Care Partner Support Tips: Getting In and Out of the Car
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 чер 2017
- © Positive Approach, LLC
Learn more about Teepa Snow and Positive Approach to Care: www.teepasnow.com
Subscribe to the Online Dementia Journal for FREE: tinyurl.com/h6pqdks - Навчання та стиль
My brother's grandmother had to go to the doctors his mother always had to pay for transport. I told her I could get her in and out of the car. When we got to the nursing home I had my gait belt with me. I intrduced my self, she said I know you, you are Jimi's sister. I told her that with her help we were going to get her there. First I asked her to lift her arms so I could put the belt on, then I told her to put her arms around me, the we counted to 3 and I pivoted her and sat her in the wheel chair. When we got to the car, I told her To hold on to me and I would help her using the belt. We pivoted her then we were doing to sit her down. Then I helped her get her legs in. After the visit we went out to eat, What a good time we had. The next Sunday we took her home for dinner. When I walked into her room she said I am ready and I know how to help you. I had tears in my eyes, it to me was a small thing, but to her it meant she got to get out and visit family.
Nice work, Beverly! Sounds like you two make a great team!
Hey there Beverly. It can be frustrating to the would be care provider and I wish I had known these things years ago when my mother had been in a nursing home. Usually a member of the staff assisted me in helping her get in but once we reached our destination (Drs office, Opthomologist, Dentist, I was on my own); Sadly Mother’s mental status limited her ability to participate. This information will undoubtedly benefit others and I appreciate your expertise. Keep up your great work! God bless you. Liz ❤️
OMG - this made soo much sense, I wish I had been instructed like this to get my mother in and out of a vehicle. She had an unbelievable overwhelming fear of falling and would tense up and freeze. Just a few of the tips in this - the towel (I had a swivel cushion, which did not help), where to position myself to make her feel SAFE and using the window to lean her forward, would have made the transfers so easy. Even with initial resistance, I am sure she would have felt safe and subsequently participated. Mum has more falls, taking her out in a car now, is no longer possible - its wheel chair and mobility transport from now on. But this will be useful for my dad, I am sure. Thank you.
Thank you for the Care Partner Support Tip. This is exactly the kinds of things I have been looking for.
What a "Great" educational video for care givers to know. Sometimes the simplest instructions make the most sense in trying to acomplish what may be viewed as a laborious task. Thank you Teepa for your dedication to helping the aged population.
Hi, @Rich Belotti, we are so glad that you found this video helpful. If you are still watching or wanting to know more about how to support someone living with brain change, please check out our website (www.teepasnow.com) or consider subscribing to our online dementia journal (teepasnow.com/online-dementia-journal/)
My mom was partially disabled along with suffering from Alzheimer's. She loved going out but it was certainly challenging! I ended up buying her a car cane from Amazon and she was able to get in the car much easier. Helping her and instructing her was confusing and frustrating her to a point where she got combative. I simply put her hand on the car cane and the other hand on the dashboard and her instincts took over. Even in the advanced stages of the Alzheimer's. My mom passed in 2016. Now I take the time to try and help caregivers as you are doing. Good job on your videos, thank you for doing this!
Hi, @rockin' Robin, thanks for sharing your story with us!
Thanks Teepa. This is going to help me with both of my parents.
Thank you! we have found a swivel cushion on amazon for about 15 and it helps swivel them too. I call it a lazy susan for humans.. my step mom loves it
Talk about reliving my stress and problem solved! With this video, I no longer need PT and OT for home health anyome. I have spent over 80 hours just trying to get PT and OT to come over the house for an assessment and show me how to keep my mom safe and getting in and out of the car. Since INOVA PT lied and other homehealth agencies cancel first assessment, I decided to look for alternatives... self taugh PT and OT to help my mother strenghten and relearn body motion, help her stay stay safe. So glad to have found this video. Best gift a caregiver can have. With this video, my mom no longer need to be homebound. We can go out more frequently because getting in and out of vehicle is no longer a 15 - 30 minutes activity... not to mention my back. Thank you Teepa for this wonderful gift. My mom and I can't thank you enough. You are a true blessing to the inflicted and caregiver.
You are welcome @Mom. Our team is happy to help. If you'd like to connect with more of the team, please visit www.teepasnow.com or contact us at consult@teepasnow.com
Simply well done. Thank you
Thank you so much. You are extremely caring and kind this video is fantastic , which will really help my mum.
Love and light ❤
Glad it was helpful! @Pippi we thank you for watching, let us know if there are any other places that this sort of video could help.
Some vehicles have models with interior grab handles positioned above the side windows that may facilitate vehicle entry and egress. Some pivot, some are fixed, depending on the model. These features may be helpful when transporting people or considering a vehicle purchase. Power seats might prove useful, especially if the seats pivot.
Hi, @Neponset River, thanks for sharing your ideas!
Thank you very much, just from the towel on the seat is very helpful. My passenger has a broken left collarbone with a left arm sling, with soft legs. We try our best to get her in the car with difficulty at the moment. Thanks again.
Glad to know that things are working for you even with some issues, @joinpsye7045. Thanks for sharing your experience and for watching. If you want to be notified when we post more, please consider subscribing to our channel (ua-cam.com/channels/SXrEX7LkWOmfTaV6u1C7wQ.html) or visit www.teepasnow.com if you have more questions.
thank you Teeba! hardest part for me is to get her to pivot back and aim butt to seat. I will try this little dance move.
Hi, @Darlene Carman, I see you wrote this a while ago, did you try the little dance move?/ How did it go for you?
I have cerebral palsy, not dementia but I thought maybe some of the things I do to get in and out of the car might be helpful to others.
A towel doesn't work for me because if I accidentally move my butt, the towel bunches up and doesn't stay in position. I find cars with finished leather seats easiest because I can slide back a bit but still be in control. If that's not available, an attachable silicone drivers cushion with backrest might work. As I'm sitting down because it orients me towards going inside the car and keeps me upright, I use the handle above the seat. It's closer to me and more stable than the car door. My depth perception is off so even without dementia, I would feel scared sticking my head through the window space. Also, since I'm putting my head forward through the window, my body would tend to follow and go forward which makes me feel unbalanced and unsteady. The straighter I can sit, the steadier I feel. I freeze out of extreme spasticity and hypertonicity while those with dementia may involuntarily do the same out of fear. If my legs are stiffly hyperextended, I'm less likely to fall or feel like I'm falling if I'm not pitched quite so far forward. Holding on to the handle above keeps me from falling backwards. I also keep the back of the seat as straight as possible because it gives me a posture holder on my right side along with the handle above. I also find a four-door sedan much easier to get into than a two-door because the open door space is wide enough for me to get my feet in but not so wide that I fall towards the back seat and therefore feel like I'm lying down. When I go too far backwards, almost laying down, I lose control and don't have the core strength to pull myself up. Teepa's helpers are able-bodied so their bodies are much more cooperative and much more flexible than mine would ever be. Sometimes I'm so stiff and inflexible that no one can get their hands behind my knees so so that I don't feel touched in the wrong places and resist involuntarily, the person helping me uses the toe and heal of my shoes to guide my feet so that I pivot. I put my left hand down on the seat at the same time to guide and help the pivot. I'm not sure that would help if the person didn't understand how or why to do it. I would imagine that the problems and difficulties and perhaps some of my solutions might be similar the further along dementia has progressed since it is neurologically based like CP.
Getting out of the car, I use the handle on the passenger side and I give my free right hand to the person who's helping me. Rather than trying to push up from the hips as an able-bodied person does, I let my body come slowly forward while holding on to the stabilized door frame and my feet follow underneath me. I'm not sure if that makes sense but if someone reads and wants me to, I would gladly send photos or try to make a video although I'm not much of a techie. I won't be offended by any critique or question. It's important for both the helper and the person being helped to know that each workable method is going to look different to and be accomplished differently by each team. Don't get discouraged. This will take some practice and it might even be doable on some days but not on others. One last note, I find cars that are lower to the ground more difficult. Full size cars like cadillacs, Town Cars or Lexus are much easier to get in and out of for the same reason that higher chairs and sofas are. They also have bigger trunks so accommodate wheelchairs, walkers and scooters more easily.
This is long but I hope readers will find all or at least part of it helpful.
Hey, @baxtercol! Thanks so much for telling us about your method for getting in and out of a car. We always offer some ideas or solutions, but recognize that they might not work for everyone. We truly appreciate hearing from your experience. Again thanks for sharing!
@@teepasnowvideos I know you're a really good OT besides being a brain change expert. Of course they go together. Does what I said and the way I wrote it make sense? Can you visualize it? I forgot to mention that it's really helpful to get a car with an electric passenger seat because it's more adjustable and therefore more customizable. Also the electric seat is a lot easier to manipulate especially when you're using your hands to help someone. Would photos help? It's not my forte but I can certainly ask a friend to take some the next time we go someplace. I'm also thinking as I reread and I wonder if it might sometimes be necessary to put the person with dementia in the backseat for safety but that's a double-edged sword because it makes everything harder to do, including reaching the seatbelt. I know that the luxury cars also have child-proof locks. Do all cars nowadays? I would think that might be important to mention for caregivers who might not need it yet but would want to think ahead. I watched a video of yours recently about restraints of all sorts. Any special considerations when cars are involved? Do they make grown up car seats? I never could drive but what do you do about a passenger who might think she still can? One other thing for able-bodied readers to realize is that everything might be safe and okay but it might not feel that way to the person you're helping, especially if proprioception (awareness of where one's body is in space and in relation to its physical environment), balance and spatial sense is altered/faulty.
Thank you for all you do. Thank you to all caregivers. I am very very blessed. My mom is 93 years young and still in full possession of her faculties.
@@baxtercol I'm a member of Teepa's team and not actually Teepa responding to you and even though I'm not an OT, I can visualize that you are saying. If you would like to share more with us, please email us at info@teepasnow.com as we would be happy to share it directly with Teepa and other OTs on our team.
my mother is very short 4'7" when exiting the car, her feet do not reach the road, requiring lots of scooting to the side of the car seat. This is a different challenge. It's certainly doable.
Iris Gushikuma-Seino we have similar challenge with my MIL. They have a small pickup and he has a stool for her. Sometimes she just won't exit once she's in. I tried these ideas to transfer her to a different vehicle for church this am and we finally had to give up and they went back home (it's a farm situation and he doesn't drive on the public roads anymore).
Hi, @Iris Gushikuma-Seino and @Angela Jensen. Thanks for sharing your viewpoints. We appreciate learning from others!
Very very helpful thank you
Thanks so much
Hi I’m a caregiver and I want you to demonstrate using a walker to get in / out of the car please . Thank you!
Hi, @Ren K, thanks for the suggestion. We will see what we can do to set up this demonstration for you. It may take us a week or so to film it, but watch for Teepa on TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@teepasnow?) or checkout our Facebook Page (facebook.com/teepasnows.pac) as we often do live broadcasts there. Lastly, you can subscribe to our UA-cam channel to get notified of our latest videos (ua-cam.com/channels/SXrEX7LkWOmfTaV6u1C7wQ.html)
Okay. I will and thank you Teepa Snow’s
Thanks for the tips. What about getting in/out of a minivan with sliding doors?
We've had a few people ask for similar situations. Stay tuned for future updates!
Hi Teepa, you have been an absolute inspiration and a lifeline the past couple of weeks, my dad has not officially been diagnosed, but has been in hospital for most of January and a rehab centre up to now. He is being discharged next week Friday, we have had a really rough couple of months and we are working very hard to get their double story house prepared to ensure he returns to familiar enviroment that would be comfortable and safe for him. My biggenst concern at present is that he weighs about 150 kilograms he is unable to stand or walk because of a knee operation that was disgracefully botched, so he has no confidence and is very fearful to even try. I need help figuring out how to get him into and out of my mother's car without causing him any stress or discomfort aswe have picked up that the more distressed he gets the more confused he becomes. I would love some guidance and insight and if at all possible a demonstration on this. We have bought a hydraulic hoist ti be able to move him from the bed to his wheelchair and back, but it won't work to get him into and out of the car, I really don't want to have to stress him out with dealing with a tranfer board as he does not have enough upper body strength to help us get him in or out of the car safely and securely.
Wow, @Mitzi Seyfferdt, it sounds like you've been dealing with quite a lot recently. You ask some very specific questions about the car. I would like to suggest that you reach out to our team at consult@teepasnow.com to set up a time to talk about this issue - we offer 30 minutes of free consultation time and after that a small fee. The team can help you determine some next steps. You may also want to take a look at Teepa on TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@teepasnow) for some more videos. Lastly, you may also want to check out some of our videos on Hand-under-hand and how to use the technique to provide stability in some of our How-to videos here on UA-cam (ua-cam.com/play/PLVl8vTLjje8GSqpIGA1edB_t4PMdVUlqg.html)
Thank You!
You are very welcome @RDaMyth!
Thank you for the education and helpful tips. Can you do some for getting in and out of mini van please?
Hi, @JT. Glad that you like the helpful tips. We will try to get a video about a mini van. Please consider subscribing to our channel so that you can be notified (ua-cam.com/channels/SXrEX7LkWOmfTaV6u1C7wQ.html) when we post it you will see it. You might also want to checkout our Facebook community to see new videos (facebook.com/teepasnows.pac)
Great acting on the part of those being helped!
Role play is a very good skill for understanding perspective. It's something we use in all of our courses - and we practice this skill ALOT. It prepares us for real life events so that we can use our skill in those situations too!
How do you get in a car if the seat is higher and I can't just turn and sit.
Great question! We will have Teepa create a quick video demonstration of this...stay tuned!
@@teepasnowvideos I am having the same problem where car seat is high (ground clearance of 35 cm), so mom has trouble getting into car, has Teepa made a video on this issue? thanks
🎶🎵🙌🙌😍👍💖🕊👣Thank You!! Awesome for All involved 😍✌🕊👣
This is a major one for us. Getting into a standing position in the first place and maintaining it long enough is ify. Getting off the floor, is another, but on bad days he just can't get into a car. After a 30 minute struggle to get in he is frozen and can't get out of it. It's terrible to work so hard and have to miss vital appointments. Fear? Pain? Both? It's unclear why. 7 Stairs to the bathroom and bedroom are becoming impossible. Tough with a house on a hill. Wheelchair is too heavy for 1 person to push him up. Would be wonderful to be able to transport him places again.
Hi, @debbabbit9283! It sounds like movement issues are really becoming hard for you right now. I'm wondering if you have thought about using music (or rhythm) to help initiate the movement. Sometimes using music can release something in the brain so that they can move more easily. You may want to reach out to our team for a free 30-minute consult (consult@teepasnow.com) or check out these other videos (www.youtube.com/@teepasnowvideos/search?query=movement)
I lake the informational is good but can you use a small person I have a mini ban and Gramdmon is 4.11 is to high for her leg to come out of the van what will you do in the case
You ask an interesting question @Anas. As a member of Teepa's team, I'll ask if we might do another video showing how to do this activity with a larger car and a smaller person. Please consider subscribing to our UA-cam channel to be notified about new videos (ua-cam.com/channels/SXrEX7LkWOmfTaV6u1C7wQ.html) or check out Teepa on TikTok as she often does new short videos there (www.tiktok.com/@teepasnow?)
Ok I’ve got a question,how about taking off the shirt,a t shirt one
Hi, @wandastatton6964, I noticed that you watching the assist with getting dressed video, so are you wanting another video that show helping to change a t-shirt or something else? Here's another video that might help (ua-cam.com/video/B0YomKXSDaw/v-deo.html) or please reach out to our team at consult@teepasnow.com to talk through things.
A garbage bag on the seat helps them swivel into position when the person is in.
Great idea, @drawntofashionillustration9596! Thanks for sharing.
Please help me with how to help my mum stand from a chair, my wrists are giving up from pulling her up.
Hi, @Susan Jones, sorry I haven't responded sooner. It took me a while to catch up. However if you are wanting some how-to's on standing, you might want to check out this video (ua-cam.com/video/EBtzKito4RU/v-deo.html) or this one (ua-cam.com/video/uajOxJ2mQ3s/v-deo.html)
If they cannot stand are car transfers out of the question?
Not necessarily - but it really depends on the person and their abilities and level of comfort. If you would like to discuss this with someone in more detail as it relates to your situation, please reach out to us via email or by phone and we can arrange for you to speak with one of our consultants.
Good idea about holding on to windowsill of door unless the person getting out pulls too hard and hurts both of you.
Thanks for sharing your comment, @Veronica Specyalski!
I need help getting my mother out of the car and she has problems with her right shoulder. So she can't use both arms and I have been trying to reach in and lived underneath her tailbone on both sides to help lifter out. I was looking to try to find to see if someone actually had a device that helped with this. She has trouble with She has trouble with her knees as well. It's in the car it's not too much trouble but she plops. Is 91 and likes to do the way she likes to do so I just let her.
Hi, @Life With Kathey, sorry we didn't respond sooner. It sounds like you have figured out what works for you and your mother, but if you would like to talk about things, please reach out to our team (consult@teepasnow.com or 1-877-877-1671)
@@teepasnowvideos it's all good! She has gotten really bad work her dementia now so it's a whole different ballgame. We may not try this again after tonight. She forgets what you do with her feet to help herself get turned around towards to wheelchair. It takes two people to get her in and out now. I have to get in the car and help her by putting my hands under her butt bones and helping her up while someone on the outside holds her chair and helps her sit.
My problem is that we have an SUV with a front seat that is about six inches above my wife's butt. On our first attempt I had to lift her which was no good for my back. Looking for some way to overcome this problem. Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi @thomasbelesimo30, we would love to tallk more with you. You can reach us atn teepasnow.com/services/consulting/phone-consultations/
It all looks easy enough to do if following your instructions with an elderly parent. But how do you apply these steps if the elderly parent is suffering from Dementia and isn't responding to what you are saying to her/him? My mother is suffering from Sun-downer Syndrome Dementia and doesn't always respond when I am telling her what I need her to do. It makes it very hard to even think about trying to get her into the car for appointments.
Hi, @maggie b! You ask a great question. These techniques should work with anyone experiencing dementia, but often it's the speed with which we are talking/asking the person to do something. They may need a lot more time to respond to us (as much as 15-20 seconds). I'm wondering if you would be interested in talking with one of our consultants (consult@teepasnow.com or 1-877-877-1671) to help you work through some ideas. We are available for free 30- minute session.
@@teepasnowvideos Thank you for your reply. I live in Adelaide, Australia. So I will be working with a social worker that deals with Dementia, to get some ideas on this matter.
@@maggieb3851 Shelly here ( a member of Teepa's team) I was with Teepa in Adelaide in late February. We have a number of PAC certified folks in your area too. Please reach out to me via our live chat at www.teepasnow.com to take our conversation further if you'd like.
Is it ok for me to share these videos ??✌
Of course! That's exactly why we list them here for free.
how about helping someone get into the back seat..
Hi, @tealeh2, thanks for asking. We'll see if we can do another video for you. Please subscribe to our channel (ua-cam.com/channels/SXrEX7LkWOmfTaV6u1C7wQ.html) to get notifications of new videos or visit www.teepasnow.com for more information.
It would be nice to see a demonstration with a person who has Alzheimer.
Unfortunately, we didn't have a volunteer with Alzheimers - but the woman that worked with us towards the end of the video is living with Lewy Body Dementia and she approves!
Kathryn looks sad about going on that car ride. 💔
Hi, @The Otherme, I'm not sure what was going through Kathryn's mind at the time, but she may have indeed been sad about the care ride, just as some people living with brain change may be experiencing when they have to go somewhere uncomfortable. Thanks for watching and commenting.