SNF says they don’t use bed alarms. Mom with dementia broke ankle/leg in 3 places (currently non-weightbearing). What safety measures can be taken at night?

She can’t remember to push call button. They finally agreed yesterday to use an alarm that hooks to her clothing. I left as they were getting her teeth brushed and ready for bed. This morning no alarm on her or anywhere in her room. Nurse told me she pushed call button during the night. I have my doubts because during the day she needs prompts to push call button and has gotten herself standing up then not knowing what to do. How would she remember during the night when she’s groggy? Her PJ bottoms were also changed. She gets up 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom. I come at breakfast time and one of us is with her till bedtime. Any ideas for night time?

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Agree with grandma on lowered bed. In my brother's facility they had very good and very cushy matting made of some sort of foamy material to put down at the floor. But yes, this is a serious problem. Falls will occur. Falls often represent the beginning of the end. Without 24 hour care, which of course cannot be afforded by any but the uber wealthy, this is a serious problem. Discuss with the facilitiy. They will have more ideas than we who have not yet faced this situation will. But this may eventually fall under the "not everything can be fixed" filings. I am so sorry.

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Reply to AlvaDeer

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Her bed should be lowered as far down as it will go.
this does a few things.
It is very difficult to get out of bed when the bed is that low.
If she does get out of bed and falls she is much closer to the ground.
Typically if they do this they place a mattress or other padded surface next to the bed so that it is a softer landing. the mattress also makes standing up rather difficult and most people will not stand because it is soft and not as firm as the floor.
I am also surprised they do not have her room right near the nurses station so they are more apt to hear her if she tries to get up;.
She should be wearing a pull up incontinent brief so there is no need for her to get up.

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Reply to Grandma1954

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With advanced dementia at play and being a fall risk, mom should be wearing Depends to bed at night and getting changed in bed. That's the safest option. The aides would change my mother's brief at 4 or 5am every morning, in bed, and she'd go right back to sleep.

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Reply to lealonnie1

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Thank you all for answering. Mom is 91. She does wear a Depend to bed. She wakes up when she needs to go and wouldn’t intentionally go in it. She automatically starts getting up because she wakes when she needs to go bad. She has accidents on the way to the toilet when they don’t come quick to help her. She had a hard time going in the bed when they used the purewick at the hospital. Sometimes took hours of her saying she needed to go before she could force herself to start the flow.
She’s in the 2nd closest room to the nurses station. But they aren’t as quick here as the rehab was.
She was upset when they brought in a bedside commode but they made her use it last night. But it doesn’t help her use the call button. Nurse supervisor apologized and brought the alarm in and got it all ready so it should be used tonight. I will also bring up the bed lowering and soft mat. She does somehow remember not to put weight on her left foot, I guess the cast is her reminder.

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SNF says they don’t use bed alarms. Mom with dementia broke ankle/leg in 3 places (currently non-weightbearing). What safety measures can be taken at night?

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