Do make sure that you explain this at the home visit as they may then provide the equipment you need - including a bed hoist.
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Thank you for all those contributions and comments. @Griffin36, @Peter_Bird and @Jane_Williamson regarding the mechanical means of lifting and moving. Also to @hairbear and @JaneJones for the more immediate comments.
Lifting Fran from a chair is different to lifting her from the bed and we have differing methods for those. Our house is very small and rather cramped and there is only about half a metre between her bed and a wardrobe containing some very nice clothes that she is adamant cannot be disposed of, and thus the wardrobe with them, a feature of her dementia. The end of the bed is similar and the other side totally blocked. Thus the method of lifting from a chair by me inserting my arms under her armpits but relieving the pressure on them, and thus the shoulders, by bending my knees and throwing my weight backwards to seesaw her upright, cannot be used from the bed.
As a former care home assistant, sometimes working alone at night, she is more than familiar with these methods and problems, but can do little to addresse them. Once on her feet she shuffles forward as I go backwards just steadying her rather than pulling her. Once in the bathroom, also tiny, with a shower, large basin, bidet and toilet in a room just 3 metres by 1, I have to lead squeezing between the bidet and the toilet while encouraging her to shuffle sideways till I get her into a position to turn and allow me to lower her on the seat. I keep telling her to let go of me, to bend forward and have the confidence that I will stop her from falling hard. She rarely does so and, as a result, stiffens and sometimes lands hard with her back hitting the raised lid. This is further accentuated by her insistence on holding hard to me with her one good arm thus twisting her body and working against my ability to lower her gently.
Tomorrow is assessment day with a nurse coming from the APA but I can’t think of anything that they can do do to alleviate the situation and as to cleaning, which really only means occasional dusting and sweeping up dog fur (for the birds’ Spring nests 
) I can perfectly manage myself. Supply of a standing sack barrow type thing that Griffon illustrated might be useful if the distances were not so short and are, in fact, the easiest of the whole process.
What would be useful, would be help to find, and finance if possible, but not necessarily, a builder to make some ramps for the various steps. Especially the 3 concrete ones from the terrasse to the garden, the place where she fell in the first place and where I have to go down, or up, one step at a time lifting her bodily tight around the waist and relying on her telling me when both her feet are on the same step. All the builders I have had dealings with have been bloody useless, to put it mildly.
The lifting chair might help, especially during dressing, at the moment I have to sit her down to get her pants on, then lift her to pull them up, then down again for her trousers and up again to complete the operation. All a strain on both of us, but mainly for her.
I used to dress Janis on the patient turner as she could stand and had some grip in one hand, pants, trousers, socks and calipers were done with her standing up or in the riser chair, everything on up to her knees and use the riser chair to get her upright onto the turner and then pull everything up to the waist, sit her back down and then do the top half.
You have to do things so your not putting yourself and Fran at risk of injury, injure yourself and you are no use to her 
, the patient turner is invaluable as long as you have hard floors/lino or very short fiiber carpets.
We had a second toilet for use down stairs during the day, basically a cupboard with a toilet and sink, wheelchair to the door, get Janis onto the turner, wheel her the 3ft to the toilet onto it and then reverse things back to the wheelchair, no effort, safe and no risk of injury to either of ourselves.
I used the wheeled turner for everything, seat to wheelchair and back, onto and off the toilet, onto and off the slide bench and into the shower, helping with dressing, it was invaluable and kept us from hurting ourselves.
Janis worker in a care center for stroke victims on the physio side of things, so like Fran kept me right on how to do things and not hurt each other and it worked fine for the 1 1/2 years I had her home.
I hope the visit from health service is less useless than the builders then! I do realise that you are the expert in your living situation, and what Fran will or won’t accept easily. But please keep an open mind to this person as maybe there are less obvious solutions that might help. For example a different bed?
Very interesting Griffon, especially the riser chair, that would make dressing/undressing so much easier.
But which is the patient turner? The first or second illustration above. In our cramped bathroom there is only 30cms clearance between the bidet and the wall to get to the toilet. That is down to useless builder No. 3 (I think) who rebuilt the wall thicker than it used to be after a major renovation. It is only a panel wall, not weight bearing, so simply one of a long list of cockups and broken promises.
@JaneJones Yes, I will try to keep an open mind, including the bed, she doesn’t need a double one for example, so even a single with no bells or whistles woud make life easier, Can’t think why I hadn’t thought of that. Yes, I can, she would resist the the finality of the riddance of the former marriage bed, but it might be necessary to persuade her gently and, at least her knowledge that there is still a double in my room, however unlikely reunification might be.
The first two are different versions of a patient turner, I used the first one all the time, the second one I had but rarely used as it was more cumbersome.
We had a few riser chairs as they fully reclined so she could have a sleep in them as well, they are so much easier for getting someone to their feet.
That looks the most useful of the 2 to me, but as I say, the access is the problem if it is more than 30cms wide.
I might leave this page open at that point for reference when she comes. Marie-Paule has agreed to be here as well, she does not speak English but knows us well and will be able to explain some things better than me.
As an aside, it is amazing to me how much control she does have of her bodily functions. I follow a motto of ‘never miss the opportunity to have a pee’ but she goes frequently from say midnight to midday totally dry and then from that point back to midnight again. She does consume fairly large amounts of liquid during the day too, mainly lemonade but water and the occasional coffee as well.
Just had a look at their website, so we are talking in the range of around £1,000, perhaps €1,200 if bought from within France. At least I will know of the possibility and it would need to be in the living room, only a slight adjustment from her normal dressing station in the kitchen. Doable. 
No where near that price, quick Google and link below, plenty in France.
Wow that difference is remarkable, I’ll definitely mention it this afternoon to see if there is any assistance available, if not as I said, doable
Just make sure it is a riser chair and not just a recliner as they look the same
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If you are getting a wheelchair permanently, get a big wheel (24") chair as the small wheel ones are bloody uncomfortable for the occupant over even quite smooth ground and not very manoeuvrable.
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One of these might be a help in the house and car as well.
Its worth looking at leboncoin and local charity shops.
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David, my contribution was designed to lift your spirits as it is a humorous monologue regarding this type of chair.
Good luck with the assessment.
Perhaps because you are so buried by responsibility and getting through the day that no space to contemplate changes? In looking to change beds also think about height. A higher bed can make it easier as just need to swivel legs and then not much to raise to get i to a standing position.
You are doing a remarkable job, unlike my sister who has decided to leave her husband (with likely vascular dementia) ! He is still in hospital in a state of confusion having broken his leg following a knee replacements, and she has decided that she cannot face looking after him any more so will be leaving and seeking a divorce……Her two daughters are being left to cope. It shows how difficult caring for someone with dementia is that she is prepared to lose her home and cause chaos in the family rather than stay.
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From something as simple as these.
To the route I went and got a king size one of these, makes moving a lot easier and making Fran comfortable with her legs raised up as well.
Excellent set of charity shops I recall in Redcar and places near, where a lot of people retire. Wonder if similar in France.
The riser and recliner chairs (and sometimes a choice of them) were available most of the time with a little patience. These things do not have to be bought new. As France seems better organised in these things perhaps they’re even rentable?
Also good luck with the assessment and I hope you are able to “show and tell” all the movements and things you have needed to do with Fran that are a struggle or a risk. Please don’t discount or second-guess any solutions. You are not a burden or a problem. You need help, and you and Fran have a right to it, and it will cost everyone and “the system” less if you get it.
Please make sure the assessor gets all the information about all your struggles and risks. They are the experts and their job is to know the range of solutions available.
It’s your job to make sure the full needs are understood.
I admire your grit and caring, good luck. Please keep us informed.
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I really feel for the both of you….
It’s not quite the same scenario but last time my mom in U.K. spent 5 plus weeks in hospital (with a fair few glitches encountered on her way home) it was eventually decided that she needed a single hospital bed downstairs in the short term….despite having a double hospital bed upstairs from the previous encounter with A&E….
It was adjustable by height and the headboard area was also adjustable….
They also delivered a commode…a commode next to a single bed may just help….yes they have to emptied
if you were to get a single bed with helpful specifications then maybe there would be room for a commode next to it….???
Both were useful to my mother in the short term….
It sounds like one of the first priorities is that you really need an outside ramp first and foremost and I hope it gets sorted for you both….