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If you have an elderly loved one that is dealing with mobility issues, or even just someone that you’re helping to care for that’s had an injury, getting them in and out of the car can be a challenge. And if you’re having to take them to various appointments from their memory care facility where you’re going to be in the car on a regular basis, you’re going to want to figure out the best way to help them in and out so that neither of you are having to overexert yourselves and your loved one is able to stay safe.
To help you figure out how this can be done, here are three tips for helping your elderly loved one in and out of the car.
Give Yourself As Much Room As Possible
First of all, you’re going to want to get the car in a good position to get them into the vehicle. This means having the car parked on level ground and with enough room that you can open the door all the way to get them in. You might have to move your car from where you’ve parked to get into this position.
Once your car is ready, you’ll want to give yourself as much room as possible within the car to get your loved one inside. Slide the seat all the way back so that there’s more room between the dashboard and the seat. You can also lay the seat down as much as possible so that they can scoot themselves onto the back of the seat if they need more room to get their legs into the car.
Sit First
Different people get into a vehicle in all kinds of different ways. But when you’re trying to help your loved one get into the passenger seat of a car, it’s going to work best if they sit first.
By sitting on the edge of the seat with their legs outside of the car first, you can help them either maneuver their legs into the car and turn so they’re sitting forward, or you can help get their head safely in and then swing their legs in.
Use Transfer Aids
For elderly loved ones with major mobility issues, you can and should look into what transfer aids are available to you and will be helpful. Things like an extra handle or grab bar that you install within the vehicle can really help give your loved one some extra leverage. You can also get things like a leg lifter, a seat belt pull, or a seat that you put on the car seat to help make it easier to move your loved one.
If you have an elderly loved one that you need to help get in and out of the passenger seat of the car, consider implementing some of the tips mentioned above to help you with this.
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