My father has dementia and has recently started having issues with mobility. He can no longer stand up and will fall when he attempts to get out of bed. Unfortunately he also has trouble sleeping and wants to get up every hour. How can I keep him safe without being up 24 hours a day watching him? Any ideas to keep him in bed while I sleep?
Get a Hospital bed. Request full side rails. Or you might need 4 half rails.
When he gets into bed lower the bed as low as it will go. If you can put one side of the bed up against a wall you only have to use rails on one side.
the rails should keep him from getting up. Lowering the bed does make it more difficult for someone to get out of bed but it also makes it a lower height if they were to try to get out of bed and fell.
There are bed alarms that can be used. Either in the bed but they can go off with movement. The other option would be an alarm on the floor so if he does place his feet on the floor the alarm will go off.
Bed rails did not work for us and so we had to just leave them down because he was either going over or around or between. I don't know but it did not work for us, he was escaping. One day he said all you have to do is pull that knob out and it comes down - that was a hospital bed. Sigh.
We as grandma1954 said, had one side of the bed pushed against a wall. Good luck!
People have mentioned that adding a bolster of some kind below the sheet at the edge of the bed can be enough to prevent their loved one from getting up - pool noodles or rolled blankets or pillows.
Lowering the bed can make getting up more difficult, but of course it also makes it more difficult for the caregiver too unless you have an adjustable bed.
I'll add another vote for something to help him sleep through the night (along with an incontinence product if that is part of the problem).