Placed 92 year old mom 6 months ago in memory care. . First fall within a month. Had to go to ER By ambulance because it was clearly a hit to the head. She had a cut above her eye. In the last 2 months there have been 4 falls. 2 requiring an ambulance to the ER.( ambulance has to be called if it is a head injury or unwitnessd fall) . These falls always happen in the middle of the night,. I'm concerned that during the day she is being medicated to keep her " calm". her anxiety has increased with the progression of the disease. Is she " napping too much during the day that she can't sleep at night? Does this amount of falling happen at other facilities?? The thought of moving her to another facility is overwhelming. The staff where she is honestly are so good to my mom. Are numerous falls just a " normal " part of this. ? Someone suggested I hire a " sitter" to be in her room at night but I already pay the facility a large amount of money monthly.hoping it doesn't run out any time soon.
As an ex RN now retired I assure you, Falls-R-Us when it comes to elders. There would be increased falls at home also, though things usually closer together there so somewhat fewer tho more head hits from furniture statistically. So sorry it's happening, but so much is happening at the end of life, and for some things, such as our balance, there's little to be done about it.
You certainly could be correct that medications required for other things can cause falls, but even blood pressure meds can do that, and heart meds and diuretic meds and on and on. And again, there isn't always an answer to THAT either.
Then of course falls are very common in all facilities, and even for those of us that kept our loved ones with dementia at home. Falls are sadly part of the dementia journey for most.
I kept my late husband home, and was here with him full-time for the last 4 years of his life and there were times when I would be right next to him when he would fall and there was nothing I could do to stop him.
And it is often a fall that will be the demise of a person with dementia as well.
Other than keeping your mom wrapped in bubble wrap, there really is not much you can do to keep her from falling.
And don't worry, there will come a point in her journey where she will more than likely become bedridden and you won't have to worry about her falling anymore.
Just be grateful that the folks at your moms facility seem to be taking good care of her. You honestly can't ask for more than that.
My mother just fell again, she is in AL, age 99.
Sending support your way.
Dementia often causes seniors to have wrecked circadian rhythms, so that getting them to sleep at night becomes quite a challenge. My 100-yr old still-somewhat mobile Aunt with advanced dementia was kept busy during the day with "tasks" and walking around the house and a foot pedaling device to burn energy. It worked great to help her sleep all night and then even this strategy stopped working. At home she shimmied past the barriers we had in place around her bed, fell on her carpeted floor and broke her hip then passed while in rehab.
It is one of the most difficult age-related problems to solve for our LOs. I wish you peace in your heart on this journey.
Once I hired hospice, they were able to bring in a mattress cover with raised sides that kind of cupped mom in bed and cut way down on her night falls out of bed. Here is a link to what I'm talking about on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/f87CoA0
It would be good if you can get the MC to agree to stop sending mom to the ER for the unwitnessed falls. As long as she's not bleeding and checks out ok, why should she be put thru the stress?
Anyway, falls go with the territory unfortunately, especially with dementia. Mom was wheelchair bound and kept forgetting she couldn't walk. That was 90% of the problem. Also, insomnia is common with dementia. My mother was taking Ativan for her anxiety and would nod off during the day, but that's standard too.....she was not "over-medicated". It's all a tradeoff, how to keep a demented elder anxiety free and safe at the same time. Unfortunately, it's a lose lose situation for all concerned with dementia.
If mom is not ready for hospice yet, see if the MC will allow one of the mattress covers to be put on her bed.
Best of luck.
The price we pay for being bipedal.
My Mom (98) lived in a skilled nursing home, as she had one fall too many that accelerated her dementia into the final stage. Mom forgot she couldn't walk, and would climb out of bed. The nursing home lower her bed and put fall mats on both sides of the bed. She would still skin herself on the hospital bed trying to climb out.
The Staff put my Mom into a wheelchair for part of the day but Mom would try to reach for a piece of invisible dust on the rug and tumble out of the wheelchair. So the Staff put a seat belt on the wheelchair. Mom was a master of unbuckling the seatbelt, years of practice of not wanting to use one in the car. Unclick.
Then the Staff put Mom in a geri recliner, and they put a pillow under her knees. The pillow kept Mom busy for an hour or so trying to pull out that pillow. At night they also tucked pillows around her in bed, but that would hurt her back as with the pillows she couldn't turn over. The whole time in the nursing home, Mom thought she was staying at a motel and was upset that my Dad went sightseeing without her.
Usually facilities have them on hand and they can pre-alert to when someone is climbing out of bed. It might save her from some of those falls.
Simple solution to her problem.
Is your Mom wheelchair bound?
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