Mom has fallen 3 times in 2 months. She knows to use her walker at all times and wear skid proof slippers but there are times when she thinks she can just get up and hang pictures on the wall or walk around the house with hardwood floors with only socks. What should I do?
Sometimes it can be physical issues, loss of muscle tone, scissoring the legs, PD shuffle etc. Sometimes it is due to changes to the balance control centre of the brain.
Maybe it will help to have a Physio assess her walking? Or maybe not..
My relative has fallen SO many times. Uses furniture around home... sigh.. has lack of insight + v poor balance.
Physio review was useful, has set an exercise program to maintain strength but cannot cure. Advised to stay on feet as long as possible - use it or lose it approach. Then it will be wheelchair fulltime & move into care.
Where I live there can be non-emergency ambo for falls (some places uses fire dept). But head strike usually requires ER.
Good luck
She is my 99-yr old aunt with mod/adv dementia. She often forgets that she has no real balance, leg strength or mobility and will attempt to get up and out of a chair on her own (which means she will just keel over). We have an alarm system where the sound unit clips to the recliner above her head. There's a lightweight chord that clips to her shirt on one end and attaches to a small magnet that rests on the alarm unit. When she moves to get up the string pulls the magnet off its spot and the alarm goes off. That's as much as we've been able to do.
I was my husbands full time caregiver for many years and when he first started showing signs of vascular dementia and was falling a lot, I was often in the same room he was in and down he would go. And I was always in the house with him when he would fall. There was a two month period where I had to call 911 nine times to have the EMT's come get him off the floor for me.
And I know that there are many on this forum whose loved one has fallen numerous times while in a care facility as well, so unfortunately there are no easy solutions here.
You must do whatever you believe is best for your mom and her safety. Just make sure that if she does fall that you don't hurt yourself trying to pick her up, and instead call 911 and let the EMT's handle it. In most places they do not charge for this service unless they have to transport her to the hospital.
I wish you the best in getting things figured out.