How do you handle repeated falls from getting out of bed?

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How do you handle repeated falls from getting out of bed?

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My dad has Alzheimer’s and has started getting out of his bed to get things (peanuts on the bookcase across the room) while forgetting that he cannot walk. He’s at a memory care.

We have a hospital bed that they lower to the ground and a fall mat to help cushion his falls. He’s fallen out of the bed four times since February.

Medicare is paying for most of the hospital bed. My sister thinks he needs a bigger bed (thinking it’s happening in his sleep sometimes too) but if he’s getting out of the bed I’m not sure a bigger bed will help.

My questions are:

1. Did your loved one go through this and how long does this stage last?

2. Suggestions to help him stay in bed? Or is that fighting a losing battle and we just have to accept that he’s going to do it?

3. How do you keep from being constantly on edge that he will fall again?

He went to the ER this afternoon because he hit his head but he is thankfully okay with no broken bones. I’m getting the lighter end of this deal because my sister lives closer to him so she was with him at the ER.

Alzheimer's & Dementia Fall Prevention Falls Memory Care

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I’m sorry to hear that care facility aren’t allowed to use bed rails when needed? I guess law suit over care is the concern? Well my mom is at home and hospice got hospital bed with full rails with no problem. There was a small space still at end of bed rail and foot board of about 6-8 inches and my mom was getting out of it. I watch her on camera she fixated on getting out of it. I ask what could I do but there was nothing else to attach there so I had to attach something there on my own and now there is no more problem. She does try to get over rails but hasn’t figured it out yet. When I see her fixated on trying to get out I either bring her in with me or raise feet up where she can’t scoot to the bottom of the bed because that is her go to spot. The dementia make her think she is young and in school and she has her mom, dad or she has children so she is always trying to go to do something. Which is sad because when she stands for two or three minutes her strength gives way and balance then she falls so I have to be with hands on constantly. So the bed with rails is a big relief, especially if your the only one taking care of them. So my suggestion is watch and see how they are getting out of bed and make it at that location harder to get out. Put pillows under the mattress to curve bed up but they can’t reach to move. It is harder to go over a mattress if elevated. Another thing can they get up from very low my mom can’t maybe he is using something around the bed to pull himself up? Just see how he gets up or out then try to come up with solutions. Good Luck!

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Get a pharmacist to review his meds. I am 69, living with chronic Hodgkin's lymphoma, diabetes type II, thyroid issues and so on, I recently started sleep walking. This was about the same time I started taking Cardizem. Very scary. I switched the Cardizem to the morning and asked my Cardiologist to lower the dosage. Problem solved.

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My mom's MC just used a body pillow -- one of those four-foot long pillows -- and it kept her where she needed to be, including on one side or the other once she became bedridden.

Unfortunately, bed rails are considered restraints, and nursing homes aren't allowed to use them, but the pillows are OK.

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Thank you!

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Bed alarm! A pad that fits under the fitted sheet. The monitor will chime when he starts to lift off. If you put it under the shoulders - instead of hips - it works better, in my opinion, because it will chime when he sits up, instead of when he tries to actually stand.

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Agree!! Mine has been a lifesaver. And yes, place it under the shoulders to get alerted as soon as they begin to lift themselves.

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Courage726: My late mother fell a few times, but never told me - until I had to move in with her from out of state. She went from using a cane to using a walker in less than one month, but often would ditch the walker, making her even more of a fall risk. Her reasoning "The walker makes me look old." Huh? She was 94 years old. Lower your mother's bed and add mats on the floor.

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hugs llamalover!! :)

like many people, i tried many times to protect my mother (sound mind) from falling (solution A, B, C, D...Z -- is there another letter after Z? i need one!).

my mother screaming at every solution.
(i also considered buying the solutions without her consent -- but she said if i do that, she'll scream AND, etc., etc.).

she fell.

it's not easy.

courage everyone!!
i am, step by step, finding ways to convince her.
AND working on my life.

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We’ve had huge problems with my brother in a nursing facility with falls. He has a glioblastoma and it’s wrecked the memory, reasoning, problem solving, etc part of his brain. He is in hospice care. He brain says he can walk but his legs can’t. He has the mats and the bed with the scooped upsides to make it a lot harder to fall out though he manages to through the small section to allows one to get out. It also lowers very close to the ground and he has the cushioned mats to reduce damage from a fall. This is new though—“hipsters” they have pads (almost look like football players pads) that protect hips from fractures. With being in hospice though he is given meds—Ativan and Depakote—to reduce agitation and seizure activity from the brain cancer that causes restlessness and agitation. In his case the agitation is also part of the dying process. These are very small amounts. Because the goal of hospice is comfort and safety the meds calm him. The restlessness is diminished a good deal but today he tried to get out again as I sat next to him. Rather than saying anything, as my legs were crossed I just pressed my foot against his leg til he got tired of the resistance and he gave up and stopped. Basically he’s been the king of falls. The nurses have kept him by the nursing station in a wheelchair so they can keep an eye on him. Look for a fall prevention beds. They come in different versions but basically there are side bolsters that prevent falls. In a pinch a long bolster pillow—almost like a body pillow—but harder can work too. A bigger bed won’t help.

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In our state, bed rails are considered "restraints" and there are strict policies when they are allowed in facilities.

Sounds like you have him at home since Medicare is paying for the bed?

While you might can't stop the habit, you might consider adding another layer of protection. You may want to google "bed alarms" because there are a lot of options... pads on the bed and pads on the floor. Here is one site I found... https://aginginplace.org/best-bed-alarms-for-elderly-fall-prevention/ but there a lot more! If you go this route, if his doctor writes a prescription, Medicare may pay.

If he is veteran and not already receiving services, be sure to enroll him in the medical care offered. We drug our feet for years because we have good insurance then we learned that you only have to have a checkup through the VA once a year to take advantage of many things Medicare won't pay for but the VA will provide. We have gotten several items of DME (Durable Medical Equipment) from them.

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He can not be left alone,my mother of 95 is Alzamer Demans and bedridden she has a hospital bed but I take her out of hospital bed everyday and bring to living room with her wheelchair she is constantly trying to get up...thank God never fell yet my eyes are on her all the time but if I am not in the living room I put the couch , wheelchair what ever I find against to where she s sitting or lying make sure she can't get up..as for the hospital bed isn't there side bars?put the bed one side against to wall other side must have railings of some kind ? also I put big and long boxes filled with whatever İ don't use against to railings so that she can't get out ..you can also stand a single mattress or a couch against it... but don't let him live alone ..also carpets are very dangerous for them to trip..

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Lowest bed he can get - or mattress on the floor - and thick mats on either side of the bed are the best way to go. Make sure there isn't furniture or other items he can hurt himself on when he "gets out of bed". If he won't "stay put" look into foam mattress pads that might cushion his body so he fidgets less. Sometimes anti-anxiety medication and sleep medication can help him to relax and settle down.

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My brother-in-law is a hospice Chaplin. He say " old people fall " it’s just part of life. My mother had the same issue, she kept trying to get out of bed and falling at night. The memory care staff lowered her bad to the floor and put down a fall mat and that seemed to work as she had no more falls. Probably since she could not stand without help. I also suggested to the staff that Mom was trying to implement her regular routine of washing her face and brushing her teeth before bedtime.

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Courage726, my Mom was a major fall risk because her brain told her she could stand/walk but in reality she couldn't.

To keep Mom in her bed at the Nursing Home, they tucked pillows all around her. No more cut and scraped up legs and feet trying to climb out. It worked but that caused major back aches as Mom could not turn from one side to another. Those hospital beds are so narrow.

When Mom was in her wheelchair, she kept tumbling out because she thought she saw something on the rug. The only way of stopping that was putting Mom in a recliner chair and place a pillow under her knees. Mom would work on pulling that pillow out for hours on end, but it kept her from falling.

Falling was now a fact of life in Mom's world, and the same with my Dad. On the plus side, Dad learned to use a rolling walker, where my Mom had refused to use one she said it "made her look old"..... she was in her late 90's. If only she wasn't so stubborn, it was a major fall with head trauma that eventually put her into a nursing home. Dad had his falls, 911 and ER trips, but the walker help slow down that routine.

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Thank you for sharing this. I feel like I’m on edge waiting for the next fall to happen. I’ve been reminding myself today to take it one day at a time.

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If he has a hospital bed that they lower to the ground and a fall mat, can they just leave it down as low as it can go? They could raise it only when they have to for the staff.

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Yes, that’s what they already do. Luckily he hasn’t broken anything because of doing that, but he’s still trying to get up

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To those who are recommending bed rails, in our state bed rails are forbidden by regulation except in hospitals. My husband uses a short rail at home (called an "M rail") that he uses to help himself stand and get out of bed. When he was in a short-term rehab facility, we wanted him to have something similar and they eventually allowed it after both of us signed waivers. This rail was not something that was part of the bed but could be attached, and was no more than about 18 inches long but we had to jump through hoops to get it!

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hugs!!
:)

i know....there are laws... :(
i'm saying, some of these laws aren't good. :(

great your husband could have the short rails :) :) !!

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This can be a very difficult problem. When my bro was in rehab a gentleman was put in his room as roommate who fell almost four times DAILY. He was a longterm person there, in another portion of the building and was much loved. Everyone called him Papa. They had the foamy carpets and everything. He never broke anything the month my bro was there, and yes, he fell off the narrow bed at night in his sleep. My brother was convinced he was placed in his room because he could watch over him and call for help.
I wish I had a better answer to this common problem. I would discuss with the M.D. were I you.

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hug!! :)

this is just my opinion:

i think facilities should look at this on a case by case basis.
for example, if "Papa" would have stopped falling, if they just put up the rails, then they should have done that.

if "Papa" would have tried to climb over the rails, then you look for other solutions.

not everyone tries to climb over the rails.
in some cases, some people just roll too far to the side, and fall: easily + compassionately solved by putting up the rails.

i think it's unkind - in some cases - not to put up the bed rails.

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I'm sorry you are dealing with this. If he is at the stage where he feels compelled to get somewhere and can't remember that he can't just get up and go there is very little that can be done to prevent him from attempting to walk; you are lucky that they have a hi/lo bed available, IMO it is one of the best options to help prevent (severe) injury from falls. Falls prevention mattresses, overlays or bolsters as Lealonnie has advised add another layer of protection.

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dear courage,
:)

hug!!

i hope lea’s idea of
bolster pillow cover,

works for your father!!

——
i have a question please courage.

is it correct he’s falling out because the bed rails are down during the night? why are the bed rails not kept up?

is it because that’s the policy in that MC?

i heard sometimes keeping the bed rails up has led to even worse accidents in facilities (people climbing over), so they keep them down.

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Yes, they won’t allow bedrails there - they are seen as restraints

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Falls are very common in the elderly population. Many die as a consequence of those falls. Among people with dementia, the falls are even more frequent and and more dangerous. Keeping the demented patients from falling is a monumental task, because they aren't aware of their physical limitations. It requires a one to one supervision and even a soft restraints to keep them in bed when close supervision is not possible.

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My mother with dementia fell 55x due to forgetting she couldn't walk, many falls were from her bed. Hospice brought her a bolster pillow cover which STOPPED her from falling out of bed completely! I was shocked. If dad isn't on hospice, see if he qualifies. If not, see if the MC will allow a bolster on the hospital bed. Go to Amazon and look them up, there are many varities. Otherwise I know of nothing to prevent these falls and it's horrible, I know.

Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Medical-Universal-Mattress-Perimeter/dp/B00V86G39C/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1B26O8WI2MNT0&keywords=Fall+prevention+bolster&qid=1647061697&s=hpc&sprefix=fall+prevention+bolster%2Chpc%2C131&sr=1-5

Best of luck with a difficult situation

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thank you!!

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How do you handle repeated falls from getting out of bed?

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