Can a nursing home put a mattress on the floor?

Hi there Countrymouse. Mom is at the point that she doesn't stand on her own. (She can stand with help, but it is like she forgot how to, so this hasn't been a problem)...it is funny how mobile she is when rolling around in bed, and she can push her hips up by bending her knees and putting her feet flat on command, so Depend changes are easy. If you go to Google and type in Bedside Safety Mat there are all different ones. I see a couple that are only 2" thick, which would probably be best for one who walks. It looks like the length and width dimensions are all about the same. (30"W x 72"L). I see some that fold in half and some that fold into thirds. Mom's is one piece, but thicker. One says, "Bedside Safety Mats help reduce the possibility of impact related injuries and provide full-length coverage of the bed exit area." We do have mom's bed pushed up next to the wall, so is she decides to roll around, she will either roll into the wall, or slip down onto the mat. I guess if she decided to get extra frisky, she could exit via the foot of the bed, but we haven't encountered that one...yet.

Brenda, that's interesting - do you not find, though, that if your mother stands on the mattress it's harder for her to keep her balance on it? We might need one of these soon, so I'd also really appreciate it if you could quote its specifications - make, model, that kind of thing? Thanks :)

We had a resident many years ago that kept falling out of bed at night. We put her mattress on the floor so she slept on the floor, no more falls out of bed.

Hi there, I recently had to deal with this topic. My mother had started having falls which included rolling out of bed. Her bed is fairly low, and we recently took the oriental rugs out of her Assisted Living room to try to make a safer environment for her. One afternoon about 2 weeks ago, I got a call from the director of nursing talking about a mattress on the floor. She had me call SunCare (a medical supply store in central Florida) to order one for her. It was the best thing we ever did. The mattress is about 5 inches thick..a bit smaller than a twin mattress (it easily slides under her double bed during the day when she isn't in it), and the material is accident/liquid proof. It reminds me of a gymnast mat but thicker.

the skilled nursing facility where my father is has a "no restraint" policy. he has fallen a few times but no injuries. they move his bed remote so he can't reach it and position the bed as low as possible. A chair or bedside table helps to "block" the person trying to get out. One of the aides told me that even a body pillow (used to prevent someone from getting out of the bed) is still considered a restraint. Ask a nurse or maybe a social worker there.

Well, a mattress on the floor is preferred over tying her to the bed or putting up the rails. Patients get caught in the rails and break arms or legs.

I do believe this is against regulations. They usually put an alarm on the bed to go off if she gets out. If they have no alternative because she is combative, then it is what it is. Please try to understand they must do what they must do.

Why is the mattress on the floor at the nursing home? Is it because your grandmother is falling out of bed and hurting herself? Or are the beds too high up for your grandmother to comfortably get in and out? Or is your grandmother getting out of bed and wandering, and putting the mattress on the floor makes it more difficult for her to get up?