CAREGIVING: Falls are one of the greatest risks with Huntington’s Disease. Kathy’s balance was actually pretty decent up until a few months ago. Now her legs are getting rigid and her feet don’t seem to want to move – let alone take an actual step. Sunday and Monday she had some spills that were really my fault. The biggest problem seems to be pivoting and then sitting in her transport wheelchair. She never turns far enough. If I don’t wrangle her around far enough she tries to sit on the armrest. Getting up –from the bed, the futon, the toilet – is fine. But getting into the chair is stressful. It also doesn’t help that the floors and walls in our old house are uneven and warped like a fun-house. Wheelchairs only have two wheels that have locks. If one of those wheels is not on the floor the chair spins like a compass. In this case though I was so tense about getting her to the bathroom that the wheels weren’t even locked all the way. We both went down. She wasn’t hurt because she landed on me. This is how we learn.
So, I’ve been experimenting with different seats to help her get situated. I ordered one round cushion that spins like a lazy Susan. Didn’t work. She has a gel cushion but it is so soft in front that she slips off the front edge. I put a pillow case on the cushion thinking I could push or pull her backwards. Yesterday I tried putting wax paper on the cushion to slide her back. My new solution is to get her in the edge of the chair as best we can; hang on to the chair (to keep it from taking off); and grabbing the waistband of her pants and pulling back into the chair. The Caregiver’s Wedgie saves the day.