Taking care of a bedridden person with alzheimer's disease spouse can be very stressful and sometime frustrating, but nothing compares to the joy that comes from it.The question I have is, could you get them to safety if an emergency came up?
For the past few years I have been taking care of my father who has had Alzheimer's for over 15 years. Regardless of how much work is involved, nothing else is as important. Now, my father is confined to the bed, so I have to do everything for him, including thinking like him. He has no speech or mobility, so I have to pay that much more attention.
A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to cut his hair. Normally I use the hoist to lift him from the bed and place him in the wheelchair to cut his hair. This particular time I didn't have the hoist because the battery had to be charged. The only alternative I had was to pick him up and place him in the chair. He is a small man (about 135lb) so how hard could this be,right? Well, I almost dropped him because I underestimated how heavy dead weight really is.
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After placing him in the chair, I couldn't understand why I strained to pick him up and carry him a couple of feet.I was a person who just a couple years ago worked out regularly.I cut his hair and got help to place him back in the bed, then proceeded to go outside to cook on the grill. That brings me to the subject of this article.
While getting the charcoals ready and seeing the flame, something scared the heck out of me. What if this was the house? Could I get my father out in a matter of 2-4 minutes? Not only that, but my mother is 82 yrs old and I have to worry about her.
At that moment I knew I had to come up with a emergency plan for different situations. 2 weeks ago I started running emergency drills with my mother and father. I always had it planned at night because I believe that is when we are more subjected to an emergency like a fire.
I would push the button on the fire detector and the drill began. The first 2 times were a disaster. If it would have been a fast moving flame, I couldn't have gotten them out.Even though my mind and heart kept saying you can do this, I just was not physically able to do it.Now even though this was stressing my mother out, I knew how important it was to get this right. Now I understand why rescue teams such as firemans and others have to go through hard training, because it's not as easy as it sounds.
By the end of the second week the drill was going smoother and I had my father in my arms and out on the porch in 3 minutes. So, you may wonder what I did different.... EXERCISED! I knew I had to build my strength and endurance, because what I learned from the drills was just how fast I got tired when going full speed.
So ,if you are a man/woman who is taking care of a disable person that has no mobility, you need to ask yourself, could you handle an emergency like a burning house.If the answer is no, you need to find a plan and execute that plan until you are comfortable that you can handle the emergency.
This article is mainly to challenge those who have a disable spouse who has no mobility, but it is also for anyone who is a caregiver for the disable. If you have anything to add that may help someone feel free to leave it in the comment section. Thanks.
For the past few years I have been taking care of my father who has had Alzheimer's for over 15 years. Regardless of how much work is involved, nothing else is as important. Now, my father is confined to the bed, so I have to do everything for him, including thinking like him. He has no speech or mobility, so I have to pay that much more attention.
A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to cut his hair. Normally I use the hoist to lift him from the bed and place him in the wheelchair to cut his hair. This particular time I didn't have the hoist because the battery had to be charged. The only alternative I had was to pick him up and place him in the chair. He is a small man (about 135lb) so how hard could this be,right? Well, I almost dropped him because I underestimated how heavy dead weight really is.
\
After placing him in the chair, I couldn't understand why I strained to pick him up and carry him a couple of feet.I was a person who just a couple years ago worked out regularly.I cut his hair and got help to place him back in the bed, then proceeded to go outside to cook on the grill. That brings me to the subject of this article.
While getting the charcoals ready and seeing the flame, something scared the heck out of me. What if this was the house? Could I get my father out in a matter of 2-4 minutes? Not only that, but my mother is 82 yrs old and I have to worry about her.
At that moment I knew I had to come up with a emergency plan for different situations. 2 weeks ago I started running emergency drills with my mother and father. I always had it planned at night because I believe that is when we are more subjected to an emergency like a fire.
I would push the button on the fire detector and the drill began. The first 2 times were a disaster. If it would have been a fast moving flame, I couldn't have gotten them out.Even though my mind and heart kept saying you can do this, I just was not physically able to do it.Now even though this was stressing my mother out, I knew how important it was to get this right. Now I understand why rescue teams such as firemans and others have to go through hard training, because it's not as easy as it sounds.
By the end of the second week the drill was going smoother and I had my father in my arms and out on the porch in 3 minutes. So, you may wonder what I did different.... EXERCISED! I knew I had to build my strength and endurance, because what I learned from the drills was just how fast I got tired when going full speed.
So ,if you are a man/woman who is taking care of a disable person that has no mobility, you need to ask yourself, could you handle an emergency like a burning house.If the answer is no, you need to find a plan and execute that plan until you are comfortable that you can handle the emergency.
This article is mainly to challenge those who have a disable spouse who has no mobility, but it is also for anyone who is a caregiver for the disable. If you have anything to add that may help someone feel free to leave it in the comment section. Thanks.
