How do I get my mother to let me know when she is getting out of bed? She keeps falling!

I had a hospice patient who had a walker and we tied a cow bell to her walker at night and put the walker right next to the bed. As soon as she tried to move the walker we'd hear the cow bell clanging. It worked great.

I used a mattress pressure alarm, connected to a bleep. I agree that it takes a certain amount of fine-tuning to get it positioned correctly so that you're not up and down all night if she so much as sneezes. But the bigger problem is that you still have to be close enough to get there before your mother is actually upright and trying to stand... Sigh.

You can get grab rails that fix to the bed frame so that your mother has something to hold on to; that might give you enough extra time? I also found that having a good stout commode next to the bed at night time at least stopped her trying to make it all the way to the bathroom. Have a look at disability equipment websites and see what might suit.

I'm afraid I never completely solved this problem, so all I can really do is sympathise.

I've seen patients in nursing homes sleep on a mattress on the floor to keep from falling. If your mother won't wait for you to help her, it might be better to have her nearer the floor than to have her break a bone.
My mother had one of the noise makers at a rehab. It was awful. Every time she moved, the thing went off. There may be ways to make them less sensitive. We cut hers off.
A baby monitor might work if she would wait for you after calling and if she had the ability to call.

ramonamorgan, my Mom would forget she couldn't stand but she still tried to climb out of bed. Having a hospital bed would help, as you could lower the bed to the lowest position, and you would have "fall mats" on the floor.

For my Dad, I bought a small heavy side bar that can be attached to the bed under the mattress. This small side bar was great for him to use to help him stand up enough so he could grab his walker.

Sadly, so many elders as they age tend to fall, and we can only do what we can to help prevent it. Sometimes it is impossible :(

You can get a mattress alarm that sounds whenever she gets up. I haven't used these before myself, so I don't know if you would be able to get to her in time if she is unable to stand. They use them in nursing homes, so they must be effective. Maybe someone in the group has used one and knows the pros and cons of them.

The bed alarms are not that bad any more. It goes off only if your weight leaves the bed, not if you turn or shift. There is also baby monitors that you can hear your mom in the other room, then bed rails you can purchase at the baby section in Wal-Mart. They slip into a regular bed. They all help and are very affordable. I use all three depending on the confusion level of my clients.

Best way I know, is to use a baby monitor. it is non-intrusive - on the unit you leave in your mom's room, she hears nothing.

On the other end, when it's turned on, you hear any movement or speech, or coughing. you learn quickly to differentiate from normal sounds to something more varied or that lasts longer - like sounds of getting up.

I've worked in elder care and at nights, always bring my own set, not expensive. When I've recommended it to patients who live with their elder relatives, they have tried and love it. For it is just as reassuring as it is when used for a baby - you can also hear steady breathing which shows sleep. If I hear a little coughing, I wait - if it continues a while, I'll get up and go in, add a hug and a dab of Vicks to the person's chest, or raise the bed a bit - the monitor is really helpful to stay on top of whatever is a risk.

I think the problem is that some patients do not remember they cannot walk and stand up. It doesn't matter if they are low to the ground or attached to a sensor, they are going to try and stand because that is a lifelong habit subconsciously ingrained in their brains and not something they think about. My Mom also tries to stand and then falls when she takes her first step. I have asked Mom's NH to put her walker beside the bed or in front of her chair so that when she tries to stand she will automatically take hold of the walker in front of her. My thinking is that if she realizes she can't stand she will sit back down. I have been unable to get them to try it though. They consider this freestanding walker, not attached to anything, is a violation of the Right To Fall law. Which, incidentally may be the stupidest law that has ever been passed.
I like the idea of the cowbell attached to the walker.

I agree with those suggesting the bed alarms. I got mine on Amazon for fairly inexpensive (don't go to a medical supply, it'll be triple dollars) and it worked like a charm. Unfortunately, my mother is now is completely bed bound so she won't be falling.

I was skeptical at first. I myself am a retired nurse and I'll agree that the early models did false alarm. However I was desperate. It's really hard handling this on your own and even with my adult children living in the house she would still try and get up without any of us!

The newer alarms are a little smaller so they don't call false alarms. I never had a false alarm, ever and I used it for a good solid year. If you're interested the following is the exact model I got.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00489SJ4S

I would also recommend getting a chair alarm as well. I like the one below but it doesn't have a cord. However, I've used it for a while now and haven't had to change the batteries yet, so knock on wood.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0KBEO8

I used a motion detector that sounded an alarm when my wife moved arms or legs over the edge of the bed. A baby monitor picked up the alarm noise and transmitted it to two other rooms in the house. It worked well until the patient became bedridden and no longer a "fall" threat.