Repeated falls

CatladyNW · July 13

My DH has now been in AL for two years, with Parkinson’s disease that has caused severe physical disability and advancing dementia. He is in a wheelchair, and needs assists with all his ADL’s. He is supposed to call for help with all transfers but he does not recognize that he is disabled, which I have learned here anosognosia. We have put a chair alarm in his wheelchair and he has a bed alarm as well but he just pulls the wires out of them or ignores them, and ends up falling when he gets up out of the chair or his bed. Last night, he ended up in the ER (not for the first time) with facial lacerations and a broken nose. Today, he fell four times. The facility seems to be trying to do all they can; the door of his room is kept open so that they can check him frequently, and the caregivers have been uniformly kind and genuinely concerned. I am worried that the facility will ask me to move him, and I don’t know where I could place him given this issue. Our state requires that I be notified with each fall, and every week, I get several calls in the middle of the night. I live with a perpetual knot in my stomach, knowing that the next fall could be a fatal head injury. Has anyone here dealt with this situation? Are there any suggestions of how to cope with it?

ghphotog · July 13

My DW kept falling out of bed at MC so I bought a crash mat to put beside her bed. It's saved her already. She has fallen twice from a standing position at MC. She has osteoporosis so even small falls can be serious. She is in a wheelchair most days now but not always. She can't walk or stand without assistance but the staff always help her don't let her walk unassisted, to my knowledge anyway.

CatladyNW · July 14

Thanks, gh. I never knew there was such a thing, and I will check it out on Amazon. It will help for falls from the bed, but he also attempts the bathroom himself and falls there. Maybe I could cover the whole floor in mats, lol. Not funny, but I am at my wits end. The facility nursing supervisor called this afternoon to tell me that they can’t “keep him safe“. She wants me to get an aide to sit with him 24/7, which I most certainly cannot afford considering I am paying the AL facility over $8000 a month. I know that they can’t keep him safe and neither will an aide, because the minute she turns her back he is going to get up out of his wheelchair and attempt to walk because he thinks he can. Sadly, there is no “safe” for him at this point.

fmb · July 14

@CatladyNW

Check with the facility before investing in mats. Many do not allow them as they are considered a tripping hazard for staff. Wish I had a viable alternative suggestion for you.

sandwichone123 · July 14

You might set up an appointment with the facility to discuss what "safe" means to them and why. Is there a regulatory requirement that, if not met, will result in fines or closure? Are they concerned about getting sued? What other options do they see, remembering that moving to another facility isn't a change—what do they think another facility could do differently besides reducing their liability?

ronda b · July 14

The Mc can move his room closer to nurses station so he is observed more. They also can but one side of his bed against the wall. That way there is only one way to get out. Put him in a low bed, to keep him from falling out of bed. Take him to the bathroom every 2 hours.

ImMaggieMae · July 15

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/215815#Comment_215815

Catlady, a 24/7 caregiver would cost more than the cost of the MC.

Repeated falls

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