Elder CareTips:
Mastering The Eldercare Maze™

Elder CareTip: Lifting Safely

A picture certainly is worth a thousand words. I wish I could find a video for you showing these techniques, but a drawing is better than nothing (if anyone knows of a video showing lifting and transferring techniques on the web, please let me know so I can tell everyone).

Lifting and helping someone transfer is a good way to hurt your back if you don't do it carefully and correctly. Done correctly, gravity and the weight of the patient actually help. Study these pictures carefully and you'll be less likely to end up in a back brace.

If your elder needs this much assistance to move from bed to chair, your back will be better protected if you're working on a higher bed. If you don't have, or don't want, a hospital bed, bed risers will give you some much-needed extra bed height.

Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.   ~ Dale Carnegie

Note From A Reader:

Thank you for all the tips about what to ask for when you need a handicapped accessible hotel room (Elder CareTips, July 17). I have an elderly mother whose balance is the main problem, making it very difficult for her to walk even the shortest distance. I took her on holiday at Christmas and the hotel was very good, they couldn't have been more accommodating, but the thing we found most problematic was the journey on the plane.

I was wondering if you could give any tips on airlines' ability to accommodate people that are unable to walk. I phoned ahead explaining the problems that we would experience during the flight & the airline did provide the disabled lift entrance to the plane, but my mother was then expected to walk to her seat from the door etc. She was also unable to use the toilet during the flight which caused her to contract a urinary infection before we even arrived at our destination.

Thank you again for all the information, keep up the good work.

When you are traveling with someone who will need special accommodations on a plane or in an airport, it's best to take absolutely nothing for granted. In a case such as the one described, in the United States the airport is responsible for getting a passenger from the boarding area to the door of the plane. From that point on the airline is responsible.

At the door of the plane the passenger will often be transferred from the standard airport wheelchair to a very narrow wheelchair that will fit in the tight aisle of the plane. But there is no legal requirement that an airplane have a narrow aisle wheelchair on board. It is always important to ask the individual airline whether they have special equipment on board the flight you are planning to use.

The important thing is to think through each step of your trip. Make a list of everything you can think of that might be necessary, such as a wheelchair on the plane. Call your chosen airline and ask to speak to the customer service representative who handles special traveler needs. This person has all the information you will need about wheelchairs, oxygen, power wheelchairs, and anything else you might need while on the plane.

Make sure to call as far ahead as possible, because some things take a few days to set up, or may need orders from your physician (oxygen). Some airlines or some selected flights may not be able to meet your needs, and you will be better off knowing far ahead of time if you will have to make other arrangements.

If you will be traveling in another country, or countries, it is especially important to call ahead to each airline and ask about special needs. I suggest that you call two or three times, just to verify that you get the same answer each time.

Whenever access to a bathroom may be problematic it is also a good idea to have your loved one wear a disposable undergarment. In case of an accident this will prevent embarrassment.

It's The Little Things

We've had digital thermometers for a while, but they're still hard to read in the dark or if you don't see 20/20. I recently came across digital thermometers that also talk: A Talking Oral Thermometer, and a Talking Ear Thermometer.

The ear thermometer is particularly helpful if your loved one can't keep from biting on an oral thermometer. It's almost instant, and works especially well with children, too.

There are a lot of very helpful products coming out for the sight-impaired. We're adding them to the store as fast as we find them and as fast as our little fingers can upload pictures. Talking digital thermometers are just some of the new things we've added to the Low Vision department of the Corner Store recently. The Corner Store is how we pay for part of the cost of sending you this newsletter, so if you're inclined to shop I always appreciate it if you will check there first.

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