Nationally I understand that guard rails are banned. She is very hard of hearing and suffers from dementia but has no other physical diseases.
I have looked up options on the internet like bolsters and other barriers but hope my fellow travelers on agingcare.com can share what has worked for their loved ones who are facility residents. While we as a family are struggling for answers, one elder care attorney told us that it is the facility’s responsibility to assure safety. What does this actually need?
My aunt has a very thick floor mat beside her bed provided by hospice. She also has a wider than normal bed that she is in the center of BUT she is bed bound. Your sis may be active and she may be falling when getting up on her own. I have seen beds left very, very low to the floor and less distance to fall but not as convenient for medical staff If she is incontinent. As a rule you have to accept that elders fall. Especially once started to fall it seems they continue to fall. Bed alarms might be helpful for some but very annoying and staff isn’t always able to react quickly. Some spend the day in a wheelchair designed to make it difficult to get up. The bolsters I think would be good as long as it is an accidental fall but a determined elder can get around many barriers. Wishing you luck.
God forbid, but what a picture.
1. I've had to reiterate/train my Mom to pull the cord that is next to her bed before she gets off of her bed. Whenever I hear through the nurses otherwise, I talk to my Mom about it....well, lecture might be a better word.
2. The Floor nurse got a bed monitor. We always stated she was a fall risk since moving into MC. Now that she is more incontinent, it is in their best interests to get to her room ASAP when the bed monitor goes off.
3. Her walker is not close to her. In other words, her walker is further away than 3 or 4 steps. Therefore, she doesn't try to get to her walker to get to the bathroom, which is even further away.
4. I refuse to do xrays after the fall. Their protocol after a fall is to take the person to the emergency room for xray in case there is a concussion. One time, they called the ambulance to take my Mom to the emergency room and my Mom woke up and made a huge fuss (they can't take her without either her or my consent). They called me and I said NO. They told me she could die if she had a head fracture. I told her that at her present state, she would actually prefer that (this is true as she and I discussed it.) I called up my sister-in-law and she took my Mom to get xrays the next day. Because they want to monitor her after a fall, I told them to put her in a wheelchair and wheel her outside of the nurses station where she could be monitored. My Mom finds it easy to sleep in her wheelchair. 95% of the time, she doesn't even remember that she fell overnight and can't understand all the fuss.
5. I do daily exercises with my Mom that strengthens her abs and reminds her brain how to balance. The PT showed us these exercises to help her to gain her strength after a hip fracture, and I have found them extremely important so that she attempts to get up on her bed, instead of rolling off the bed at night. I tell her that she needs to do these so that she can get on and off the toilet. She seems to understand this. But she dislikes the exercises as they are getting harder and harder to do. At my Mom's age, I'm going for exercises that will train her body to behave in a certain way automatically.
6. We lowered her bed by removing the frame (she is under 4'10" now). When she gets out of bed, she can sit on her bed and touch the floor.
I hope this gives you some ideas. Best wishes!
My late mother suffered falls because she had lost her judgment with mental decline at age 92. Always forgot to use her rollater to get to the toilet, even after getting placed in a facility.
True but impossible. Also, s/he's talking like a lawyer to a prospective client.
My 100-yr old Aunt fell 3 times in her own home, once when her caregiver/niece was standing right next to her. Three falls: 3 broken bones. She suffered from dementia and even though she had limited mobility, she kept forgetting about her limitations. We had an alarm on her when she was seated, we had barriers around her bed. The last time she escaped her bed and broke her hip, on a carpeted floor.
Like others have mentioned, lowering the bed and maybe using cushions. But this doesn't solve her getting up from a chair. Unless the facility has 1:1 staff/resident ratio I think you must have proper expectations of the care.
After my Aunt broke her hip and was in rehab, I was dreading moving her to a permanent facility because I knew her getting up/out was not an easily solved problem. As it happens, she passed in her sleep while at rehab, something I consider a blessing.
100 year’s old.
Works in Asia.
My mom is a huge fall risk to the point of ideally having eyes on her every waking moment. Her MC has done everything they can , but still she will fall - she’s like a silent ninja that way. Her worst fall happened when the poor caretaker had to use the restroom. Mom probably seemed asleep and then alley-oop! Made a break for it.
Do the prevention with the understanding that falls will happen despite best efforts…sigh…it’s just one of those things .
Good luck!
It is the facility's responsibility to have staff and processes in place to *prevent* falls, which means they try things like lowering beds, pillows, wedges, and bed alarms, but nothing is foolproof. Again, falls happen.
At 91 and suffering with dementia severe enough to require memory care, talk to her doctor about do-not-treat orders so that she doesn't spend her remaining life in and out of the hospital. Hospitals are especially dangerous for people like your sister who require consistency. She is a high risk for hospital delirium. And studies show that too many patients end up getting an infection in the hospital. If you want to keep your sister safe, keep her out of the hospital.
In the hospital, we just push a button and the nurse's aide shows up: it's a great safety feature when paying for health care.
Its the MCs responsibility to provide a safe environment for the residents, and 24/7 caregivers to assist them. Not to guarantee falls will never happen which is ludicrous. That lawyer is reaching far w such a statement. And good luck getting APS out to a Memory Care Assisted Living facility bc an Elder fell!!!! My mother fell 95x while in AL and MC, and there was nobody to "blame" but her for refusing to ask for help when she needed it, and then forgetting she was unable to walk ( w dementia).
Falls happen with the elderly no matter what you do. #Truth
Best of luck
If she needs it to pull herself up or to help her turn over in bed, one rail is allowed. We had one returned for Papa because it was the only way he could turn.
you also can get a medical order for full length bed rails you might have to buy them they start at $79.00 on Amazon. your relative must be checked on every 30 min because of fall risk they accepted her in to their care
Sorry it on your facility to keep her and them safe
houseelf40 retired CNA CMA