Those gym mats are incredibly sticky, My granddaughter is a gymnast and has some pads she uses on practice. Your feet actually STICK to them. So, nope, they'd be worse than a regular floor. Also the same with the "puzzle mats" you're referring to. They come apart fairly easily and can become sticky also.
If your LO is falling out of bed, maybe it's time for a hospital bed. DO NOT buy bedrails for a regular bed, those are horrible things to try to get your LO out of---and they do NOT help with stability.
As far as walking--perhaps some PT to help her gain the proper stance and how to walk with a rolling walker or a "stand" walker. My mother fought the walker tooth and nail, but is unable to shuffle 3 steps without it. BUT there is a trick to walking with either of those aids that makes walking "easier" and better. Mother hunches herself up into her walker and bends from the waist--wrong, wrong wrong...but will NOT stand up and use the proper technique. We all quit trying to help her.
Oh--and keep the walkways clear of everything!! Scatter rugs, papers, bedskirts that hang down too long, clothing on the floor.
Also have your mom checked for that UTI that seems to cause so much grief, and just a general checkup that she can see OK and is in generally OK health. Falls can be a result from a medication, inner ear infection, just standing up too fast.
Sadly, falling is the one thing that can take a relatively healthy person right to their knees, metaphorically speaking. You can't follow your LO around all day waiting for them to fall, so just do the best you can to prevent falls. Oh, and get a fall pendant/wristband and MAKE SURE SHE WEARS IT!!!
Sadly, with dementia, falls are very common. Is she getting up during the night and falling or just falling during the day too? I agree that putting mats on the floor may soften the impact, but, the material would be easy to trip on and not sturdy to walk on. Sometimes, it's a matter of constantly supervising them as they use a walker, as they will likely forget to use it, if not constantly directed to do so.
And if she's getting up in the night, I'd explore a bed alarm, so others will be alerted and can get to her and help her during the night.
I know it's frustrating. My LO continued to fall and not much later, she became wheelchair bound. Of course, there are still falls, since she forgets she can't walk and gets out of the wheelchair and/or bed. We have good results with seatbelt and bed alarms though.
Home improvement stores and online retailers sell cork flooring that snaps together. You can also try those big, colorful floor puzzle mats for baby that are tiles made of heavy-duty foam that snap together.
Rosesarentred, it would be better to purchase fall mats which are designed to help cushion a fall and are easier to walk on. Order them from medical supply stores. My Mom had those around her bed. Mom also had a hospital bed so at night the bed was lowered way down as Mom was a fall from bed risk.
As for the rest of the house, have your Mom use a rolling walker [4 wheel type with a seat and hand brakes]. That helped my Dad when he started falling.
I'm sorry to hear about your mom's falls. I would try and go back to her doctor and see if they can review her meds. What is causing her to fall so much? I know its important to take precautions but putting down gym mats would make it hard for her if she uses a walker or wheelchair. I tried to install grab bars in as many places as possible to help my dad with his balance. I turned his house into a mini nursing home but it was still hard. I hope you can find something that works for your mom.
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If your LO is falling out of bed, maybe it's time for a hospital bed. DO NOT buy bedrails for a regular bed, those are horrible things to try to get your LO out of---and they do NOT help with stability.
As far as walking--perhaps some PT to help her gain the proper stance and how to walk with a rolling walker or a "stand" walker. My mother fought the walker tooth and nail, but is unable to shuffle 3 steps without it. BUT there is a trick to walking with either of those aids that makes walking "easier" and better. Mother hunches herself up into her walker and bends from the waist--wrong, wrong wrong...but will NOT stand up and use the proper technique. We all quit trying to help her.
Oh--and keep the walkways clear of everything!! Scatter rugs, papers, bedskirts that hang down too long, clothing on the floor.
Also have your mom checked for that UTI that seems to cause so much grief, and just a general checkup that she can see OK and is in generally OK health. Falls can be a result from a medication, inner ear infection, just standing up too fast.
Sadly, falling is the one thing that can take a relatively healthy person right to their knees, metaphorically speaking. You can't follow your LO around all day waiting for them to fall, so just do the best you can to prevent falls. Oh, and get a fall pendant/wristband and MAKE SURE SHE WEARS IT!!!
And if she's getting up in the night, I'd explore a bed alarm, so others will be alerted and can get to her and help her during the night.
I know it's frustrating. My LO continued to fall and not much later, she became wheelchair bound. Of course, there are still falls, since she forgets she can't walk and gets out of the wheelchair and/or bed. We have good results with seatbelt and bed alarms though.
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As for the rest of the house, have your Mom use a rolling walker [4 wheel type with a seat and hand brakes]. That helped my Dad when he started falling.
I'm sorry to hear about your mom's falls. I would try and go back to her doctor and see if they can review her meds. What is causing her to fall so much? I know its important to take precautions but putting down gym mats would make it hard for her if she uses a walker or wheelchair. I tried to install grab bars in as many places as possible to help my dad with his balance. I turned his house into a mini nursing home but it was still hard. I hope you can find something that works for your mom.
You can't win :(