She like to wander.Two of her falls resulted in bumps to her head. One occurred when a care giver was at the breakfast table when she was arising. She somehow got tangled in a leg or something and went down getting a big bang on her noggin. Fortunately not a serious bump, though. The next time she got up in the middle of the night and put her shoes on and I guess then fell. She was found on the hourly bed check on the floor but no bumps or bruises were present. Sunday she wandered into bathroom on her own and was found on the floor she did have another bump on her head. She hasn't toileted her self in a long time so I imagine she just wandered into the space and wasn't looking to go the bathroom. The center said they are trying to keep her in a wheelchair but they do sit her in comfy chairs and she is at times capable of getting up and walking with the wheel chair as a walker. They say she gets restless and likes to wander but has been becoming more unstable on her feet. she isn't on a lot of meds and they have been ruled out as a reason for her falls as has a urinary infection. What can be done to prevent these falls before she seriously hurt herself? I know she thinks she is capable of getting around and just forgets she can't do it on her own. What have others done to help with this issue? What is the ratio of enough patient supervision to care-givers..
she thinks she is capable of getting around and can't do it on her own.
I face a similar issue at home.
Common side effects of Aricept® include frequent urination;drowsiness; headache; dizziness; confusion; changes in behavior; and abnormal dreams; fainting, trouble urinating
MY ADW has been on Aricept for years. Made a change during the early years. Now she may be showing the side effects. Dr is tapering her off with the goal of stopping the Aricept to see stopping health problems.
Mom was in a wheelchair all day, with the foot supports extended. Her nursing home had a huge dining room with a 72" TV open morning 'til night. It was right beside the nurses' station. They wheeled her in there to watch TV in the morning at breakfast and most often kept her there...pushed up to the table, feet up, wheels locked. No restraints allowed at this nursing home (nor in the whole state, as a matter of fact). But the dining room table acted as a restraint. It worked.
Others more nimble could unlock the wheels and push away from the table. They often did that if they needed to use the bathroom. Just an automatic reflexive action. Then their seat alarm would sound. Anyone in earshot, including visitors, knew what that meant and rushed to their aid.
With mom, in bed, they would raise her feet and head. In mom's case, she was too weak to get out of bed in that position. But if people tried? Their bed alarm would sound and aids would come rushing in. They put her room close to the nurses' station to make it convenient for staff to monitor serious fall risks.
Call a meeting with the Director of Nursing. Find out exactly what they are going to do DIFFERENTLY to protect your loved one from falling. A broken hip or serious head injury is right around the corner.
The trouble is, the only way to prevent any falls is for someone to be standing over her 24/7. And even then, as they say, "gomers go to ground" - bewilderingly, she will find a way of falling. So for the sake of your hair colour and your blood pressure, work on accepting that there will be an element of risk that cannot be eliminated. I can vouch for the extreme difficulty of doing this, but try. Breathing exercises (I am not joking) help.
Meanwhile, I agree with Maggie, discuss the issue and revise your mother's care plan. Keep it under ongoing review. If you're like me, you will be tempted to request that they strap her into her chair (!) when she isn't being supervised: they won't, so don't waste thought on it. This is a 'deprivation of liberty', and in our system - I expect yours will be similar - there is a plethora of formal applications and authorisations required before that can happen. You won't get approval for it simply to prevent falls.
You can also feel less helpless researching the vast range of devices and aids available, from walkers to alarm systems. There are alarms that will allow you to record a message so that as she gets up from her chair a disembodied voice says "Mary, sit down and press your call button!" The idea is that she will comply. My suspicion is that my mother would jump out of her skin - but at least the picture gave me a giggle. More usefully, there are also gizmos that you attach to the person's clothing that will tell you when her body position departs from the perpendicular; but, again, they won't tell you before it happens.
I understand your questioning the ratio of patients : caregivers, but this returns to the point that unless there is someone with her literally continuously she will always find opportunities to go a-wandering. So keep it in mind that you can reduce the risk, you can try to think of everything, but in the end if it happens, it happens. Take deep breaths, and some consolation from the way her staff are already dealing with it - they're on the scene quickly, they are checking on her regularly, and they are reporting diligently. That actually sounds pretty good.
Your mother can be belted in the wheelchair so she cannot get out, I have seen some patients put into an almost lying position to keep them in the wheelchair at the home my mother was in. At night there are bed alarms that need to be turned on so they go off when she gets out of bed and she could be moved closer to a nurses station so they could keep an eye on her.
Because she has fallen 3 times they need to be watching her closely and someone needs to help her sit and get up to prevent such entanglements. You sound as though you are a very kind person and do not want to be harsh with these people but you need to have a talk with administration or head of nursing or someone and basically demand that they figure something out and put it into action NOW!
I cannot even begin to tell you the guilt you feel when your loved one dies like this and you start thinking to yourself...Oh if only I had said something more or done something more, it is horrible. This is a form of neglect on the part of the nursing home, but if you don't say something and demand something be done, you are as much at fault as they are. I do not mean to be nasty but I am still dealing with my mother's death so this subject for me is a raw spot and I just want everyone to realize that there are countless deaths due to falls and they may be Mom's fault but they may also be from neglect and abuse.
God Bless You All!
Usually they use one side for activities etc. and let the sleepers of which there are a lot. Many of the residents snooze most of the day away. The acitivities seem to move by which side seems the most sleepy. Those awake are encouraged to try the activities. Mom often doesn't like doing them much though nor does she like sitting with the sleepers but prefers to wander off. I think she prefers being where it is quieter and away from all the people thus she goes down the hallway which is quiet but still has atmosphere with nice furniture and décor. She has a bedroom of her own that she shares with another lady. She really is only in there to sleep, and can't find it on her own anyway. I don't think she can open the door and negotiate her way in anyway.
She really can't get up on her own from the recliners and sofas but can muster up the strength sometimes from the wheelchair. She gets bored being on the couch etc. She likes to move and can use her legs to move the wheelchair around. An alarm on the chair might work but she really likes to pick things off and I know that was a problem with my FIL we couldn't find an alarm he couldn't disarm.
There are some sensible things that can be done to help prevent falls. But it is impossible to eliminate the risk entirely. One of Mom's falls occurred with an aide in the room within two feet of her. My husband fell often, even when I was walking with him. The best I could do was break his fall, but not stop it from happening.
Work with the staff to brainstorm ideas in how to reduce risks for your loved one. But also accept that falls are not 100% preventable.
I love the sound of the unit, it sounds like a first rate place. However. Not great from a falls prevention point of view, especially with a person who is restless but can't walk around safely. Very, very tricky. What do the staff suggest? After all, it's their job to keep your mother from harm.