Can no longer stand up from a fall without help

Oh, debodun, I am so sorry to hear of your experience. Last week my sister slipped (literally) from the arm of a chair she had been sort of sitting ne and wound up on the floor unable to get back to a standing or sitting position. Her husband was outside raking leaves, unaware that anything had happened. When he came in and saw her on the floor, he panicked which only made the situation worse. He recently had a hip replacement and wasn't physically able to offer much assistance. Ultimately, they figured a way to get her on her feet. She has been shaken up ever since. This had never happened before and now she's scared to death that it could happen again. She's trying to improve her strength and flexibility but her knees are so riddled with arthritis that she feels nothing is really going to help.

I live alone and have to admit that I think about these things too. I have to start doing something now to prevent finding myself in the same situation.
 

I have a few suggestions that might be helpful.

First, it is best to avoid falls as much as possible. Sturdy handrails at strategic points are good. We have one in the shower, one in the toilet and two outside the house where there are a couple of steps.

Exercises to strengthen the thigh muscles are worthwhile. They can be done lying down and in a sitting position. Also valuable are exercises designed to improve balance. The internet is a source of exercises for any age group but I suggest beginning with chair exercises for the thighs.

If you do have a fall and you can get into a sitting position then you can buttock shuffle to the nearest object that you can use to pull yourself upright. If you can manage it, this is best done by turning yourself from a sitting position to being on your hands and knees.

If all of this sounds too hard, I suggest one of those emergency alarm devices to summon help.
 
debodun said:
You need to be pretty limber for that.
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You don't have to be limber to try it, or to start out at it. Many places have yoga for seniors that isn't extreme, and part of it is sitting and you never have to get on the floor. Check into it. The YMCA here, and several other places have it.
 

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debodun said:
There's the main problem. I'm 100 pounds overweight and 95% of my waking hours are spent in bed reading or watching TV or sitting at the computer. The only real activity I have is delivering meals one or two days a week and they only takes a little over an hour.
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My sister is a bit heavier than you are, and she didn't exactly fall, but sort of slid and sat down on the floor at my house. I couldn't get her up -- she outweighs me by about 140 pounds --- and none of my neighbors were around. We finally ended up having to call the fire department to get her back on her feet. She wasn't injured, she just could not get up.
 
All this is distressing for me to read. I'm 66 and live alone but I'm still in pretty good shape. I can shovel snow (slow and easy, without back strain and also being aware of my hear rate), I can chain saw trees into firewood and I can get up if I fall down, I'm not overweight and weather permitting can pleasurably walk 2 miles in 1/2 an hour. But my time is coming and there's no one to look after me. Of course I'll stay in shape but there's no stopping time.
I suppose I should arrange for a life alert device to summon help.....before I really need it.
 
debodun said:
There's the main problem. I'm 100 pounds overweight and 95% of my waking hours are spent in bed reading or watching TV or sitting at the computer. The only real activity I have is delivering meals one or two days a week and they only takes a little over an hour.
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Excessive weight, and lack of exercise is a sure recipe for problems as a person ages....especially if they live alone. If you are unable/unwilling to alter your habits/lifestyle, the Best thing you can do is subscribe to a service such as LifeLock. With your present situation, you may well find yourself, at some point, is a severely disabled condition with little or no way to call for help.
 
Don't get me wrong, these videos can help, give us ideas, but.......did ya ever notice how young the 'actors' portraying the victims are ? At those ages, we can do just about anything, help or not. Do a test run sometime, when a friend or a relative is there, see how easy [or not] getting up using even those methods really are.

I feel blessed to have my younger neighbors, next door. Both are about 40? Both are first responders.

Earlier this year I fell, taking out my garbage can for collection. Eric, the male half came over, helped me up. We talked, he said , just leave the can for us to take care of. We'll take it out, and bring it back in.

Quite a kindness in my opinion.
 
debodun said:
There's the main problem. I'm 100 pounds overweight and 95% of my waking hours are spent in bed reading or watching TV or sitting at the computer. The only real activity I have is delivering meals one or two days a week and they only takes a little over an hour.
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This is what we started with to work ourselves to a physical level to be able to also add lifting weights to our" get back our health" routine...

Sit and Be Fit is the best (there are less quality knock-offs) that has been around for over thirty years has medical professional research behind it and is taught by Mary Ann Wilson a registered nurse whose nursing specialty was Geriatrics and Rehabilitation Therapy. She has slow gentle moves, helps with balance, blood and lymph circulation, strength, flexibility, brain, eyes, building core strength, functional fitness (how to do everyday stuff kind of moves) and more. Our PBS shows seasons 13 thru 18. We exercise with her every weekday morning.

The 30 minute program is played on most Public Broadcasting Stations (free), YouTube Videos (free), Online Streaming (small monthly fee) and several seasons are sold on VHS and DVD (we bought season 11 and 12) at www.sitandbefit.org . Her website has help to find the YouTube, PBS stations etc. You might be able to check out some of her DVD's at your local library. Ours has them. :)
 
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debodun said:
When I was a kid, I used to practice getting up without using my hands or arms, but that was over 60 years
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I used to could do cartwheels. That would be suicide now! I'd break every bone in my body. Don't have a weight problem but it's still almost impossible getting up when I've been scrubbing the bathroom floors. My knees just won't take the weight. I bought a thick, very firm, foam pad and use that now. At least if I can't get up I'm comfortable!
 
I'm 82; I haven't tried getting up off the floor for a long time. I have a fear of falling and always carry my iPhone when I walk around the house just in case. I live with my Granddaughter and her family, but they are gone a lot, and I'm here alone. It would be embarrassing to have to call someone to help me up, but that would be better than lying there all day.
 
I'm 75 and although the legs are 30 years younger, my upper extremities are damn near worthless. Left one has torn labrum, torn rotator cuff, and torn biceps tendon. Right one has bone-on-bone contact in elbow and wrist. Four decades of lifting weights probably contributed to this situation. I can't get up from the floor using legs alone and there's very little help from the upper extremities. I guess it'll only get worse.
 
debodun said:
I can't depend on neighbors if I am in distress. In February 2008, I slipped on ice under snow at the end of my driveway that's nearest the street and broke my leg. It hurt quite a bit and I laid there a few minutes in a snowbank. Three cars went by and nobody stopped to asked if I was okay or needed any help. No one from any nearby houses came over, even if they saw me. I had to crawl 150 feet back to the house on my hands and knees through 4 inches of snow. Nobody wants to "get involved".
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Deb, it's so hard to imagine that cars would drive right past after noticing someone who'd fallen and obviously needed assistance. How very distressing that must have been.

After reading this thread I tried lying on the floor and had no problem getting back up, but I'm only 67 (did I say "only" - eek!), have no weight, knee or hip problems. Osteoarthritis appears to be limited to my fingers thus far, and I'm hoping it doesn't migrate to other areas.

Nevertheless, my balance and upper body strength have noticeably diminished from earlier years and I'm pretty clear that it's not going to improve by leaps and bounds. Knowing some emergency strategies may come in handy. Thank you @Catlady, the video you posted has many good suggestions.

@Homeschoolie, I'll check out Sit and Be Fit. Thanks for the suggestion.

Stay safe, my friends.
 
I am very humbled by these responses. Right now neither Ron nor I have the kinds of issues you are talking about here. We both routinely roll around or play on the floor with the grandkids, kneel or squat to reach things etc. Don't get me wrong, it's harder now than it used to be to get up again, and a chair or counter close by is helpful, but to this point I've not had the thought "I'd better not kneel down or squat because I won't be able to get up again."

A physical trainer I spoke with a while back, when I talked about it being more difficult to get upright than it used to be, told me that in a lot of cases it isn't bad knees or joints or arthritis that's the culprit, it's the major muscles in our legs, upper thighs, gluts that have atrophied and lost strength over time, due to the decreased muscle mass that happens inevitably with age. She told me the best thing I can do for myself, the best insurance, is to exercise those large muscles a bit every day. Walking helps, squats are even better, working the legs at the gym is better still.

I haven't completely taken her advice, though I did re-focus my attention somewhat on my legs instead of being primarily focused on my upper body.

Reading this thread and these responses have caused me to re-evaluate even more, and hopefully a change in my exercise routine now will prevent or at least forestall some of the problems discussed here. I hate that you're dealing with this, but am thankful that you're willing to share your travails in order that I can take some preventative measures now, while I'm still able.
 
Ronni said:
I am very humbled by these responses. Right now neither Ron nor I have the kinds of issues you are talking about here. We both routinely roll around or play on the floor with the grandkids, kneel or squat to reach things etc. Don't get me wrong, it's harder now than it used to be to get up again, and a chair or counter close by is helpful, but to this point I've not had the thought "I'd better not kneel down or squat because I won't be able to get up again."

A physical trainer I spoke with a while back, when I talked about it being more difficult to get upright than it used to be, told me that in a lot of cases it isn't bad knees or joints or arthritis that's the culprit, it's the major muscles in our legs, upper thighs, gluts that have atrophied and lost strength over time, due to the decreased muscle mass that happens inevitably with age. She told me the best thing I can do for myself, the best insurance, is to exercise those large muscles a bit every day. Walking helps, squats are even better, working the legs at the gym is better still.

I haven't completely taken her advice, though I did re-focus my attention somewhat on my legs instead of being primarily focused on my upper body.

Reading this thread and these responses have caused me to re-evaluate even more, and hopefully a change in my exercise routine now will prevent or at least forestall some of the problems discussed here. I hate that you're dealing with this, but am thankful that you're willing to share your travails in order that I can take some preventative measures now, while I'm still able.
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Beautifully said. And ditto.
 
I like doing squats and lunges, they're excellent for lower body strength and hit all the muscles there. But, what I like and what I know is good for me does not necessarily get done. I am physically lazy by nature, one of my many faults. Sigh!
 
Catlady said:
I like doing squats and lunges, they're excellent for lower body strength and hit all the muscles there. But, what I like and what I know is good for me does not necessarily get done. I am physically lazy by nature, one of my many faults. Sigh!
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Well, I did 10 reps of squats today, let's see how long I keep it up this time. That time this summer when I was too weak to step on the chair and change the AC filter in the ceiling shocked me.

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Aunt Bea said:
So the question is what's the plan?

Lose weight, exercise, move to an elder-friendly location, an alert pendant, cell phone?

I found that I had similar issues a few years ago, losing weight and practicing getting up off the floor worked for me.

Good luck!
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Best post per 'likes' but no OP response to the excellent question.
 
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AnnieA said:
Best post per 'likes' but no OP response to the excellent question.
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Well, my weight is good, I walk n do yoga for exercise, I refuse to move to an elderly complex n I carry my cell phone in my back pocket of my jeans....I’m all set for now. Who’s up next? 😊
 
Aunt Bea said:
So the question is what's the plan?
Lose weight, exercise, move to an elder-friendly location, an alert pendant, cell phone?
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AnnieA said:
Best post per 'likes' but no OP response to the excellent question.
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My turn. I'm trying to lose my extra 10lbs, hope to keep up my squats exercises, want to age in place at home, will get burner phone and carry with me instead of paying for alert pendant.
 

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