Should you have an elderly parent, neighbor, friend, who falls, don’t just pick them up and brush them off. Call 911. The paramedics will tell you, “A person who falls needs to be checked out.” I tried for a few months to tell my husband this fact. He (and his mother) ignored the warnings.
Someone who has fallen should not be left alone, either. I just read of someone doing that with their mother. Got her up, in a chair, and then left her for the night. Not a good way to help a person. My immediate thought is, “what if there’s a fire?” How does the person get up and get out, even if they do hear the smoke alarm.
The paramedics who will come in the ambulance when you call 911 are trained professionals. They know how to lift a person, to get them upright, without hurting them more than they may already be. If you should try to lift someone who is down on the floor, and you slip and mess up your back, what good are you to anyone, much less the broken person on the floor. The paramedics are skilled to know if the person is seriously hurt and what should be done next. In most cases they will recommend an emergency room visit for x-rays. Even more so, they will say you need to get this checked out and find out why you fell.
My husband’s mother kept falling until she could no longer lift herself out of bed. I called 911 and the nice, young, strong paramedics came, got her up, and took her to the hospital where she was treated for a myriad of problems. Call the professionals. Unless, of course, you have MD at the end of your name. Then, you should know what to do.
