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Mom is usually pretty immobile. Lives with a great caretaker. Twice in the past couple of weeks she's gotten around her full-bed rail and fallen. She can't seem to manage the intercom we have set up. We're now putting in a baby monitor, but she snores like a freight train. I'm worried that will interfere with caretaker's sleep. How to keep her in bed?

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MELATONIN details -- While Mom was in rehab, her doctor's visiting nurse had them put her on 5 mg at bedtime. At present I give her 6 mg only because the closest dosage I could find at the super market was 3 mg tablets. She gets two of those, crushed and mixed with blueberry apple sauce. (I take the same dosage.)

Also at bedtime Mom gets 25 mg of a Seroquel generic (prescribed to reduce agitation and anxiety) which, on its own, never helped her to sleep through the night.

The brand we use is NatureMade, simply because I'm not able to get to the health food store much any more because of having to watch Mom. Otherwise I would use my favorite brand, Solgar.

I understand a time-release version is available which some say is best for staying asleep.

I like melatonin because it acts quickly and doesn't have after-effects that I've been able to notice.
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Gigi11, would you please be more specific about the melatonin? I'm not even 50 yet and someone recommended a supplement that was largely melatonin but with other vitamins as well - no joy.

So, if it worked for your mom, would you be so kind as to actually recommend the brand name and/or at least the dosage (milligrams per pill)? No worries if you can't remember - I can't remember the one that worked for others but not for me, although I do think I got it at Sam's Club years ago. :: shrugs :: Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Short of shackles and chains there is no sure way of keeping someone in bed.
Lots of good ideas above and what you choose to use depends on the stage your loved one is at and their abilities.
I would try pushing one side of the bed against the wall and place a long pillow on the open side tucked in with a cross or draw sheet. Use discretion about the rails but motion tab will be helpful . Push the back of a heavy couch agaist the side of the bed and place a matress on the floor at the end of the bed to cushion any falls. If using a hospital bed put it in the lowest position. if your loved one is still mobile place hand rails at convenient places on the wall so she can safely get up and make sure the walker is at the bed side likewise the comode. A motion sensor in the doorway will alert you to any wandering. Good night lights or motion sensor lights in the patients room will help to orientate her. A baby gate at the top of the stair will prevent a tumble but that can also be a hazard if your loved one tries to step over. Good common sense and judgement about your loved ones abilities often go a long way further than professional advice. if you don't agree don't do it. The caregiver knows best what their loved one is capable of. if you hire an overnight caregiver check their references very carefully and if possible talk to others who haave used them. many are very diligent in staying awake and will bring hobbies to keep themselves occupied BUT some also have day jobs and plan on sleeping so set you alarm and check up on them for the first few nights. you are paying them to watch your loved one so make sure they do it. now i am not talking about the ocassional lapse that happens to the best caretaker even if you make them sit on a hard chair around 3-4 am you may find someone asleep sitting bolt upright. Once you know you can trust your caregiver leave them alone. there is nothing worse than having a relative breathing down your neck all night. Leave plenty of coffee and snacks out and you will soon build loyalty
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We took the coasters off the bed and bought a box spring that was not as high for my grandmother. There was no extra charge when we purchased the new set for the smaller box spring. This allowed her to be able to sit on bed with feet firmly planted on the floor. She would not have been able to get up if we placed the mattress on the floor.
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There are caregivers that work at night (that means they stay awake for 12 hours while taking care of your loved one). Then they go home to get some rest. My Mother had such a caregiver until I arrived from out of state to take care of Mom.
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Why is she waking up during the night? Need for bathroom or just restless? Our sleeping problems with Mom (96 and dementia patient) mostly ended after a nurse recommended melatonin at bedtime. Works a charm.
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I have a low mattress in my room temporarily because of a remodeling project. I feel like I could use a crane to be pulled out of it. Low beds are fine for falls, but how will you get her up? My mother would never be able to get up off of a low bed. I can hardly do it and I'm in pretty good shape. It's like getting up off the floor. I like the motion detector thing. Baby monitors are good, but not perfect. We use one, but by the time I hear her fall, it's too late.
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My sister in law finally just put a mattress on the floor and that is where my BIL slept until he went into a home. He kept falling so that was her best solution.
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The Posey Co. Sells bed restraints. You have to have a Drs. Prescrip to purchase them. We used a lap restraint for my husband - helped tremendously. He's in a hospital bed now approaching death. Didn't need the bed restraints, but would not have hesitated to ask for a prescrip if I needed them. Gotta do what you gotta do.
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Get a tabs alarm!!
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I agree with above, the low bed/mattress on the floor seems to work. Be warned she may surprise you and be able to get up from the low position and fall. Does she use a walker at all? You could also try physical therapy to help strengthen her legs and mobility skills. If she has dementia her progress may be limited. People often are able to climb out over bed rails or anything else that has been put in place to block them. The therapist may be able to make some suggestions.
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Take the bed down. Put the mattress on the floor. My grandmother's NH did this as a last resort to her falling out of bed. And the nanny cam would give you peace of mind as well. Good luck.
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I'm confused. You say she lives with a caretaker, snores like a freight train, she is getting out of bed (why?) and you are afraid the baby monitor will waken the caretaker? Isn't a "caretaker" supposed to care for the person? If she is snoring that loudly, I suggest a sleep apnea study first, and then once the evaluation is complete you will know if she needs a CPAP to help with breathing. If she is mostly immobile, how is she getting over the bed rails? I think there is more to this story. Install a nanny cam and find out how she is getting over the rails. Then you will know for sure.
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We were reccommended not to use bed rails or blocking devices because they will climb over them or scoot down to get around them and get hurt worse, we were also told that alarms are not reccommended(they are not allowed in most nursing homes)because the loud noise can be extrememly upsetting. Most people will only be able to understand instructions to stay in bed for so long, then it becomes almost an obsession to get out of the bed whenever they come to a wakeful state in their sleep cycle (usually several times a night, if not more). Though I was caring for my Mom full time, we needed to hire a caregiver at night (so I could sleep) who did not sleep but listened on the baby monitor and entered the room and soothed my Mom into getting back into bed, sometimes this took considerable coaxing and often this happened over and over until she finally went back to sleep. This is eventually how we came to need to place Mom into a NH because the cost of having someone seperate for the nights was getting to be too great. In the NH, they are not allowed to restrain people, they place the beds very low to the floor and they have night time staff that walk around checking making sure residents remain safely in bed.
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I tried all of the above for my mom. What our best solution was we placed a twin bed beside the hospital bed. Adjusted the hospital bed to the level of the twin bed. This seemed to comfort mom knowing someone was beside but she would still want to get up but not as much as she did before.
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Unless you have to tend to her while she's in bed and you need a high bed why not just put the mattress and box spring on the floor so she can get in and out of bed easily? It might look odd but it would keep her from falling.
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A bed alarm might help - it won't keep her from getting up but at least you will be able to know when she is up.
I have the hospital bed, baby monitors , bed and chair alarm for my husband - his bed is in the den and I sleep in the couch so I am close if he needs me. He still tries to get up sometimes but with the alarm at least I can hear when he does. He has taken the battery out of the bed alarm and he has put some weights on the chair alarm pad so I wouldn't hear him. If this doesn't help , I hope you find a solution soon.
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I had to get my dad a hospital bed & remind him he couldn't get up or he would fall. I turned my heavy chairs backwards so he can't get out. He's too weak too move them. But please be careful that your mom doesn't hurt herself getting out. I agree with Olmaande that's great advice. Be careful with bed rails they can be hazardous. The nursing homes in NY State cannot use them because patients were getting their feet caught in them & injuring themselves. I brought long pillows & put them in each side if my dad, it helps him to stay in bed. Try different postions for her. Good luck & God Bless all caregivers as they are true Angels.
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Higher bed rails or ....I put in a cheap motion sensor (garage type/found at re-store) that alerts us to mom's gymnastics and ninja type missions( we call her the nightcrawler).Also cleared the space around the bed of anything that might help her out or hurt her (sharp corner's on chairs, dresser's etc.)
I also added padding to the rug (commercial type pile /fixed to floor) that breaks the fall.
Call buttons and the like are useless.Few will use them after a fall.
Baby monitors and cams can be hacked are often are used to spy on families,scare them or worse.

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