Asking for neighbor not online- dad forgets he needs slippers or shoes on and the house has hardwood flooring throughout. He has fallen 3 times in 9 months, first breaking hip, second just soreness and 3rd hitting face and forehead that looked horrible. Is there a case manager or someone they can contact to come look at their home and suggest safety things for him to live alone? Thanks!
If he is living alone he probably should either not be alone or have help in the morning at least getting dressed and ready for the day.
If dad is cognitively impaired with other respects that is another reason he should not be alone.
Their doctor cold also order a Physical Therapist to assess him and determine if 1) the house is safe
2) there are no trip hazards
3) does he need a walker, and if he has one is it being used properly and hopefully each time it is needed.
(there are hospitals that have programs, classes that teach fall prevention wit the hope to minimize falls)
An Occupational Therapist is the one to hire to come in to do a safety assessment to see what changes need to be made to make the elder's home better for him. I'm surprised one wasn't sent home as an after care plan when he broke his hip. A senior case manager can be hired; Google it for details. But in reality, living alone becomes a safety risk at some point for most seniors in general, especially if cognitive impairment is a factor, and when they are prone to falling.
That said, my mother fell 95x living IN Assisted Living and then Memory Care AL. So there is no way to prevent it, depending upon what the cause of the falls are to begin with. Sometimes it's pure stubbornness at play (I don't NEED a walker!), sometimes it's dementia and forgetting they can't walk, which was the case with mom, and sometimes it's loss of balance issues, etc. Yes, AL makes it safer in general for the elders, but there isn't 24/7 caregivers to watch them, and even if there was, falls STILL can't be totally prevented, unfortunately.
Wishing your neighbor the best of luck finding the appropriate living conditions to suit his needs
Short term solutions. Install carpet through out the house, non-slip rubber mat in shower/bathtub,have dad wear a fall alert pendant.
Dad forgets to put on sboes to walk safely. This is a sign that his cognitive reasoning is slipping. What else does he forget? How about turning off stoves? Locking doors?
He needs long term solutions.
Long term solutions. In addition to the short term solutions, hire caregivers to be with dad during the day until he goes to sleep. Or move dad to Assisted Living.
Good luck to your neighbor and his/her dad.
Renovating the entire house and installing carpeting throughout the house will be an expensive mistake. What usually follows in the progression of dementia and mobility issues is incontinence. There is nothing more disgusting than a house full of wall-to-wall carpeting that's being pissed and crapped on repeatedly. I've worked in the homes of many elders where this was a bad problem.
The father needs to be placed in the appropriate care facility or have a live-in caregiver.
One other option may be house sharing--finding someone, perhaps a nursing student, who would live there in exchange for a certain number of hours of responsibility for some well-defined chores. It sounds as though this gentleman does not need someone to do personal care at this point.