Mom with dementia got up without help for the 1st time in over 6 months. Any ideas?

It happens because their mind no longer tells them they can't. In their minds they are hale and hardy. They are no longer aware of their limitations. My Mom could no longer dress herself so I helped. One night I didn't hear he up when I did and went to her room, she was fully dressed. May not have matched but she was dressed. There is no rhyme or reason to Dementia.

As said, no matter where Mom is placed, she will fall. No facility can watche 1 person 24/7. My daughter was taking care of a resident in a wheelchair. She turned for a second, in that second the person stood up and fell. As my daughter says "falls happen".

First off, no facility on earth can protect an elder from falling. Mattresses on floors are a very bad idea too and seldom practiced by decent SNFs. You can get a hospice evaluation for mom now which is my advice, bc at 97 with dementia, you could be seeing what's known as a rally by a person at end of life. Where they suddenly exhibit abilities they've been unable to for ages.

If her PCP hasn't suggested hospice, why not? Hospice has bolster pillow devices they can install on her bed which sort of cup her body making it 3x harder for her to get up unassisted. They have tricks and tools up their sleeves nobody would think of. Hospice is not just about comfort care via meds, but about safety and comfort in general.

Also, with dementia at play, why isn't mom in Memory Care Assisted Living where the care is more comprehensive? That's another thing to consider.

Best of luck.

Wow! Bet that was a surprise.

Yes! My mother (now 98) did the same less than a year ago! After not moving for maybe 3 or 4 months. (I forget exactly) She wouldn’t feed herself, nor even help when they repositioned her in bed. She’d lost so muscle mass she was nothing but skin and bones.

Wow. You got me there. Talk about something occurring without a good answer? This is it?
I so agree with Geaton. Now that this HAS happened the question is how to keep her safe, as her muscles and tendons are bound to have weakened considerably from having been so long on bedrest.
I sure do wish you luck. I wonder if her doc would consider any visiting PT work to try to strengthen her, or if this is just a one-off and I bet you are wondering as well.
Sure wish you good luck.

I think the question is not how can this happen, but rather, how can the facility protect her from a fall since this will probably happen again?

Obviously she has been "able" to get out of bed on her own but hasn't wanted to or felt like it. After being like this for 6 months I'm wondering why she hasn't been recommended for LTC?

This past December my 101-yr old Aunt with advanced dementia wiggled past the barriers around her bed (in her home) and attempted to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night. She fell on the carpeted floor and broke her hip. This is a woman who wasn't mobile without a support belt and someone holding her up and walking with her. While in rehab she passed away, we're not sure exactly why but something related to the fall and her rapid decline afterwards.

As her PoA I was in the midst of finding permanent facility placement for her since I knew it was likely she would do this again, but wasn't sure how any one or any facility -- without "restraining" her -- would be able to keep her from getting up to walk.

If I were you I'd have a discussion with her doctor about LTC where at least they can put her mattress on the floor and have more eyes on her. Also, most states' Medicaid programs will only cover LTC. Just a thought.

Your post brings back memories of when I had my mom go to a nursing home for a respite stay, she managed to get herself out of bed and was found sitting in the room across the hall.... I assume she was feeling lost and was looking for the way home. That taught me to never discount the possibility that she could do more than expected and could get herself into trouble if we just assumed she couldn't do things and take precautions.