Me and the Hoyer on Saturday

On Saturday morning my nurse said I could get up as long as I used the Hoyer for all transfers. I agreed because I wanted to get up.

They got me into the bathroom and I was able to use the toilet. That seemed like such a great victory and an improvement over Friday.

I got washed up in the bathroom sitting up. Then I shared that at Somerset (my previous nursing home) they put me up in the Hoyer to wash my peri area and my bottom. The aides thought I was being funny. Then, they realized it made a certain amount of sense. If I had long pants on, I have to be lowered onto the bed to get them pulled up. When they hoyered me to the bed, they realized how easy it would be to wash me before my pants were pulled up.

I made it down to breakfast in pretty good time.

In a way I hated going back to that "assisted feed" dining room. It just seems like it's such a shambles all the time. They have to talk in such a shrill manner to certain residents to get them to, pay attention, open their mouths, eat, etc. I don't think we've had this much noise of the dining room for a while. It was noisy when I first came. Then it kind of settled down. It has been bad and better over the years. But now I think it's difficult place to be. It's hard to sit in there without feeling that your heart is being torn out.

I ate as quickly as I could to get finished and leave. My aide had to feed me and another young woman who is almost unresponsive. She needs to be fed and she does not respond. When she does not respond, it's very hard for the aide feeding her to know whether she wants to eat or not.

My after breakfast routine went okay.

I was Hoyered on to the shower chair to use the bathroom after lunch.

But, when I got in bed later that afternoon, I decided I would forgo a bathroom break and use the bedpan after the Hoyer lowered me into bed. Using the Hoyer to put me on the toilet, and then into bed seemed like a lot of work to me. Although, holding urine is not good for my bladder.

The Hoyer means that aides have to help me. They have to do the hands-on work. They cannot "just ignore". And sometimes the nurses have to help now which wasn't happening too much before.

I think the nurses should always help if a resident needs to use the bathroom, or needs to be put in bed. That should be an always occurrence here.