No Wheelchair Lap Belt

Yesterday was a thriller. One of the two new hires that Margaret took a liking to on sight came to the open door of our apartment and told me, “Margaret is on her way.” 

Sure enough. She was just one door away walking her wheelchair. In she came. I opened two shelves on the bookcase with her keepsakes. She immediately started picking up things and rearranging them. 

Moving Foreward 

She turned to work on the other set of selves opposite the bookshelf. I then noticed she was riding about ¼ of the way from the back of the wheelchair seat. I took a picture to post on Facebook. It has been four months since she was acting normal. I posted the picture.

On the Unknown Brink

Then, she was riding about ½ way from the back of the wheelchair seat. Another picture. Another post. This did not look good. I pulled the “emergency” cord. 7:17 PM.

With her attention focused on keepsakes there was no way for me to direct her to stand enough to reseat her in the wheelchair. 7:22 PM. She was still secure in the wheelchair.

7:25 PM. As she reached out full length with a slight turn to the left, the wheelchair backed away ever so little letting her settle onto the floor. The front edge of the seat was caved toward the back of the wheelchair. The entire seat was bowed down. She had been ejected. She did not fall.

The tipping point is not on the front edge but ½ way from the back; if she turns in the seat. A lap belt could prevent this. So ended her first time in our apartment under her own steam since the concussion. 

 I have argued the need for a lap belt for months. “Missouri law does not allow restraining residents.” “But she is falling almost weekly.” [I have one on order now as I have not found one in Columbia.] [[It is here but without the expected red button.]]

We now know she has not been “falling”. Her bruises are consistent with sliding out of the chair, not hitting the floor when felling.

7:30 PM. I walk into the hall and call to a caregiver I happen to see in the activity area, a city block away.  What to do? There is no room for three small caregivers to pick Margaret up. “Get N___.” He comes. Margaret is up and into the wheelchair again.

Our apartment alarm did not sound in the nurse office in memory care one. No receiver sounded in memory care one. I checked with memory care two. Often the alarm can sound on the wrong floor. The caregivers see this and use their “walkies” to alert the correct floor. 

The main nursing office has a monitor of the Provision Living Wireless Emergency System. Among other things, it detects which pull cord and pendent units have low batteries or are just not working. This is only operational if someone is looking at it and sees repeated calls and that low batteries are changed (a half time job for over a week) . 

From my experience, and that of several caregivers, the system can work if each caregiver has a receiver. It is turned on. It has a good battery. It is not left somewhere while working with a resident. There is then no need to make a cell phone call to the concierge (who is no longer on duty after 10:00 pm).   

[To staff the building as it was designed would require more people with the possible restoration of services offered during startup.. As is, one of these offices is now used to store incontinence wear in memory care one where it is used.]

You are teasing me again.

Margaret seems totally unaware of this commotion. Yesterday and today she has been a different person than during the past four months. I even got a photo to prove it. The attention she gets from her daily occupational therapy on the fingers on her right hand may be a factor here.