Only 2 days after watching this video I actually tripped over in a car park and fell full length. I asked my partner to get the esky out of the car and was able to easily get myself upright by using this. Thank you
Sorry to hear you fell! We are happy to hear the video helped you find your own "MacGyver" inspired solution to get yourself back upright. Thank you for taking the time to share your story!
Get WHAT out of the car? What is an "esky?" And what if you fall out in the yard, away from ANYTHING?! i fell on my back out in the yard recently, and was able to turn over, get on all fours, and push myself up, but I don't know how long I'll be able to do that, so far, so good, but I'm heavier now and I've had a knee replacement. I've started carrying my cell phone with me when I go out to the big back (pasture) but I guess I'd have to crawl to a fence and help myself up, in time. I just started doing some exercises to strengthen old muscles that used to be strong when I was an athlete! This helpful video has encouraged me to exercise more so I won't worry about falling and not being able to get up again! That's really scary! I've learned to slow down (I rushed my whole life!) that's been difficult, but I tripped once on a cobblestone and flew up and crashed into my garage and broke my upper right arm so WILL slow down now and watch where my feet are going, it does help a lot!
An esky is a common term in Australia for a cool box. Obviously it isn't an international term since you don't seem to know what one is. It also doesn't matter what it is but it provided the means for me to get up. Yes you could always ask the questions you put forward. My point was that the video made me think outside the box and was pertinent to my situation.
[See Vanessa's explantion above.] An “esky" is another name for a portable cooler -- an insulated container used for keeping food and drinks cool (aka ice box, ice chest, cool box, chilly bin). Vanessa definitely demonstrated fantastic MacGyver-style “out of the box thinking” skills when using the cooler in her car trunk as an aid to get herself up.
When my mother fell and my sister couldn’t get her up, she remembered the aero bed we had. She laid it on the floor, rolled my mother on to it and inflated the bed. My mom then sat up, swung her legs over and stood up. I thought that was genius!
Thank you so much , it just helped my partner who has severe mobility issues after he fell on the floor. You just saved us ringing a ambulance thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️ xx
I was a bit disappointed in some of the comments to this video. Yes, the young lady doing the demonstrations is very fit and capable, however, the important part of the video for me was the mindset she was advocating. Think like MacGyver! It is amazing what you can do if you are creative. I am in my 80s and have fallen several times, but only once was I unable to get up without help (because of the twisting of my body in the fall). Usually there is something in your environment that can be used in a creative way. It's not always easy, but knowledge is power and it's amazing what you can do if you get creative and are not seriously hurt. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.
Having a recent fall, totally embarrassing, outside on my lawn, but landed in gravel. I could not get up no matter what I tried. Having two hip replacements & badly needing a torn ACL or total knee replacement, I was helpless trying to get up despite getting to my knees. I could not get any purchase on the side of my house, so crawled back on all fours to a chain link fence thru gravel & with all my strength pulled myself up. All I could think of was , ‘ I hope my neighbours didn’t see me!’ Man, it sure is challenging getting older!
Thankfully it seems you are ok. I'm sure it was a challenge, mentally and emotionally and physically. Yes getting older is kind of no fun, in a lot of ways.
These were great! As an RN I have taken care of elderly hospitalized after falls, not from the fall, but from staying down. Learning to keep your wits and use what you do have is so important! I knew one lady who fell outside and scooted on her bottom and pulled herself up using a small tree. We all need to encourage elderly to use what they DO have and not give up. Outstanding video IMO 😊
I am elderly, over weight, and disabled with knee replacements, pinched sciatic nerve and bad hips. I fell yesterday, and hip scooted to the bed, grabbed a pillow, twisted around and put my bad knee on the pillow, dragged my right foot( with fused big toe and ankle) into place with my right hand) then pushed with arms and leg to get off the floor. Hell yes it hurt, but I persevered. My dignity and independence is very important to me. I say thank you to the young lady for taking time to help us old folks, no matter what shoes she had on. If you don’t try, you die!
Not for nothing, but she did say these are not for everybody and their conditions, but to the best of her ability she was trying to help those who have some strength and mobility in different parts of their body to find an easy way to get up. And I give her credit for that😊
I agree this may help a person with no pains in their knees or legs. I sure would like to see a person who has extreme pain in there knees like many of us, try to get up from any of these falls. With what you have shown to us. Of course you csn do it because you have no pain.
How about trying to get up with two bad knees and a broken hand (from the fall), with a head injury making me lose consciousness on and off too. Thank goodness for the Police and Ambos. I was a wet cold night too and I think their early intervention saved my life that night.
I’m in a telephone circle. Each day at 8.30 pm I’m get a phone call. After this call I call the next one in the circle, and that one calls the next. And so on until the circle is closed. So I wouldn’t lay on the ground for longer than a day. But the tips are great.
So today I found myself on my back in the bathroom. Luckily I remembered your video, turned on my side , pulled over a bath mat, and grabbed hold of the tub. I got up without sliding and instantly thought of you! Thank you 😊
I hope everyone watches this video…its been months since I watched. I fell this week & I didn’t wait to try to get up. I remembered this video, and I managed to get up. I used what I had and before the pain set in I was up! Bleeding & feeling some pain, but I was able to get to the phone. I now take the phone with me everywhere, even the bathroom!
At 77 I fell in front garden on gravel, no one passes here, and I can’t kneel, could not haul myself up against locked car or front door (luckily open) so I had to shuffle on my bum using elbows for leverage into house and through to living room where I pulled cushion off armchair and levered myself backwards, like a board, onto the base of the chair. It took me 45 minutes and bloodied elbows but I did it.
I recently broke my dominant arm in a fall while outside on my deck. I knew there would be a good chance that I would not get help for some time since I live by myself. I decided to use the adrenaline in my body to get myself up. I am 70 years old and have had two knee replacements. I truly "rigged" my escape using the deck furniture. I must say it was very painful to get up but I was determined. I had surgery two weeks later and had 14 screws placed in the plate. I'm still having OT and I am recovering nicely. The wakeup call for me was this. I need to increase my endurance, balance and strength significantly. I bought a watch where I can summon help, if needed. It is time to be accountable.
This all looks easy for her . She's young thin, has strong arms and legs and back. Older people fall with no arm strength. Weak or partial use of legs. And over weight. Most have trouble getting out of chairs. These tactics are worth learning if you can do them. I recommend an alert button You wear it and fire dept get you up at no cost if it's just to get you up and not transport to hosp.
Thank you for the tips. It looks easy when a young person does it I would like to see a video with an older over weight person use these steps. Oh, and my sofa is much high than that one you are using for the demonstration. This video did give me some thing to think about though.
I don't have a right arm due to a stroke. One time I fell off the toilet. I had to walk on my back to get to my bed where l was able to get on my bed with left leg and arm. It took awhile, maybe about an hour. But no injuries. Thank God!
I'm 70, 5'2" and weigh almost 250. A couple of years ago I was working with my sheep out in the pasture.when the ram hit me. I stepped on a large round stone and heard and felt my ankle break. Bum knees and rocks meant no crawling so I locked my legs together and "log rolled" to the fence. From there I was able to butt scoot to a wagon. I got on the wagon backward so I could push with my good leg until I got to help. I was pretty dang pleased with my accomplishment. That log roll was very useful for a long distance with no available supports. It was much less tireing as well.
Yikes! That sounds TERRIBLE - starting with the physical blow from the ram through to the end! Thank your for sharing your story and your self-rescue tricks.
WOW. YOU ARE PRETTY OVERWEIGHT FOR YOUR HEIGHT TOO, HUH? IT'S OKAY. I WEIGH ALMOST 400 LBS. AND CAN'T EVEN GET UP TO TAKE A SHIT. LET ALONE HERD SHEEP. BRAVO! I'M GOING TO LOG ROLL MYSELF TO THE KITCHEN NOW..- I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT FALLING OR GETTING UP NOW! THANKS!
My mother is 85 years old and with less than ideal mobility, thank you so much for these tips. My sister and I will immediately start practicing these techniques with our mom to have her ready in case of an emergency. God bless!
Everyone over 55 should see this. I had occasion to use the book tower to get myself off the floor onto my stairs. Thank you for taking the time to make this video, It's worth it's weight in gold.
Being very over weight and in my mid 70's I find this video very helpful. What I do when I am on the floor is remove sofa cushions, get my butt up on a cushion lay back onto the couch where the cushions were, swing my legs onto couch and stand up. After watching your video I realize I could go to my front door which has an immediate step down to the porch. Sitting in doorway with my feet down on porch and door frame to hang onto I should be able to get up. Thanks so much for this video.
MY SMARTASS KID TOLD ME I SHOULD SRAY ON THE FOOR UNTIL MY OBESITY WASN'T MORBID ANYMORE. ORMAYBE IT WAS UNTIL I WAS MORBID. DAMN. DO YOU THINK HE WANTS MY HOUSE?
Great video. As an Orthopedic surgeon, I think after age 70, one should monitor not only bone density but also be referred to PT to practice balance work and these important techniques. I would always ask my older patients, "Can you get up on your feet from flat on the floor?" Practice every two months. Stay active, even if just a daily walk.
I have purchased walkers & canes at thrift stores, keep them strategically located around the house. Everytime I have to get down on my knees I make sure there is a four point walker by me. I use it for support to get down, and then back up. I have a two story house, at the bottom of the stairs I have a heavy duty rubber matt about half inch thick & about 4 by 5 feet wide, in case of a fall I will not hit the hard tile. I actually did this when our son was young to protect him, and have kept it for my wife & I.
I'm 71 years young and am recovering from a fall with concussion. Five months later I fell in the garage. My left leg was paralyzed. I had to forward frog walk until I could get back inside. Still slowly recovering but tried all the techniques and was finally able to get inside and get help. Thanks so much for repeating this older training module.
When I fall it can take me hours to get up I have bad legs,hips, knees this video doesn't show how people with weaknesses should go about trying to help themselves get up
Great video. I’ve fallen several times and had a very hard time figuring how to get up. I’m 74 and have poor balance. Live alone, too. I think for me, not panic and try these different technics to get up.
Sometimes the fall happens outside and you injured your body. This happened to me...I tripped over something. I just lay there and waited, no phone because I didn't expect to need it so close to the house. First I thanked God it wasn't raining then I told Him that it looked like no one might walk by so early. I decided to take deep breaths and admired the greenery, since that was all I could do. And to my surprise and to the surprise of a nbr who was walking past with his pup, (he did a double take) lol and helped me up. Then I ended up in ER just in case I might have broken something. The lessons learned: Take your phone With you, always watch your step, Pray, keep calm and Breathe.
This is so nice of you, to take the time out of you life, to teach us Seniors, the problems we can run into, after falling! Thank you so much! You are such a CHAMP!
I think I first saw this video back when you first posted it and I'm so happy to find it again. I've had a number of falls over the years, and one of them resulted in me lying on the floor for over an hour. It's a scary feeling, not being able to get up. So I'm saving your video to a playlist so that I can watch it again multiple times, to fix the ideas in my head.
Interestingly, most comments seem to focus on the “I can’t” instead of setting the stage so you can, ,and then practice. Yes, there are those who truly can’t, but her point is, there are millions of ways your own imagination will figure out how to do it, IF, you let it. I’m 85, and not too nimble or quick any more, but if I had to, I believe I would find a way. I used to manage a 60 unit Sr. Apt building whose tenants were a minimum of 65, with most older. What most people don’t understand is the determination of these folks to live on their own despite the difficulties and/or risks, most would have difficulty getting back up if they fell. So would I! Our building was only 3 stories high, but in an emergency, if the elevator quit, those on the 3rd or even the 2nd floor would be toast if they were dependent on their wheel chairs. The best I could do is make them aware of the risks and the best way to regain enough mobility to save their own lives. The keys were-knowledge, training and practice. I held regular classes to help my tenants gain those keys, and we practiced! We started by learning the ways to get up off the floor so they could be mobile. There was one older woman who often tipped over and fell, so she learned how to fall without injury. It wasn’t a lot, but she was indomitable. I fixed her up with a doorbell button that would ring the bell in my place, so I’d know she was in trouble. She wore the button around her neck, even in the tub. There are ways that work, if you use your best tool - your mind, and don’t give up! Just get and use what you need and be prepared! Be ready to help yourself.
Well done young lady! I read some of the negative reviews. But I applaud your efforts! I'm 74. I know many my age could not do some, or maybe even none of the techniques you showed us here. And for those, sadly, this video might not be of any help. THAT BEING SAID . . . I'm 74. In good health. Physdically strong. And knowing how many elderly people fall each year, I thank you for the gift you gave to all who could use your tips and tricks. ALSO . . . to those who LIVE WITH someone who cannot do these techniquest by themselves . . . if you find yourself needing to help up someone who fell, helping them do the techniques, and providing some support along with their efforts to do the technique will make it easier for YOU to help them up. Thank you for your gift, Rhonda. Wayne (Reed) Knazek
This is the second time I've watched this video. Thanks to you, I was able to get up from one of my three falls by myself. Being overweight and under-strong, I needed help to get up from the tumble I took outside (nothing to hang onto). The third time I was indoors, but needed help again. I'm re-watching this video to refresh my memory and add some tools to my toolkit. Thank you again.
That is what I do too. I'm old, have had a broken femur and knee, have a torn rotator cuff plus I am unfortunately overweight. I recently passed out in my bathroom and could not get up. Thank goodness for cell phones, I called the paramedics and they came and kindly got me up right away. I just can't see any of her methods working for me under the circumstances I had.
@@patriciamichelin7355 God bless you Pat! Thank heaven I've only fell a few times but like you I have had multiple injuries and bone on bone in my knees. I called 911 after crawling to the phone and the front door. They came quickly and got me up to a chair checked me over and asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I have a cell phone now! Take care!
Thanks for the tips. I have Had to call 911 twice after falls. I have a bad knee and couldn't get myself up. I fell two weeks ago but was able to pull myself on to the sofa. I was so proud of myself. I guess my knee is healing.
These are excellent strategies and bound to be very useful to many. I became a 'mono-pod" 8 years ago when I lost nearly all my right leg in a road accident. I have practiced getting up from the floor aided by amputee physiotherapists who showed me how to do it - but without two legs getting up to a kneeling position is just about impossible. Wearing a prosthetic leg it's a bit easier. However I must say you are light weight and trim so the moves look so easy for you. The heavier you are the more strength you need in your arms to get even to the first stage of getting up. I have found the best solution is 'prevention over cure' and I haven't fallen down yet in those 8 years from the age of 67 to 75 - I've still not hit the deck. In my youth I wasn't sporting and was regarded as having an over-developed sense of self-preservation. That served me well !
Videos like this one helps put ideas into the mind of people who otherwise feel very helpless. Of course not everyone is as fit or slightly built as this person but having an idea how to help yourself in a situation like this means even if it takes a long time putting any of these methods into practice it is better than just lying where you have fallen and doing nothing. Also now, before any fall, is the time to look around in the home so see what is available to help or indeed purchase something which can help. For example most speakers available currently won't take the weight of an adult human so maybe purchase a footstool or even a sturdy decorative ladder (like those used for towels or a pretty blanket) for help proving purchase to raise body height or even to reach a phone or a doorknob. Even tying a rope with knots (or a silk cord if a rope is too ugly) to a door knob or create another anchor point with a hook attached firmly to the wall - either will help lift someone up from the floor.
Thank you this helped so much I tripped over a plastic chair lying on the floor I fell on my back It’s quite embarrassing since I’m only 13 years old and I have to search up a UA-cam toturial on how to get up I was trying to get up for about ten minutes I finally pulled myself up holing onto the tv unit. Next time I will know what to do it helps for young people too.
Why all the complaints? Geez, if you are a fall risk, it’s up to you to make your space safe! Get rugs, carpet, safety bars, furniture or whatever is needed. This video shows ways to get up and they work! Practice, people.
An able-bodied person is not going to watch this for themselves and I think most people with physical disabilities will agree that most of these moves won't work
I must have missed something, I didn't see anyone complaining...I just saw some that had more severe disabilities and we asking if there was any tips they could use to help themselves up too.
@@artistaloca4 I agree that there could be others that these moves won't work for and they will need to find another way to help themselves up...but, this is so important for most of us elderly. I am elderly and I do strengthening exercises for my hands and my knees now...I started some time back now...when we all get older, we wind up with physical disabilities, but that doesn't mean that it will preclude us from using any of these methods to help ourselves get back up, after a fall, providing nothing is broken. So, if you aren't interested or you are physically fit and younger, you won't be interested in this video...the rest of us are.
I do floor stretches every evening before bed (really helps me sleep better). This forces me get off the floor at least once a day in order to maintain this critical skill.
I used to watch MacGyver religiously. I love his ingenuity. Some of these techniques would be hard for a very large person to use, if they could use them at all. But others are very useful to know. Thanks for the demo.
I thought that as well. Someone 300 lbs is just not going to be able to do those techniques. If they could find a large person to make a video for how large people can get up, that would be great.
I fell yesterday. I’m 80 with severe osteoarthritis in all my joints and heart failure. I bum shuffled two feet to the up stairs. I thought I could use the handrails, but didn’t have enough strength in my arms. So I yelled for help from my roommates, fortunately one was home. She’s a small person so couldn’t help, but brought me a phone. I phoned 911 who sent an ambulance with two strong paramedics who got me on my feet quickly and easily. They also checked me over. As I landed on my bum, it’s sore and I also twisted one knee. So I’m a little stiff and sore, but otherwise OK.
Watch the stair rail. My mom's acorn stair chair's battery died. She had a doctor's appointment, made it to the bottom of the stairs, and outside with help and to the doctors office. She came home, sat in her chair and 3/4ths the way up the chair quit. She managed to walk up the last 10 or so steps, hanging on to the stair railing, but right towards the top, with all her weight on the railing, the stupid cheap potted metal anchor broke. She was able to get to her walker and back to bed, no harm done. My whole point to this longish story is, if you put your whole weight on the stair rail, and it come free of the wall or brakes, you might tumble down the stairs and be in even worse shape.
Bravo Rhonda! I've been personal training for over 18 years and I love it when people like yourself take the time to put such helpful ideas out there for people to use. The biggest concern with most of my clients is getting up after a fall and balance. These are great suggestions and I commend you for sharing your knowledge. Well done!
Due to my "challenges" there was only one aid I could use and it came from the comments. Several people spoke of their success using a flat inflatable bed rolling onto it and then inflating it and getting to a sitting position. I have had too many falls and as I live alone I was once almost 20 hours on the floor before, luckily, my daughter came to check on me. Without water and also the meds I take I hallucinated and it was a difficult experience plus several weeks in hospital. I always keep a phone and water on a low shelf now. And I will go online to find a twin inflatable bed and place it beside them ready to inflate. I definately will have someone with me when I practice the inflatable bed rescue! Absolutely a solution I feel positive I can do alone! Thank you, dear people, for your wonderful advice. Thank you, dear instructor, for making this very informative video.
Ive had a stroke and live in a retirement home. Independent floor. I fell one night in the kitchen wearing only panties. I couldnt get up but i reached back beside the fridge and grabbed the broom and started banging on the wall with it, SOS SOS SOS in Morse code. My neighbor heard me, understood and called down to the desk and i was rescued.
I remember reading about a lady who lived alone on a property. She was a long distance from the house, fell and fractured her hip. Took 24 hours to crawl to the house while at risk of wild dogs. Often think of this lady as a role midel That is mental stamina and a very strong and determined lady. I've had fractures including a pelvis, but continued to walk for a week. A lot of pain control is in mind.
Thank you for sharing this knowledge!! I’m paralyzed from the chest down and many of the movements you use are similar to what I’ve learned over the years to do to get up off the ground. Bless you for helping others. 💕
What great tips! I live alone, need my right shoulder replaced & can't kneel or squat so I'm deathly afraid of falling. I want to try these but I'm afraid I won't be able to get up if get down purposely. It's scary living alone.
A: I hear you (as do many of us here as well). It can be just as 'solitary' when one's partner/spouse/companion is even more disabled or out of commission, so don't feel you are alone. We are legion. You might want to try a bit of stacking a few couch cushions (assuming they come off in order to do so), or scouting around for something you can also 'stack' but which might be softer to inch yourself towards, put your elbows (or wrists if you don't have issues there) to pull yourself up onto, and then further up onto a couch or chair. I think for many of us, keeping a cordless phone (or cellphone if you have one - I personally don't), within reach at all times, would be our best bet if a fall is severe enough. During my husband's long illness last year I would stuff my much too large cordless handset into my sweatpants' pocket when I took my dogs outside, especially in the freezing cold and icy conditions. Of course with my luck I'd land on it, shattering it into a thousand pieces, ;). Just a little aside: I make friends wherever I go, so I wonder if you don't have a friend you could have check in on you - or if you don't have someone close by you could frequent your local library or community theater, perhaps making friends in the process? There has to be a way for you to find like-minded people you could count on in an emergency. Much luck to you.
I need two shoulders replacing and I really am in terrible pain and I couldn’t do these recovery stuff…it’s ok for this healthy lady doing this but I couldn’t. I’m with you all the way about deathly afraid of falling.I’m 76
This video is helpful to me. During a recent fall I landed on my bum and into a small old box which partially collapsed and created a wall surrounding me and hindered me from rolling over and onto my hands and knees. What's more, I kept slipping on the carpet as I tried to get up. It took a bit of maneuvering until I was able to use the end board of my bed to pull myself up.
@@margaretlavender9647 the big problem here is not spelling. Emphasis on pain from arthritis or whatever should be indicated as the big problem when someone has fallen. She makes it look easy.
@@mousiebrown1747 I have knee replacement and I couldn't get up when I had a fall. Needed help. I may try these making sure I have two people around me. If you can fold your knees, you will be able to get up easily, no special technique required.
When I fell and couldn't get up I dragged myself to the top of the stairs and used the bannister to pull myself up. My little grandson who was with me thought it was a good move.
Just yesterday I sat down on the floor, and realized that due to a stiff knee I wasn’t going to hop up quickly. As I crawled toward a recliner chair I was thinking of this exact video. I saw it years ago, and was grateful for the tips I had picked up and still remembered. Just ran across it again. So glad to pick up some more info to remember!!
And thank you for helping unknown others with even just a bit of positivity. Can make such a difference in so many unpredictable situations... preparedness in so many ways goes a long way. I'm legally blind (impaired mid 70s) and a neighbor I'm a carer for has taught me so much more by her resourcefullness after falls.
I noticed many comments below from folks in my age range (70's) and older who talk about the loss of strength and stamina that come with ageing. This is one reason why I never stopped exercising. I do 150 minutes weekly, and rotate cardio, strength and flexibility exercises I find online. I use lots that are targeted for seniors, and work within my own range and ability. It's not fun, necessarily, but the alternative is more loss of balance and strength, so I exercise 6 days a week. Start slow, use common sense, and you can regain some independence and confidence in daily life.
Yes, of course. I am 77 and even though I am in great pain, I try to walk at the park a little and do some stretching exercises before I get out of bed and during the day.
I collapsed at the bottom of my long sloping garden. I found I was too weak to lift my head further than a few inches. So I rolled myself all the way up the garden, til at the top my neighbour heard me. I suppose adrenalin kicked in giving me the strength. I am 84
I am almost 80 years old with very little semi-circular canal function and I use the first method she showed all the time and specially for getting out of the bathtub. I do not have enough balance to safely stand in a tub of running water so I must bathe. After I get on my hands and knees I lean my head against the tube to help raise my body using the hand rails. Good video. Thank you Rhonda.
Nelda Rainey bless your heart! Keep going no matter how you have to go about it 🤗 I’ve used the step method many times myself and I’ve been paralyzed for almost 18 yrs now. It’s amazing how creative you can be in those moments. God gives us the strength. 😘🤗
I'm almost 70 and have used a lawn chair in the bathtub and used the shower for years now. I have a long history of falls an spinal surgeries, plus my right knee and shoulder have been rebuilt. You can sit in the chair or stand facing it and let the shower flow over your back, shoulders and/or hips ... feels great. I haven't been able to sit in the bathtub and/or get up from that position in a bath tub for over 20 years now. Having the chair there also helps you get out of the bathtub safely.
Maybe you can get shower/bath chair and sit on that in the tub instead of going down into the tub where you might not be able to get out. That and a handheld shower head would solve your problem, with the addition of a removable grab bar on the side of the tub. Amazon is full of these products. You can get a very tall vise-like grab bar that has one or two bars on it and screw it onto the side of the tub and hold onto that as you're stepping out of the tub frome the chair. The best part is that if you have medicare or medicaid, your over the counter drug plan likely includes these items for free from either a local drug store like walgreens with your flex card or from a catalog they send you that you can buy things from (blood pressure monitors, diabetes monitors, shower benches, braces, canes, etc.). Then you don't even have to worry about paying for the fortification of your bathroom to make it safer for you. I would also install a huge rubbermaid mat across the bottom of the tub just in case, as they are very slippery, and put one outside the tub as well so you don't slide on the floor getting out either. You can put grab bars anywhere you feel the need for extra assistance when using bathroom facilities.
@@Netafied Thank you. I have all these things now. Actually, I am still very able to turn onto my hands and knees and grab the bars to pull myself up and out. I really enjoy reading in the bathtub and sitting in the hot water. My problem is something that was present at birth and just gets worse and worse. I am fairly intelligent and have learned over the years what I need to do to keep myself safe. You are very kind to worry about me. I bet your kind suggests will be a big help to others reading your comments.
Love coming here every few weeks to see new comments. Think it’s safe to say what we've always heard....practice makes perfect. If a person has too much pain....doing nothing won’t improve the condition. Still too much pain, go to Plan B. Most important takeaway from Rhonda’s vid is...try something, but try it. All of us should, instead of a bouquet of flowers, bring our neighbors or relatives some safety devices. Instead of wearing a lovely watch fob, or locket worn at the breast, get a Bobbie's whistle, has a distinctive piercing sound, not much breath needed to activate. There are safety whistles that do require a big breath, but are loud enough to be heard for miles. Instead of a gift of flowers, bring to your loved one, a high beam/strobe light. Wear it if possible on a lanyard, or hang it within reach. Such a nice video because it gets you to thinkin'.
I'm 66 and trying to stay strong for things like this. I studied martial arts years ago and understand a lot about body motion, acceleration, etc. This is good stuff that all people should practice if they can. Stay moving as much as you can!
I'm 78 and overweight, but I think I can do most of these. People try to help you by pulling you up. With me that never works, I have to push up like these exercises. illustrate. Thanks for the tips.
I’m 72 and just last week I watched this video. Tonight I fell in the bedroom as I was going around the bottom corner of the bed and my foot somehow got entangled in the bedding and caught on the footboard. I was in a narrow space and couldn’t get on my hands and knees to crawl. I don’t have much upper body strength so I couldn’t pull myself up using the footboard. After thinking for awhile I buttwalked backwards to get up against a low chair. I tipped up the seat cushion so the seat would be even lower and then I used your trick with the books to get high enough to get onto the chair. It was a bit harder than you made it look because I’m broader than you are. But it worked and I was able to stand up. It’s a bad feeling to be helpless. I was glad to have a way to help myself when I got into trouble.
We are very sorry to learn that you fell. It makes us happy to learn the video provided you with ideas that allowed you to successfully get yourself upright again. Thank you for taking time to share your experience with us and with other viewers! We did speed up the video showing the book technique, making it look like it happens faster than it does, which we hope was understood by viewers. The truth is that many people spend days on the floor or sadly are not found in time, so it does not matter how long it takes to get up, only that you can creatively devise a solution, any solution, to help you successfully get back upright on your feet again, which you definitely did. We very much hope that this is the first and last time you experience a fall and find yourself in need of this knowledge. There are some other strategies, however, for you to be aware of that can assist to further enhance your safety if such an incident were to occur again and that can help to prevent the likelihood you would be waiting for more than a few hours for someone to stop by and help you if you could not find a way to get back up again (i.e. if an injury occurred during the fall). To learn more, visit our article: homeability.com/falls-how-to-get-off-the-floor/
My wife has been disabled for 16 years. She is a little heavier than she used to be. Falls are her worst enemy. Therapists have worked with her but no one has been able to teach her how to get up from a fall. It takes at least one very strong person, and usually two, to help her up. Your tips are nice, and maybe they'll help some people who, like you, are fit, trim, and mentally aware... but you should probably put some sort of disclaimer up for people who aren't. Either that or get a plus size model.
Thank you SO MUCH for this video. I have shared it with friends and family many times. I can personally attest that at least 4 of the methods here work, because we used them with my father, who is 87 and weighs close to 300 pounds and was recently hospitalized and needed a wheelchair. He fell, and it was only because I had seen this video that we were able to get him up again. Once it was outside, next to a short wall made of flat concrete bricks. I used the books technique with those bricks, dismantling the wall, until he was high enough to stand, with my help. His shorts got all muddy, but it worked!!!
We’re very happy to learn that you found the video helpful and grateful that you’re sharing it with others. Your use of the brick tower is a great example of creatively thinking outside of the box - very impressive! Many thanks for taking the time to share your story, so others can benefit too!
I was referred to the video by a friend, sending me a link after I suffered a fall 3 days ago. The video offered some great suggestions for getting up from the floor after a fall. However, the best suggestion for me on the video proved unsuitable for me as I am unable to kneel!!
I have knee pt next week. Bone on bone knee pain. Today I fell walking uphill by the driveway and was so embarrassed. Luckily I had my phone and called my brother to come help me. I was bitten by a few ants but no injuries. Good thing I have a chiropractor appointment this week.
These are fine for the average person who trips and falls but won't work for people who have limited mobility in their hips, knees or back issues, not to mention shoulder problems. How about some video featuring those issues. My husband is overweight, has limited use of his legs and recently fell. He is unable to rise to his knees and I couldn't lift or push him. The best I could do is get him to sit on a piece of cardboard and scoot himself to the back door, onto the porch where the steps went down and he could lower his legs, grab hold of the post and pull himself upright. It was either that or call the fire dept to come help him up.
Last week I fell in my garage. I injured both my knees and my left arm. No one lives nearby. I was laying in the narrow space between my car and a bank of cabinets. Without the use of my arm and being unable to get on my knees I was not able to stand up. I live alone and am 70 years old. I tried several times to get up, failing. I was able to drag myself over to a small step ladder and using my good arm slowly pulled myself up to a standing position. Fortunately nothing was broken but extremely painful. Oh, the temperature was 102 degrees that day. This has made my decision to move into senior housing where help is close by.
I make a point to review this video every year and at any point that I am experiencing significant knee pain. One point that this wonderful lady fails to mention is the emotional and psychological aspects of falling. It's so important to practice getting up with someone able to help you if needed. Practice really helps remove some of the fear. It is as important to calm yourself if you're on the floor because panic prevents you from making the best choices -- I've only fallen once and literally laid on the floor for several minutes carefully assessing myself for injury, and consciously let my heart rate slow down and my mind clear. I was able to get up on a single try which was such a huge relief -- I understand that that may not happen next time but it does make me feel a little more confident should it happen again. A review and a few more ideas: PRACTICE with someone capable of helping you if needed; take time to CALM YOURSELF to reduce panic and think clearly; REVIEW these and any other techniques your doctor or physical therapist advises you; finally you can call 911 to get trained assistance getting up (we did this several times for my mother who was frail and used a walker). Be prepared, have a plan, practice. Good luck.
I only have one arm, hand and shoulder that works. My worst fall left me lying on the road for over an hour. The next one was in a deep bathtub. I broke two ribs getting out of that bath. It was either the ribs or I would have died in the tub as there was no other way out. Even that took hours to achieve. Unfortunately none of these would have worked but hopefully most are not as disabled.
Goodness, I hope you are ok and on the mend. You need a nice low 'walk in shower' with a plastic chair to sit on, to help you be less prone to falling. I'm in my early 60's and thank god the last few times I fell, I got shaken up, but am flexible (clutzy) that through out life I've more or less learned how to roll with the fall and not get injured. My nephew who is 31 was talking about how traumatic it was for him70self when he fell recently. I had to have a little chuckle, and told him it only gets more traumatic each decade that you live, the falls get more painful. When my grandmother was in her 70s she fell on a walk in the mountains, thankfully my father was with her, and he must have been in his 40's and he is a big football player type. He carried her down the mountain. My grandmother was more or less ok, but had a lot of bruised ribs and she said it hurt a lot when she had to breathe deeply.
Having gone through months of PT after a life-threatening car accident (I was in a wheelchair for 3.5 most), I applaud this video. I would add two other tactics: first, use your imagination when finding a stable object you can use in order to get back on your feet (the MacGyver move). Think outside the box. It's a lot easier to flip onto your stomach than on your back; second, use your body weight, counter balance and gravity to reorient yourself into a position that will get you upright. Great video!
I'm 73 and I practice getting up without assistance, I have to prove to myself that I'm still physically able to upright myself without assistance just for my peace of mind.
Fine if you’re young and thin. I’m overweight and have arthritis in my shoulders. I have, however, gotten myself up by rolling over onto my knees and crawling to the couch. I also have used a chair for my mother. Getting her halfway up was the key.
Yes, having two frail elderly parents is a hazard. Once Mum lost her balance walking back on a pillow, sidestepped it, but found herself on the other pillow, where she fell down and had a compound fracture to her wrist. She had to have a plate put in. She also has osteoporosis in her hip/lower spine and the surgeon said she did the right thing landing on her wrist in that case. She mended well, but I am in my late sixties now and struggle to get up off the floor as well. I am overweight with arthritic knees and hips. I can see that when you get older your arm and leg strength leave you and it becomes very difficult to lift yourself up, using arms and shoulders or legs and hips. I find hands and knees crawling to a lower table the most helpful, however wonder what ideas you might have if you fall in a hallway or bathroom? Several friends of my parents have ended up overnight there and unfortunately were hospitalised but never made it. It is a huge risk for the elderly.
This video was excellent but not for everyone that falls...too many with bad knees, no upper body strength, surgeries etc. appreciate the tips she has shown us and it may come in handy to help someone else...I too am overweight and without help none of them would have worked for me...thankful for a strong son in law and grandson right next door but then you'd better have your phone on your person....
See my comment, this will work well for you. I and my mom are both pretty weak people.( she is 5'4" around 200lbs. I am a buck 80), she has bad knees and hip replacements. (Falling is always contingent with after effects that do not go away.)- my mom has a cheap beeper that she call me with, which could be worn like a necklace.
Once my wife fell trying to get in her wheel chair at home. I had an inflatable bed in the room and she was too heavy for me to lift. So I deflated the bed flat, we both got her on the bed and then the built in pump inflated the bed again to where I could get her in her chair again.
I watch this every year to review these techniques. Even in that amount of time, I forget some of them. I need to go to every six months now that I'm over 60.
I wouldn't have a problem getting up in a living room with furniture. I have slipped on ice in a parking lot, with no cars near, & could not ger up because it was icy & slippery & I'm not small, like this lady. Had to crawl on my knees to a car, hold onto door handle & try to get up. It took forever!!!
I too have trouble getting up of the floor. Not necessarily because I had fallen but because I was doing something down on the floor. I saw the way my grandchildren were getting up when they were learning to stand and walk. Roll over on your stomach, bend you knees and pull your legs under you, then push up with your hands and legs and stand. All of your methods require using nearby objects. That is not always possible. It works for me. I am 86
I was outside in the flower bed, used the bookshelf method with the bricks that lined the flowerbed and was able to build my sitting position high enough to be able to get up! And I was 67 years old at the time. I weighed 180 lbs. AND was still recovering from Covid so I wasn’t at my strongest. But I wasn’t giving up! 😊
This video does such a great job of emphasizing innovative mindset. I had just fallen 2wks ago while I was on an exercise ball as the ball slipped out from under me. I hit the floor hard directly on my tailbone and was instantly in so much pain. I had to lay there for an hour for me to get "used to the pain" enough for me to decide to get myself up. I used a yoga mat nearby as cushion for my hands and knees to push myself up by folding it to the desired thickness (helpful for those who have knee issues, this alleviate pain from direct contact with hard floors.) I was also able to grab a hand towel nearby, folded it twice lengthwise, and place this under my knees. This allowed me to slide my knees one by one across the room to the couch without having to lift up my knees (I couldn't repeatedly lift my knees to crawl without causing extreme pain from my new injury.) Once I was able to get to the couch, I did a combination of lifting/pushing myself up, whatever it took. Instincts take over, but having that seed of innovation planted in our heads is helpful and gets us actively thinking and observing our surroundings.
One year ago as a 79 year old, I woke from a day nap and could not move! Having no phone ( I HATE PHONES!), could not speak and barely move, it took 12+ hours to "wiggle" from the recliner to a computer 8 feet away. Once in the computer chair, took another hour to open email and after numerous tries to type ONE word to a local friend (HELP!), she understood and called an ambulance. After 7 days in a hospital, the stroke was controlled and relearning began. As an afterthought, If I could have reached for my car keys (6 feet away), I could have pressed the "panic" button to alert a neighbor 100 feet away to the beeping horn. I now have a "Medic Alert" to signal for help if needed. The excellent advice in this video may save YOUR life someday!
Such a valuable set of ideas I fell a few months ago and refused to let my husband call for help. It took me an hour but I figured out a way to get up. I've been looking for help like this. Thank you
This has a lot of helpful hints but as a nurse I know these only work with a few people. The problem with many people who find themselves in these situations is that they no longer have the flexibility, cognition or strength to carry out these manoeuvres. Also people with mobility issues should not use chairs like the Ikea chair. They are poorly designed and unstable and the fall is most likely caused by the person trying to get out of the chair in the first place.
This is OUTSTANDING! What a great resource for individuals who live alone and may be susceptible to falls. THANK YOU, Rhonda B., for taking the time to record this and share it with the public.
Just this past Monday I fell in my bath and layed on the floor for 1 hour and 45 min. I had to scoot on my back to my kitchen where my telephone was. By the time I had gotten there my blood sugar had fallen. I was shaking . I just across your video. Oh how I wish that I had seen this before. I am so sore but thankful that I had no broken bones. Your video will be helpful ,, trusting I will not fall again but have a real balance issue. Thank You so much for sharing to UA-cam.
Thank you for taking the time to share your story with others. We very much hope that you do not experience any more falls.🙏 You noted that you have underlying balance issues, which may increase the likelihood of experiencing a fall. There is an article on our website that provides tips for setting up a buddy system, as well as additional strategies for surviving a fall. See: homeability.com/falls-how-to-get-off-the-floor/
Lovely informative video. I wish I had seen it sooner. I fell on hardwood floor after having both knees replaced & couldn't put weight or stress on them to get up. The book tower would have been perfect. I have both complete series of "Harry Potter" & "Shadowhunters" in hardback. I could have gotten up in a fraction of the time it took me.😀😘
Awe, Bless your heart...I love it when people really appreciate someone trying to help us, when we get older, by putting up a video like this, so when we do get into trouble, we don't have to be so afraid and can most likely remember these, or at least enough of them, to help ourselves back up. The people that don't seem to agree, I guess will wind up with someone taking care of them...I don't want that...I still want my independence!!😊🙏💖
Some of us have to learn to be self sufficient since there IS no one coming home to help us out. I think some of the Negative Nellie's have not had to learn to find a way (as in are not resilient) because there is always someone to rescue them. Sign me Not young, not thin, not fit, a couple of types of arthritis and intermittent, frequent profound weakness (think Superman and Kryptonite) and alone not expecting a Knight in Shining Armor. Thanks for a great video..
I agree. Make sure you fall where you have these helper objects available within arms reach - LOL!! You may find yourself unable to reach anything helpful to pull yourself up. Good luck!!
These are really good but you are in great shape. What about getting some volunteers of the age and health state of your target audience? That would help us see that I works for all.
Only 2 days after watching this video I actually tripped over in a car park and fell full length. I asked my partner to get the esky out of the car and was able to easily get myself upright by using this. Thank you
Sorry to hear you fell! We are happy to hear the video helped you find your own "MacGyver" inspired solution to get yourself back upright. Thank you for taking the time to share your story!
Get WHAT out of the car? What is an "esky?" And what if you fall out in the yard, away from ANYTHING?! i fell on my back out in the yard recently, and was able to turn over, get on all fours, and push myself up, but I don't know how long I'll be able to do that, so far, so good, but I'm heavier now and I've had a knee replacement. I've started carrying my cell phone with me when I go out to the big back (pasture) but I guess I'd have to crawl to a fence and help myself up, in time. I just started doing some exercises to strengthen old muscles that used to be strong when I was an athlete! This helpful video has encouraged me to exercise more so I won't worry about falling and not being able to get up again! That's really scary! I've learned to slow down (I rushed my whole life!) that's been difficult, but I tripped once on a cobblestone and flew up and crashed into my garage and broke my upper right arm so WILL slow down now and watch where my feet are going, it does help a lot!
An esky is a common term in Australia for a cool box. Obviously it isn't an international term since you don't seem to know what one is. It also doesn't matter what it is but it provided the means for me to get up. Yes you could always ask the questions you put forward. My point was that the video made me think outside the box and was pertinent to my situation.
So, an esky is an ice chest/cooler?
[See Vanessa's explantion above.] An “esky" is another name for a portable cooler -- an insulated container used for keeping food and drinks cool (aka ice box, ice chest, cool box, chilly bin). Vanessa definitely demonstrated fantastic MacGyver-style “out of the box thinking” skills when using the cooler in her car trunk as an aid to get herself up.
When my mother fell and my sister couldn’t get her up, she remembered the aero bed we had. She laid it on the floor, rolled my mother on to it and inflated the bed. My mom then sat up, swung her legs over and stood up. I thought that was genius!
@Peg, Rock on!
Thank you for the information
Thank you so much , it just helped my partner who has severe mobility issues after he fell on the floor. You just saved us ringing a ambulance thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️ xx
Such a clever idea
Great ideas! Thank you.
I was a bit disappointed in some of the comments to this video. Yes, the young lady doing the demonstrations is very fit and capable, however, the important part of the video for me was the mindset she was advocating. Think like MacGyver! It is amazing what you can do if you are creative. I am in my 80s and have fallen several times, but only once was I unable to get up without help (because of the twisting of my body in the fall). Usually there is something in your environment that can be used in a creative way. It's not always easy, but knowledge is power and it's amazing what you can do if you get creative and are not seriously hurt. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.
I agree. Knowledge is powerful. Love your comment☺️👍🏾✨
Having a recent fall, totally embarrassing, outside on my lawn, but landed in gravel. I could not get up no matter what I tried. Having two hip replacements & badly needing a torn ACL or total knee replacement, I was helpless trying to get up despite getting to my knees. I could not get any purchase on the side of my house, so crawled back on all fours to a chain link fence thru gravel & with all my strength pulled myself up. All I could think of was , ‘ I hope my neighbours didn’t see me!’ Man, it sure is challenging getting older!
This lady don't weigh 120 kgs and 75 almost years like my mum with arithritis
@@josephdemirbas1636 Exactly, it depends on what condition you are in. I envy those who are younger & capable of getting themselves up from a fall.
Thankfully it seems you are ok. I'm sure it was a challenge, mentally and emotionally and physically. Yes getting older is kind of no fun, in a lot of ways.
These were great! As an RN I have taken care of elderly hospitalized after falls, not from the fall, but from staying down. Learning to keep your wits and use what you do have is so important! I knew one lady who fell outside and scooted on her bottom and pulled herself up using a small tree. We all need to encourage elderly to use what they DO have and not give up. Outstanding video IMO 😊
I am elderly, over weight, and disabled with knee replacements, pinched sciatic nerve and bad hips. I fell yesterday, and hip scooted to the bed, grabbed a pillow, twisted around and put my bad knee on the pillow, dragged my right foot( with fused big toe and ankle) into place with my right hand) then pushed with arms and leg to get off the floor. Hell yes it hurt, but I persevered. My dignity and independence is very important to me. I say thank you to the young lady for taking time to help us old folks, no matter what shoes she had on. If you don’t try, you die!
Not for nothing, but she did say these are not for everybody and their conditions, but to the best of her ability she was trying to help those who have some strength and mobility in different parts of their body to find an easy way to get up. And I give her credit for that😊
I agree this may help a person with no pains in their knees or legs. I sure would like to see a person who has extreme pain in there knees like many of us, try to get up from any of these falls. With what you have shown to us. Of course you csn do it because you have no pain.
How about trying to get up with two bad knees and a broken hand (from the fall), with a head injury making me lose consciousness on and off too. Thank goodness for the Police and Ambos. I was a wet cold night too and I think their early intervention saved my life that night.
The true reason many of us watched this video is probably because we're in pain, fall a lot, are overweight & cannot get ourselves upright.
I'm 68 and never thought this would be a problem. Now I realize that it is. Getting old sucks.
It does suck xx
I’m in a telephone circle. Each day at 8.30 pm I’m get a phone call. After this call I call the next one in the circle, and that one calls the next. And so on until the circle is closed. So I wouldn’t lay on the ground for longer than a day. But the tips are great.
So today I found myself on my back in the bathroom. Luckily I remembered your video, turned on my side , pulled over a bath mat, and grabbed hold of the tub. I got up without sliding and instantly thought of you! Thank you 😊
I hope all the "doubting Thomas's here, read this and know, this video is so helpful for all of us...TY so much💖
I hope everyone watches this video…its been months since I watched. I fell this week & I didn’t wait to try to get up. I remembered this video, and I managed to get up. I used what I had and before the pain set in I was up! Bleeding & feeling some pain, but I was able to get to the phone. I now take the phone with me everywhere, even the bathroom!
lol my phone is with me as well called prevention and less stress for sure ..fyi
Glad to hear you got up okay.
At 77 I fell in front garden on gravel, no one passes here, and I can’t kneel, could not haul myself up against locked car or front door (luckily open) so I had to shuffle on my bum using elbows for leverage into house and through to living room where I pulled cushion off armchair and levered myself backwards, like a board, onto the base of the chair. It took me 45 minutes and bloodied elbows but I did it.
I am 78 and still ride my horse !!!
@@barbaramorris5636 well good for you Karen
I recently broke my dominant arm in a fall while outside on my deck. I knew there would be a good chance that I would not get help for some time since I live by myself. I decided to use the adrenaline in my body to get myself up. I am 70 years old and have had two knee replacements. I truly "rigged" my escape using the deck furniture. I must say it was very painful to get up but I was determined. I had surgery two weeks later and had 14 screws placed in the plate. I'm still having OT and I am recovering nicely. The wakeup call for me was this. I need to increase my endurance, balance and strength significantly. I bought a watch where I can summon help, if needed. It is time to be accountable.
Thanks for sharing. Good on you for not giving up.
This all looks easy for her . She's young thin, has strong arms and legs and back.
Older people fall with no arm strength. Weak or partial use of legs. And over weight.
Most have trouble getting out of chairs. These tactics are worth learning if you can do them. I recommend an alert button
You wear it and fire dept get you up at no cost if it's just to get you up and not transport to hosp.
Thank you for the tips. It looks easy when a young person does it I would like to see a video with an older over weight person use these steps. Oh, and my sofa is much high than that one you are using for the demonstration. This video did give me some thing to think about though.
I don't have a right arm due to a stroke. One time I fell off the toilet. I had to walk on my back to get to my bed where l was able to get on my bed with left leg and arm. It took awhile, maybe about an hour. But no injuries. Thank God!
I'm 70, 5'2" and weigh almost 250. A couple of years ago I was working with my sheep out in the pasture.when the ram hit me. I stepped on a large round stone and heard and felt my ankle break. Bum knees and rocks meant no crawling so I locked my legs together and "log rolled" to the fence. From there I was able to butt scoot to a wagon. I got on the wagon backward so I could push with my good leg until I got to help. I was pretty dang pleased with my accomplishment. That log roll was very useful for a long distance with no available supports. It was much less tireing as well.
Yikes! That sounds TERRIBLE - starting with the physical blow from the ram through to the end! Thank your for sharing your story and your self-rescue tricks.
I liked the fact *you kept persevering* & didn't just crumble & cry.
The fact that you were out ram wrestling in your 60’s says you’re more mobile than some persons half your age!😂
WOW.
YOU ARE PRETTY OVERWEIGHT FOR YOUR HEIGHT
TOO, HUH?
IT'S OKAY. I WEIGH ALMOST 400 LBS. AND CAN'T EVEN GET UP TO TAKE A SHIT. LET ALONE HERD SHEEP.
BRAVO!
I'M GOING TO LOG ROLL MYSELF TO THE KITCHEN NOW..- I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT FALLING OR GETTING UP NOW!
THANKS!
Wow!! You are amazing 🤩
My mother is 85 years old and with less than ideal mobility, thank you so much for these tips. My sister and I will immediately start practicing these techniques with our mom to have her ready in case of an emergency. God bless!
DIN'T THROW HER ON THE FLOOR THOUGH.
GET HER DRUNK FIRST.
PLEASE.
AND THANK YOU.
Wow you and your sisters are good daughters.
Everyone over 55 should see this. I had occasion to use the book tower to get myself off the floor onto my stairs. Thank you for taking the time to make this video, It's worth it's weight in gold.
Being very over weight and in my mid 70's I find this video very helpful. What I do when I am on the floor is remove sofa cushions, get my butt up on a cushion lay back onto the couch where the cushions were, swing my legs onto couch and stand up.
After watching your video I realize I could go to my front door which has an immediate step down to the porch. Sitting in doorway with my feet down on porch and door frame to hang onto I should be able to get up. Thanks so much for this video.
MY SMARTASS KID TOLD ME I SHOULD SRAY ON THE FOOR UNTIL MY OBESITY WASN'T MORBID ANYMORE.
ORMAYBE IT WAS UNTIL I WAS MORBID.
DAMN.
DO YOU THINK HE WANTS MY HOUSE?
Great video.
As an Orthopedic surgeon, I think after age 70, one should monitor not only bone density but also be referred to PT to practice balance work and these important techniques.
I would always ask my older patients, "Can you get up on your feet from flat on the floor?"
Practice every two months.
Stay active, even if just a daily walk.
I think your comment is one of the best here in this collection of commenters.
WHATT......you gotta be kiddin me. Sport and exercise through our life prevents all this.
And yes I can get up from the floor at 78.
Most of these moves require much more core strength than most elders possess.
I have purchased walkers & canes at thrift stores, keep them strategically located around the house. Everytime I have to get down on my knees I make sure there is a four point walker by me. I use it for support to get down, and then back up. I have a two story house, at the bottom of the stairs I have a heavy duty rubber matt about half inch thick & about 4 by 5 feet wide, in case of a fall I will not hit the hard tile. I actually did this when our son was young to protect him, and have kept it for my wife & I.
I'm 71 years young and am recovering from a fall with concussion. Five months later I fell in the garage. My left leg was paralyzed. I had to forward frog walk until I could get back inside. Still slowly recovering but tried all the techniques and was finally able to get inside and get help. Thanks so much for repeating this older training module.
When I fall it can take me hours to get up I have bad legs,hips, knees this video doesn't show how people with weaknesses should go about trying to help themselves get up
Great video. I’ve fallen several times and had a very hard time figuring how to get up. I’m 74 and have poor balance. Live alone, too. I think for me, not panic and try these different technics to get up.
Sometimes the fall happens outside and you injured your body. This happened to me...I tripped over something. I just lay there and waited, no phone because I didn't expect to need it so close to the house. First I thanked God it wasn't raining then I told Him that it looked like no one might walk by so early. I decided to take deep breaths and admired the greenery, since that was all I could do. And to my surprise and to the surprise of a nbr who was walking past with his pup, (he did a double take) lol and helped me up. Then I ended up in ER just in case I might have broken something. The lessons learned: Take your phone With you, always watch your step, Pray, keep calm and Breathe.
If anyone reading this is too weak or too large to get up, PLEASE go into PT to gain strength and learn the skills. You can do this!
This is so nice of you, to take the time out of you life, to teach us Seniors, the problems we can run into, after falling! Thank you so much! You are such a CHAMP!
HOW OLD IS A SENOR?
SENORITA.
I think I first saw this video back when you first posted it and I'm so happy to find it again. I've had a number of falls over the years, and one of them resulted in me lying on the floor for over an hour. It's a scary feeling, not being able to get up. So I'm saving your video to a playlist so that I can watch it again multiple times, to fix the ideas in my head.
Interestingly, most comments seem to focus on the “I can’t” instead of setting the stage so you can, ,and then practice. Yes, there are those who truly can’t, but her point is, there are millions of ways your own imagination will figure out how to do it, IF, you let it. I’m 85, and not too nimble or quick any more, but if I had to, I believe I would find a way.
I used to manage a 60 unit Sr. Apt building whose tenants were a minimum of 65, with most older. What most people don’t understand is the determination of these folks to live on their own despite the difficulties and/or risks, most would have difficulty getting back up if they fell. So would I! Our building was only 3 stories high, but in an emergency, if the elevator quit, those on the 3rd or even the 2nd floor would be toast if they were dependent on their wheel chairs. The best I could do is make them aware of the risks and the best way to regain enough mobility to save their own lives. The keys were-knowledge, training and practice. I held regular classes to help my tenants gain those keys, and we practiced! We started by learning the ways to get up off the floor so they could be mobile. There was one older woman who often tipped over and fell, so she learned how to fall without injury. It wasn’t a lot, but she was indomitable. I fixed her up with a doorbell button that would ring the bell in my place, so I’d know she was in trouble. She wore the button around her neck, even in the tub.
There are ways that work, if you use your best tool - your mind, and don’t give up! Just get and use what you need and be prepared! Be ready to help yourself.
Bless you for this important work! Helping seniors help themselves. :-) Awesome and you certainly are a caring person
Thanks, Frank! You are a gem. I'm glad your residents are getting help.
I played this Video for my 84-year old friend who was stuck on the floor. It helped her think through The correct steps to get herself up! Thanks!
We are happy to learn that it was helpful for your friend. Thank you for sharing!
At 71 I've fallen multiple times and luckily been able to get up. These were all new to me. Thank you!
Well done young lady! I read some of the negative reviews. But I applaud your efforts! I'm 74. I know many my age could not do some, or maybe even none of the techniques you showed us here. And for those, sadly, this video might not be of any help. THAT BEING SAID . . . I'm 74. In good health. Physdically strong. And knowing how many elderly people fall each year, I thank you for the gift you gave to all who could use your tips and tricks. ALSO . . . to those who LIVE WITH someone who cannot do these techniquest by themselves . . . if you find yourself needing to help up someone who fell, helping them do the techniques, and providing some support along with their efforts to do the technique will make it easier for YOU to help them up. Thank you for your gift, Rhonda. Wayne (Reed) Knazek
It sucks getting old when I find myself watching these videos.
Tks for the information 🌺🇿🇦
This is the second time I've watched this video. Thanks to you, I was able to get up from one of my three falls by myself. Being overweight and under-strong, I needed help to get up from the tumble I took outside (nothing to hang onto). The third time I was indoors, but needed help again. I'm re-watching this video to refresh my memory and add some tools to my toolkit. Thank you again.
Forget that bone against bone in knees I call the paramedics
This young woman has never broken her leg femur
Same problem with me😮😮😮
That is what I do too. I'm old, have had a broken femur and knee, have a torn rotator cuff plus I am unfortunately overweight. I recently passed out in my bathroom and could not get up. Thank goodness for cell phones, I called the paramedics and they came and kindly got me up right away. I just can't see any of her methods working for me under the circumstances I had.
@@patriciamichelin7355 God bless you Pat! Thank heaven I've only fell a few times but like you I have had multiple injuries and bone on bone in my knees. I called 911 after crawling to the phone and the front door. They came quickly and got me up to a chair checked me over and asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I have a cell phone now! Take care!
Thanks for the tips. I have Had to call 911 twice after falls. I have a bad knee and couldn't get myself up. I fell two weeks ago but was able to pull myself on to the sofa. I was so proud of myself. I guess my knee is healing.
Or you're getting stronger...WTG😊
These are excellent strategies and bound to be very useful to many. I became a 'mono-pod" 8 years ago when I lost nearly all my right leg in a road accident. I have practiced getting up from the floor aided by amputee physiotherapists who showed me how to do it - but without two legs getting up to a kneeling position is just about impossible. Wearing a prosthetic leg it's a bit easier. However I must say you are light weight and trim so the moves look so easy for you. The heavier you are the more strength you need in your arms to get even to the first stage of getting up. I have found the best solution is 'prevention over cure' and I haven't fallen down yet in those 8 years from the age of 67 to 75 - I've still not hit the deck. In my youth I wasn't sporting and was regarded as having an over-developed sense of self-preservation. That served me well !
Videos like this one helps put ideas into the mind of people who otherwise feel very helpless. Of course not everyone is as fit or slightly built as this person but having an idea how to help yourself in a situation like this means even if it takes a long time putting any of these methods into practice it is better than just lying where you have fallen and doing nothing. Also now, before any fall, is the time to look around in the home so see what is available to help or indeed purchase something which can help. For example most speakers available currently won't take the weight of an adult human so maybe purchase a footstool or even a sturdy decorative ladder (like those used for towels or a pretty blanket) for help proving purchase to raise body height or even to reach a phone or a doorknob. Even tying a rope with knots (or a silk cord if a rope is too ugly) to a door knob or create another anchor point with a hook attached firmly to the wall - either will help lift someone up from the floor.
Allie B Someone needs to wise up and show an elderly person in the same situation, not a young, lightweight like in this video. 😋
Thank you this helped so much I tripped over a plastic chair lying on the floor I fell on my back It’s quite embarrassing since I’m only 13 years old and I have to search up a UA-cam toturial on how to get up I was trying to get up for about ten minutes I finally pulled myself up holing onto the tv unit. Next time I will know what to do it helps for young people too.
I've fallen many times in my life and used a few of these mentioned, they work great. I like your creativity with the MacGyver ideas.
Why all the complaints? Geez, if you are a fall risk, it’s up to you to make your space safe! Get rugs, carpet, safety bars, furniture or whatever is needed. This video shows ways to get up and they work! Practice, people.
An able-bodied person is not going to watch this for themselves and I think most people with physical disabilities will agree that most of these moves won't work
I must have missed something, I didn't see anyone complaining...I just saw some that had more severe disabilities and we asking if there was any tips they could use to help themselves up too.
@@artistaloca4 I agree that there could be others that these moves won't work for and they will need to find another way to help themselves up...but, this is so important for most of us elderly. I am elderly and I do strengthening exercises for my hands and my knees now...I started some time back now...when we all get older, we wind up with physical disabilities, but that doesn't mean that it will preclude us from using any of these methods to help ourselves get back up, after a fall, providing nothing is broken. So, if you aren't interested or you are physically fit and younger, you won't be interested in this video...the rest of us are.
I have to apologize, Slash...I just found the complaining people...they were just down further...please forgive me for being so hasty!!😊
I do floor stretches every evening before bed (really helps me sleep better). This forces me get off the floor at least once a day in order to maintain this critical skill.
I used to watch MacGyver religiously. I love his ingenuity. Some of these techniques would be hard for a very large person to use, if they could use them at all. But others are very useful to know. Thanks for the demo.
I thought that as well. Someone 300 lbs is just not going to be able to do those techniques. If they could find a large person to make a video for how large people can get up, that would be great.
I fell yesterday. I’m 80 with severe osteoarthritis in all my joints and heart failure. I bum shuffled two feet to the up stairs. I thought I could use the handrails, but didn’t have enough strength in my arms. So I yelled for help from my roommates, fortunately one was home. She’s a small person so couldn’t help, but brought me a phone. I phoned 911 who sent an ambulance with two strong paramedics who got me on my feet quickly and easily. They also checked me over. As I landed on my bum, it’s sore and I also twisted one knee. So I’m a little stiff and sore, but otherwise OK.
Watch the stair rail. My mom's acorn stair chair's battery died. She had a doctor's appointment, made it to the bottom of the stairs, and outside with help and to the doctors office. She came home, sat in her chair and 3/4ths the way up the chair quit. She managed to walk up the last 10 or so steps, hanging on to the stair railing, but right towards the top, with all her weight on the railing, the stupid cheap potted metal anchor broke. She was able to get to her walker and back to bed, no harm done. My whole point to this longish story is, if you put your whole weight on the stair rail, and it come free of the wall or brakes, you might tumble down the stairs and be in even worse shape.
Bravo Rhonda! I've been personal training for over 18 years and I love it when people like yourself take the time to put such helpful ideas out there for people to use. The biggest concern with most of my clients is getting up after a fall and balance. These are great suggestions and I commend you for sharing your knowledge. Well done!
Due to my "challenges" there was only one aid I could use and it came from the comments. Several people spoke of their success using a flat inflatable bed rolling onto it and then inflating it and getting to a sitting position. I have had too many falls and as I live alone I was once almost 20 hours on the floor before, luckily, my daughter came to check on me. Without water and also the meds I take I hallucinated and it was a difficult experience plus several weeks in hospital. I always keep a phone and water on a low shelf now. And I will go online to find a twin inflatable bed and place it beside them ready to inflate. I definately will have someone with me when I practice the inflatable bed rescue! Absolutely a solution I feel positive I can do alone! Thank you, dear people, for your wonderful advice. Thank you, dear instructor, for making this very informative video.
Ive had a stroke and live in a retirement home. Independent floor. I fell one night in the kitchen wearing only panties. I couldnt get up but i reached back beside the fridge and grabbed the broom and started banging on the wall with it, SOS SOS SOS in Morse code. My neighbor heard me, understood and called down to the desk and i was rescued.
Everyone should be taught SOS in morse code.
Next time, yell as loud as you can 'HELP' ! No shame in falling, you didn't do it on purpose.
I remember reading about a lady who lived alone on a property.
She was a long distance from the house, fell and fractured her hip.
Took 24 hours to crawl to the house while at risk of wild dogs. Often think of this lady as a role midel
That is mental stamina and a very strong and determined lady.
I've had fractures including a pelvis, but continued to walk for a week.
A lot of pain control is in mind.
always carry a charged cell phone or personal "siren" to make noise!
I have a tendency of falling.
I'm a 75 year old woman.
Thank you, I learned a lot.
I'll remember that for next time.
Thank you for sharing this knowledge!! I’m paralyzed from the chest down and many of the movements you use are similar to what I’ve learned over the years to do to get up off the ground.
Bless you for helping others. 💕
Wish You everything good in lite🤗
Life!!
What great tips! I live alone, need my right shoulder replaced & can't kneel or squat so I'm deathly afraid of falling. I want to try these but I'm afraid I won't be able to get up if get down purposely. It's scary living alone.
A: I hear you (as do many of us here as well). It can be just as 'solitary' when one's partner/spouse/companion is even more disabled or out of commission, so don't feel you are alone. We are legion. You might want to try a bit of stacking a few couch cushions (assuming they come off in order to do so), or scouting around for something you can also 'stack' but which might be softer to inch yourself towards, put your elbows (or wrists if you don't have issues there) to pull yourself up onto, and then further up onto a couch or chair. I think for many of us, keeping a cordless phone (or cellphone if you have one - I personally don't), within reach at all times, would be our best bet if a fall is severe enough. During my husband's long illness last year I would stuff my much too large cordless handset into my sweatpants' pocket when I took my dogs outside, especially in the freezing cold and icy conditions. Of course with my luck I'd land on it, shattering it into a thousand pieces, ;). Just a little aside: I make friends wherever I go, so I wonder if you don't have a friend you could have check in on you - or if you don't have someone close by you could frequent your local library or community theater, perhaps making friends in the process? There has to be a way for you to find like-minded people you could count on in an emergency. Much luck to you.
I need two shoulders replacing and I really am in terrible pain and I couldn’t do these recovery stuff…it’s ok for this healthy lady doing this but I couldn’t. I’m with you all the way about deathly afraid of falling.I’m 76
This video is helpful to me. During a recent fall I landed on my bum and into a small old box which partially collapsed and created a wall surrounding me and hindered me from rolling over and onto my hands and knees. What's more, I kept slipping on the carpet as I tried to get up. It took a bit of maneuvering until I was able to use the end board of my bed to pull myself up.
🙃 The woman in the demonstration is far to healthy. You should try with arthritis in every joint.....................................
TOO healthy…. I agree, but spell it correctly.
Or bad knees
@@margaretlavender9647 the big problem here is not spelling. Emphasis on pain from arthritis or whatever should be indicated as the big problem when someone has fallen. She makes it look easy.
@@mousiebrown1747 I have knee replacement and I couldn't get up when I had a fall. Needed help. I may try these making sure I have two people around me. If you can fold your knees, you will be able to get up easily, no special technique required.
@@margaretlavender9647 I think it was a typing error.
When I fell and couldn't get up I dragged myself to the top of the stairs and used the bannister to pull myself up. My little grandson who was with me thought it was a good move.
Just yesterday I sat down on the floor, and realized that due to a stiff knee I wasn’t going to hop up quickly. As I crawled toward a recliner chair I was thinking of this exact video. I saw it years ago, and was grateful for the tips I had picked up and still remembered.
Just ran across it again. So glad to pick up some more info to remember!!
And thank you for helping unknown others with even just a bit of positivity. Can make such a difference in so many unpredictable situations... preparedness in so many ways goes a long way. I'm legally blind (impaired mid 70s) and a neighbor I'm a carer for has taught me so much more by her resourcefullness after falls.
I noticed many comments below from folks in my age range (70's) and older who talk about the loss of strength and stamina that come with ageing. This is one reason why I never stopped exercising. I do 150 minutes weekly, and rotate cardio, strength and flexibility exercises I find online. I use lots that are targeted for seniors, and work within my own range and ability. It's not fun, necessarily, but the alternative is more loss of balance and strength, so I exercise 6 days a week. Start slow, use common sense, and you can regain some independence and confidence in daily life.
Yes, of course. I am 77 and even though I am in great pain, I try to walk at the park a little and do some stretching exercises before I get out of bed and during the day.
Brave. Exercize builďs muscle strength. Regular light exercize keeps it there. Injuries and all. I am 70 pain terribly but exercise daily.
I collapsed at the bottom of my long sloping garden. I found I was too weak to lift my head further than a few inches. So I rolled myself all the way up the garden, til at the top my neighbour heard me. I suppose adrenalin kicked in giving me the strength. I am 84
Please get a cell phone.
I have slithered myself out of a pond and through the woods with a broke ankle to get help. Will to survive is all you need.
❤❤❤
I am almost 80 years old with very little semi-circular canal function and I use the first method she showed all the time and specially for getting out of the bathtub. I do not have enough balance to safely stand in a tub of running water so I must bathe. After I get on my hands and knees I lean my head against the tube to help raise my body using the hand rails. Good video. Thank you Rhonda.
Nelda Rainey bless your heart! Keep going no matter how you have to go about it 🤗 I’ve used the step method many times myself and I’ve been paralyzed for almost 18 yrs now. It’s amazing how creative you can be in those moments. God gives us the strength.
😘🤗
@@sobegirl411 As the saying goes, 'Where there is a will there is a way'. At least for my generation. Namaste
I'm almost 70 and have used a lawn chair in the bathtub and used the shower for years now. I have a long history of falls an spinal surgeries, plus my right knee and shoulder have been rebuilt. You can sit in the chair or stand facing it and let the shower flow over your back, shoulders and/or hips ... feels great. I haven't been able to sit in the bathtub and/or get up from that position in a bath tub for over 20 years now. Having the chair there also helps you get out of the bathtub safely.
Maybe you can get shower/bath chair and sit on that in the tub instead of going down into the tub where you might not be able to get out. That and a handheld shower head would solve your problem, with the addition of a removable grab bar on the side of the tub. Amazon is full of these products. You can get a very tall vise-like grab bar that has one or two bars on it and screw it onto the side of the tub and hold onto that as you're stepping out of the tub frome the chair. The best part is that if you have medicare or medicaid, your over the counter drug plan likely includes these items for free from either a local drug store like walgreens with your flex card or from a catalog they send you that you can buy things from (blood pressure monitors, diabetes monitors, shower benches, braces, canes, etc.). Then you don't even have to worry about paying for the fortification of your bathroom to make it safer for you. I would also install a huge rubbermaid mat across the bottom of the tub just in case, as they are very slippery, and put one outside the tub as well so you don't slide on the floor getting out either. You can put grab bars anywhere you feel the need for extra assistance when using bathroom facilities.
@@Netafied Thank you. I have all these things now. Actually, I am still very able to turn onto my hands and knees and grab the bars to pull myself up and out. I really enjoy reading in the bathtub and sitting in the hot water. My problem is something that was present at birth and just gets worse and worse. I am fairly intelligent and have learned over the years what I need to do to keep myself safe. You are very kind to worry about me. I bet your kind suggests will be a big help to others reading your comments.
Love coming here every few weeks to see new comments. Think it’s safe to say what we've always heard....practice makes perfect.
If a person has too much pain....doing nothing won’t improve the condition. Still too much pain, go to Plan B. Most important takeaway from Rhonda’s vid is...try something, but try it. All of us should, instead of a bouquet of flowers, bring our neighbors or relatives some safety devices. Instead of wearing a lovely watch fob, or locket worn at the breast, get a Bobbie's whistle, has a distinctive piercing sound, not much breath needed to activate. There are safety whistles that do require a big breath, but are loud enough to be heard for miles. Instead of a gift of flowers, bring to your loved one, a high beam/strobe light. Wear it if possible on a lanyard, or hang it within reach. Such a nice video because it gets you to thinkin'.
I'm 66 and trying to stay strong for things like this. I studied martial arts years ago and understand a lot about body motion, acceleration, etc. This is good stuff that all people should practice if they can. Stay moving as much as you can!
Hello how are you doing?
I'm 78 and overweight, but I think I can do most of these. People try to help you by pulling you up. With me that never works, I have to push up like these exercises. illustrate. Thanks for the tips.
You're welcome! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us and others.
I’m 72 and just last week I watched this video. Tonight I fell in the bedroom as I was going around the bottom corner of the bed and my foot somehow got entangled in the bedding and caught on the footboard. I was in a narrow space and couldn’t get on my hands and knees to crawl. I don’t have much upper body strength so I couldn’t pull myself up using the footboard. After thinking for awhile I buttwalked backwards to get up against a low chair. I tipped up the seat cushion so the seat would be even lower and then I used your trick with the books to get high enough to get onto the chair. It was a bit harder than you made it look because I’m broader than you are. But it worked and I was able to stand up. It’s a bad feeling to be helpless. I was glad to have a way to help myself when I got into trouble.
We are very sorry to learn that you fell. It makes us happy to learn the video provided you with ideas that allowed you to successfully get yourself upright again. Thank you for taking time to share your experience with us and with other viewers!
We did speed up the video showing the book technique, making it look like it happens faster than it does, which we hope was understood by viewers. The truth is that many people spend days on the floor or sadly are not found in time, so it does not matter how long it takes to get up, only that you can creatively devise a solution, any solution, to help you successfully get back upright on your feet again, which you definitely did. We very much hope that this is the first and last time you experience a fall and find yourself in need of this knowledge.
There are some other strategies, however, for you to be aware of that can assist to further enhance your safety if such an incident were to occur again and that can help to prevent the likelihood you would be waiting for more than a few hours for someone to stop by and help you if you could not find a way to get back up again (i.e. if an injury occurred during the fall). To learn more, visit our article: homeability.com/falls-how-to-get-off-the-floor/
My girlfriend who I love dearly has issues with falling and getting up. This could save her life! Thank you a million times!
My wife has been disabled for 16 years. She is a little heavier than she used to be.
Falls are her worst enemy.
Therapists have worked with her but no one has been able to teach her how to get up from a fall.
It takes at least one very strong person, and usually two, to help her up.
Your tips are nice, and maybe they'll help some people who, like you, are fit, trim, and mentally aware...
but you should probably put some sort of disclaimer up for people who aren't.
Either that or get a plus size model.
I so agree with you
Thank you SO MUCH for this video. I have shared it with friends and family many times.
I can personally attest that at least 4 of the methods here work, because we used them with my father, who is 87 and weighs close to 300 pounds and was recently hospitalized and needed a wheelchair. He fell, and it was only because I had seen this video that we were able to get him up again. Once it was outside, next to a short wall made of flat concrete bricks. I used the books technique with those bricks, dismantling the wall, until he was high enough to stand, with my help. His shorts got all muddy, but it worked!!!
We’re very happy to learn that you found the video helpful and grateful that you’re sharing it with others. Your use of the brick tower is a great example of creatively thinking outside of the box - very impressive! Many thanks for taking the time to share your story, so others can benefit too!
alinaspencil so thats what happend to my wall....
I was referred to the video by a friend, sending me a link after I suffered a fall 3 days ago. The video offered some great suggestions for getting up from the floor after a fall. However, the best suggestion for me on the video proved unsuitable for me as I am unable to kneel!!
Many people have bad knees and the pain of putting pressure on them is intolerable.
Or hips.
This lady is young and has strength in her arm not 80 years old.
And she is much thinner than many seniors!
Yeah! 😊😊😊
10 years ago maybe not now😮
If you keep up your exercise, you will not be weak at 80. Check out Jane Fonda, at 85. If you let yourself go, you'll be weak at 65.
I teach fall recovery everyday to seniors at our facility and many have used these techniques to get up. Average age at our facility is 90
I have knee pt next week. Bone on bone knee pain. Today I fell walking uphill by the driveway and was so embarrassed. Luckily I had my phone and called my brother to come help me. I was bitten by a few ants but no injuries. Good thing I have a chiropractor appointment this week.
There was nothing for me to use to get up. It was uphill walking in the yard Guess it’s time for a rollerball walker
These are fine for the average person who trips and falls but won't work for people who have limited mobility in their hips, knees or back issues, not to mention shoulder problems. How about some video featuring those issues. My husband is overweight, has limited use of his legs and recently fell. He is unable to rise to his knees and I couldn't lift or push him. The best I could do is get him to sit on a piece of cardboard and scoot himself to the back door, onto the porch where the steps went down and he could lower his legs, grab hold of the post and pull himself upright. It was either that or call the fire dept to come help him up.
How creative! I'm glad you thought of some way to work it out.
Last week I fell in my garage. I injured both my knees and my left arm. No one lives nearby. I was laying in the narrow space between my car and a bank of cabinets. Without the use of my arm and being unable to get on my knees I was not able to stand up. I live alone and am 70 years old. I tried several times to get up, failing. I was able to drag myself over to a small step ladder and using my good arm slowly pulled myself up to a standing position. Fortunately nothing was broken but extremely painful. Oh, the temperature was 102 degrees that day. This has made my decision to move into senior housing where help is close by.
Thank you, this has given me the awareness to keep exercising to be strong enough to help me lift myself off the floor.
I make a point to review this video every year and at any point that I am experiencing significant knee pain. One point that this wonderful lady fails to mention is the emotional and psychological aspects of falling. It's so important to practice getting up with someone able to help you if needed. Practice really helps remove some of the fear. It is as important to calm yourself if you're on the floor because panic prevents you from making the best choices -- I've only fallen once and literally laid on the floor for several minutes carefully assessing myself for injury, and consciously let my heart rate slow down and my mind clear. I was able to get up on a single try which was such a huge relief -- I understand that that may not happen next time but it does make me feel a little more confident should it happen again. A review and a few more ideas: PRACTICE with someone capable of helping you if needed; take time to CALM YOURSELF to reduce panic and think clearly; REVIEW these and any other techniques your doctor or physical therapist advises you; finally you can call 911 to get trained assistance getting up (we did this several times for my mother who was frail and used a walker). Be prepared, have a plan, practice. Good luck.
Beryl
10th
I only have one arm, hand and shoulder that works. My worst fall left me lying on the road for over an hour. The next one was in a deep bathtub. I broke two ribs getting out of that bath. It was either the ribs or I would have died in the tub as there was no other way out. Even that took hours to achieve. Unfortunately none of these would have worked but hopefully most are not as disabled.
Goodness, I hope you are ok and on the mend. You need a nice low 'walk in shower' with a plastic chair to sit on, to help you be less prone to falling. I'm in my early 60's and thank god the last few times I fell, I got shaken up, but am flexible (clutzy) that through out life I've more or less learned how to roll with the fall and not get injured. My nephew who is 31 was talking about how traumatic it was for him70self when he fell recently. I had to have a little chuckle, and told him it only gets more traumatic each decade that you live, the falls get more painful. When my grandmother was in her 70s she fell on a walk in the mountains, thankfully my father was with her, and he must have been in his 40's and he is a big football player type. He carried her down the mountain. My grandmother was more or less ok, but had a lot of bruised ribs and she said it hurt a lot when she had to breathe deeply.
Having gone through months of PT after a life-threatening car accident (I was in a wheelchair for 3.5 most), I applaud this video. I would add two other tactics: first, use your imagination when finding a stable object you can use in order to get back on your feet (the MacGyver move). Think outside the box. It's a lot easier to flip onto your stomach than on your back; second, use your body weight, counter balance and gravity to reorient yourself into a position that will get you upright. Great video!
I'm 73 and I practice getting up without assistance, I have to prove to myself that I'm still physically able to upright myself without assistance just for my peace of mind.
Me, too.
Fine if you’re young and thin. I’m overweight and have arthritis in my shoulders. I have, however, gotten myself up by rolling over onto my knees and crawling to the couch. I also have used a chair for my mother. Getting her halfway up was the key.
Yes, having two frail elderly parents is a hazard. Once Mum lost her balance walking back on a pillow, sidestepped it, but found herself on the other pillow, where she fell down and had a compound fracture to her wrist. She had to have a plate put in. She also has osteoporosis in her hip/lower spine and the surgeon said she did the right thing landing on her wrist in that case. She mended well, but I am in my late sixties now and struggle to get up off the floor as well. I am overweight with arthritic knees and hips. I can see that when you get older your arm and leg strength leave you and it becomes very difficult to lift yourself up, using arms and shoulders or legs and hips. I find hands and knees crawling to a lower table the most helpful, however wonder what ideas you might have if you fall in a hallway or bathroom? Several friends of my parents have ended up overnight there and unfortunately were hospitalised but never made it. It is a huge risk for the elderly.
This video was excellent but not for everyone that falls...too many with bad knees, no upper body strength, surgeries etc. appreciate the tips she has shown us and it may come in handy to help someone else...I too am overweight and without help none of them would have worked for me...thankful for a strong son in law and grandson right next door but then you'd better have your phone on your person....
See my comment, this will work well for you. I and my mom are both pretty weak people.( she is 5'4" around 200lbs. I am a buck 80), she has bad knees and hip replacements. (Falling is always contingent with after effects that do not go away.)- my mom has a cheap beeper that she call me with, which could be worn like a necklace.
It makes it hard to use those techniques when you’re over weight and have bad knees like I do
Same here
Same problem here, but she demonstrates several alternatives.
@@njspice8982 none of them have worked for me.
Stacking the books is a good idea, I never thought of it but I think that's a brilliant technique.
@@catherinenicely9887 nothing worked for me. I had to use my Alert Button to call 911 for help. They were at my house within 5 minutes.
Once my wife fell trying to get in her wheel chair at home. I had an inflatable bed in the room and she was too heavy for me to lift. So I deflated the bed flat, we both got her on the bed and then the built in pump inflated the bed again to where I could get her in her chair again.
I watch this every year to review these techniques. Even in that amount of time, I forget some of them. I need to go to every six months now that I'm over 60.
I wouldn't have a problem getting up in a living room with furniture.
I have slipped on ice in a parking lot, with no cars near, & could not ger up because it was icy & slippery & I'm not small, like this lady.
Had to crawl on my knees to a car, hold onto door handle & try to get up. It took forever!!!
The encouraging part is you made it! Thanks.
I too have trouble getting up of the floor. Not necessarily because I had fallen but because I was doing something down on the floor. I saw the way my grandchildren were getting up when they were learning to stand and walk.
Roll over on your stomach, bend you knees and pull your legs under you, then push up with your hands and legs and stand. All of your methods require using nearby objects. That is not always possible.
It works for me. I am 86
I was outside in the flower bed, used the bookshelf method with the bricks that lined the flowerbed and was able to build my sitting position high enough to be able to get up! And I was 67 years old at the time. I weighed 180 lbs. AND was still recovering from Covid so I wasn’t at my strongest. But I wasn’t giving up! 😊
This video does such a great job of emphasizing innovative mindset. I had just fallen 2wks ago while I was on an exercise ball as the ball slipped out from under me. I hit the floor hard directly on my tailbone and was instantly in so much pain. I had to lay there for an hour for me to get "used to the pain" enough for me to decide to get myself up. I used a yoga mat nearby as cushion for my hands and knees to push myself up by folding it to the desired thickness (helpful for those who have knee issues, this alleviate pain from direct contact with hard floors.) I was also able to grab a hand towel nearby, folded it twice lengthwise, and place this under my knees. This allowed me to slide my knees one by one across the room to the couch without having to lift up my knees (I couldn't repeatedly lift my knees to crawl without causing extreme pain from my new injury.) Once I was able to get to the couch, I did a combination of lifting/pushing myself up, whatever it took.
Instincts take over, but having that seed of innovation planted in our heads is helpful and gets us actively thinking and observing our surroundings.
One year ago as a 79 year old, I woke from a day nap and could not move! Having no phone ( I HATE PHONES!), could not speak and barely move, it took 12+ hours to "wiggle" from the recliner to a computer 8 feet away. Once in the computer chair, took another hour to open email and after numerous tries to type ONE word to a local friend (HELP!), she understood and called an ambulance. After 7 days in a hospital, the stroke was controlled and relearning began. As an afterthought, If I could have reached for my car keys (6 feet away), I could have pressed the "panic" button to alert a neighbor 100 feet away to the beeping horn. I now have a "Medic Alert" to signal for help if needed.
The excellent advice in this video may save YOUR life someday!
Bless your heart 🤗
Such a valuable set of ideas
I fell a few months ago and refused to let my husband call for help. It took me an hour but I figured out a way to get up. I've been looking for help like this. Thank you
Thank you for making & sharing this video.
This has a lot of helpful hints but as a nurse I know these only work with a few people. The problem with many people who find themselves in these situations is that they no longer have the flexibility, cognition or strength to carry out these manoeuvres. Also people with mobility issues should not use chairs like the Ikea chair. They are poorly designed and unstable and the fall is most likely caused by the person trying to get out of the chair in the first place.
This is OUTSTANDING! What a great resource for individuals who live alone and may be susceptible to falls. THANK YOU, Rhonda B., for taking the time to record this and share it with the public.
Just this past Monday I fell in my bath and layed on the floor for 1 hour and 45 min. I had to scoot on my back to my kitchen where my telephone was. By the time I had gotten there my blood sugar had fallen. I was shaking . I just across your video. Oh how I wish that I had seen this before. I am so sore but thankful that I had no broken bones. Your video will be helpful ,, trusting I will not fall again but have a real balance issue. Thank You so much for sharing to UA-cam.
Thank you for taking the time to share your story with others. We very much hope that you do not experience any more falls.🙏
You noted that you have underlying balance issues, which may increase the likelihood of experiencing a fall. There is an article on our website that provides tips for setting up a buddy system, as well as additional strategies for surviving a fall. See: homeability.com/falls-how-to-get-off-the-floor/
more negative people here, need to read your comment too...thanks so much for the positive comment!! tc💖
Lovely informative video. I wish I had seen it sooner. I fell on hardwood floor after having both knees replaced & couldn't put weight or stress on them to get up. The book tower would have been perfect. I have both complete series of "Harry Potter" & "Shadowhunters" in hardback. I could have gotten up in a fraction of the time it took me.😀😘
Awe, Bless your heart...I love it when people really appreciate someone trying to help us, when we get older, by putting up a video like this, so when we do get into trouble, we don't have to be so afraid and can most likely remember these, or at least enough of them, to help ourselves back up. The people that don't seem to agree, I guess will wind up with someone taking care of them...I don't want that...I still want my independence!!😊🙏💖
Some of us have to learn to be self sufficient since there IS no one coming home to help us out. I think some of the Negative Nellie's have not had to learn to find a way (as in are not resilient) because there is always someone to rescue them.
Sign me
Not young, not thin, not fit, a couple of types of arthritis and intermittent, frequent profound weakness (think Superman and Kryptonite) and alone not expecting a Knight in Shining Armor. Thanks for a great video..
Some older people don't have the strength to push themselves up.
I agree. Make sure you fall where you have these helper objects available within arms reach - LOL!! You may find yourself unable to reach anything helpful to pull yourself up. Good luck!!
These are really good but you are in great shape. What about getting some volunteers of the age and health state of your target audience? That would help us see that I works for all.
These young folks have alot to learn...we've been their age....they've never been ours....😢