worms,
Long slim slimy ones, short fat juicy ones,
Itsy bitsy ftlzzy wuzzy worms.

Down goes the first one, down goes the second one
Sure hate the taste of these worms
Long slim slimy ones, short fat juicy ones,
Itsy bitsy ftlzzy wuzzy worms.

Nobody hates me, everybody likes me
Never should've eaten those worms
Long slim slimy ones, short fat juicy ones,
Itsy bitsy ftlzzy wuzzy worms.

Up comes the first one, up comes the second one
Oh, how they squiggle and squirm
Long slim slimy ones, short fat juicy ones,
Itsy bitsy ftlzzy wuzzy worms.

THE END!!