My mother, in assisted living facility with my Dad and has severe dementia, has been falling a lot and hitting her head. She won’t stay in the wheelchair because she doesn’t think she needs it. Every time she falls and hits her head, she is brought to the nearest hospital for a CT scan, per protocol.
Has anyone experienced this with a LO? How do we keep her in the wheelchair chair and safe?
Thank you-
With my mother's ALF, there are a few couples where the wife lives in the memory care section & the husband lives the AL section, so that may need to happen with your folks, if such a situation exists. The MC section is just across the parking lot so visiting is quite easy.
Best of luck!
My Mom was also trying to get out of wheelchair. The Staff at long-term-care tried to use a seatbelt, but a couple seconds after it was put into place they heard the "click" and the belt was off.... [sigh].
Eventually the only thing that worked 75% of the time was placing Mom into a geri-recliner, and placing a pillow under Mom's knees. Thus it made it more difficult for my Mom to get out of said recliner. She would tug and pull at the pillow and once in awhile was able to remove that pillow.
Sorry, there isn't a whole lot the Staff can do to keep a person in a wheelchair due to State laws about confinement. You can have a room with nurses, Aides, and family, and sure enough, that elder will find a way to fall in a split second.
I went through it with my LO. You can discuss it with the facility to see what is legal in your state. Some offer alarms that buzz when the person gets out of the chair. That way, staff can go to assist her before she falls and guide her back to safety. But, there are laws about any kind of alarm or safety device that could be considered a restraint. You can check with an attorney to be certain of the laws in your state and what is allowed.
Sadly, from all that I have read and seen with seniors or those with dementia who insist on walking when they can't, they somehow continue to fall, sometimes getting fractures and that usually really sets them back. I know it involves so much stress on the family. The only time my LO's falling stopped was when she was no longer able to get out of the chair.
Ideally 1-1 care 24/7 is needed at that stage - whether affordable is another matter. I did it for my dad for a while but it was very hard as I had no help.
In total dad fractured his ankle, and hip - twice, along with a load of bruises, cuts to head, black eyes etc. The last hip fracture was in a nursing home, where despite my demands for medical care / intervention, they made him walk on it for 14 days leading to his early demise.
Thinking of you all,
If she is somewhat able to ambulate, maybe she would use a walker with supervision.
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