When He Falls: Assist or Not?

arizonadianne

My DH falls (awaiting diagnosis—NPH? FTD?) He has at least MCI. Together we agreed to let him get himself up after a fall if he can. This made sense because I need to know if he can get himself up if he falls (sometimes I work in the yard, sometimes I take the dog for a walk or run an errand). We’ve watched how-to-get-yourself-off-the-floor-after-you-fall videos. As soon as he can’t get himself up after a fall any more, then I can’t leave him any more. The other part is should I be helping him get up regardless? 

 This plan works until it doesn’t. How do I maintain his dignity, independence and ability as long as possible, without risking a disaster? Should I be helping more? Should I never leave him? I could use your ideas. Thank you kindly.

loveskitties

One can never predict the outcome of a fall.  May be no injury or could hit head or break a bone.

If you are not always there, perhaps you could get him a medic alert type device which can detect a fall.  They have 2-way communication to help determine if assistance is needed, as well as the ability to call care-circle to notify them of the fall even if 911 is not alerted.

Ed1937

A little over a week ago my wife fell, and hit her head on a dining room chair or the table. I didn't see her fall, but I was only about 15 feet away from her. She was unconscious for maybe 5 minutes or so. A ride in an ambulance to the hospital, and after a CT scan she was released. We were very lucky because she had an abrasion less than 1/2 inch from her temple, but she's OK. If she had been by herself there's no telling what would have happened.

I think you need some way to monitor him, or have a device that detects falls, and calls for help.

Iris L.

Has he been evaluated for falls?  Checking vision and inner ears for balance issues, hypoglycemia, anemia, cardiac, other medical issues?  Is he on medications that might provoke falls?  There are many websites devoted to fall prevention in older adults.  Falls are a huge problem.

Iris

fayth

My DH started to fall a lot when he was probably in stage 6 or so.  That was a difficult period because he could fall in a split second, even if I was in the room with him.  I could not physically lift him up and he could not follow my instructions to get himself up.  I ended up calling 911 for help to get him up onto the couch, the bed, etc. many times.  I usually waited awhile to see if we could get him  up ourselves, but seldom succeeded.   The EMT's were very nice and always told me I could call and did not need to wait.  The scariest time was when he fell down half a flight of stairs.  He did get injured then - a concussion and a broken nose.  Within a few months of that fall he no longer knew how to walk.   By the time the falls became a problem, he was already too compromised to be home alone.  To me, the key about being home alone is whether or not he could get help if he needed it

DrinaJGB

A few years ago I was home with DH but in the back yard with my dogs. I came inside and found DH on the floor of his bedroom. He told me he had caught his foot on the end of the bed and went down. I somehow was able to get him up with the help of an adrenaline surge (I am 5'4 and he is 6"'7).

Long story short after much guessing and evaluating I feared he had broken his hip. ER visit confirmed and he needed emergency hip surgery.  I guess my point is it can happen so fast even with you being home.And the outcome is not always good.

Quilting brings calm

If your husband is now prone to falling, I don’t think you can leave him alone.  Even if he is usually capable of getting himself up.  As others have told you, there is always the chance that he can’t get himself up and that it can happen whether you are there or not. 

I think you are at the point where he needs someone there.  Not to prevent the fall ( that can’t always happen), but to help him up and/or call for needed assistance. So either you need additional caregivers for when you leave him in the house or you need to  consider placement in a 24/7 facility. Even then …do not think that the staff can prevent every fall. 

Paris20

My husband started falling early on in AD. He had always been a bit clumsy and unco-ordinated so I wasn’t surprised when the falls began. When I try to help him up, he becomes angry. One time, while he was going up the stairs, his aide tried to assist him. While pushing her away, he tumbled down, taking her with him. Nobody was hurt badly but from that moment on I became more attentive to my husband’s movements. A physical therapist came in to advise me and I know I have prevented several falls. The last time DH fell, he had insisted upon «helping» me get the mail. He fell on a small patch of snow and scraped his head slightly.

With this experience-based information, I advise you not to leave DH alone if he is prone to falling. PT might help but he may not be able to remember or carry out exercises. It’s possible to prevent some falls by eliminating barriers and hazards or by just being around. It takes time to adjust to life with a dementia patient. I led an independent life for many years but once my husband got that dreaded diagnosis, everything in my daily life started to change.

arizonadianne

Thank you all so much. loveskitties, Ed1937, Iris L., fayth, DrinaJGB, Quilting brings calm, and Paris20 your words have affected me so much. I am in 100% agreement that I cannot leave him alone any longer. I do have the Bay Alarm Medical alert, but he needs someone in the house with him all the time now. Thank you all.

My question started out asking about one issue but in the process brought my attention back to the bigger issue. Thank you.