Why does my mother in law hang on to the rail of the hospital bed?

She may feel dizzy?

My Mom does this quite a bit. The rail assures her that she cannot fall out of bed, and she uses the rail constantly to help her move around.

She can only move on one side of her body, so it's very helpful for her to use the rail as a tool to get comfortable.

Plus, I think she likes the change in texture and position. From her arm just lying there on the bed all the time, to being able to flex it a bit and feel the different texture of the rail.

And, most importantly - the remote control for the bed is attached to the rail and she likes to feel it to know it's still there and the controls haven't fallen or gotten stuck somewhere.

Edited to add: She also holds the rail because her dog walks to the bed and stands up next to it & she can pat the dog's head and drop a biscuit or treat down to her, since Mom can't sit up by herself.

Fear of falling?
Anxious? Unfamiliar environment.
Balance centre of brain can be affected with Alz.

Does she ever get out of bed? Does she seem unsteady when she is mobile? As someone who has vertigo on a regular basis, it could be she is "steadying" herself due to dizziness. If she has mod/adv ALZ she may not be able to express that she has this problem.

Nothing to worry about. Many bedridden patients do this to steady themselves.

The rail not tail, guess we can’t edit questions?

My mom did this too, I think it gave her a sense of security knowing that she couldn't fall.

Because its there. I see no problem with this.