I should have gotten some training on lifting people using wheelchairs before we left.
There wasn't time but I'm regretting it now.
When we are ready to leave my mom's best friend's place, I struggle to get her back into the car. I don't drop her but it is clearly uncomfortable for her. I hear a grunt and a moan and I know I'm fucking this up.
She eventually gets in but it takes a lot out of her. We need to get her in bed.
She's excited when she sees the room. Mostly for the roll-in shower. She's BEAMING that a shower is going to be easy to do.
But she's going to do that in the morning. For now, she's going to bed.
My attempt to get her into bed doesn't go much better than my attempt to get her into the car. My flip flops are holding me back a little bit but I'm getting used to having to lift so much now dead weight.
I get her down finally and she has a grimace on her face. I'm 0 for 2 in my last two attempts of moving her and I feel terrible.
I look her in the eye and promise that I will get better at this.
They let me go for the night and I head to my room next door.
It's time to research how to transfer people in wheelchairs. I watch videos of this on youtube until I'm ready to go to sleep.
Take a look into transfer kits. They have slings which are very easy to use and make it very comfortable for the person in the chair. As well as transfer boards and belts to assist those who have some ability in moving themselves. Airlines use them a lot to get passengers from regular wheel chairs to aisle chairs to airplane seats and in reverse.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get the hang of it jvw. I remember the frustration when trying to get my mom into her Explorer for doctor's visits. She wore a belt (can't remember the official name of it) which aided me when getting her into the car, bed, or restroom. Be patient...she knows that you are doing your best. :) Enjoy your time.
ReplyDeleteJust realize if you hadn't been losing weight and working out none of this would have been possible. Things happen for a reason and you will get the hang of it!
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