Falling

Klako · October 17

In the last six days my dad has fallen 4 times and landed in the ER 4 times.
it is always when he is getting out of bed in the morning. He is in AL and he has a UTI at the moment.
The facility keeps telling me they have him but they clearly don’t.
I believe his weakness is temporary and caused by UTI but we cannot be in the ER every day.

Any help or advice would be helpful!

Donr · October 17

When your dad is getting out of bed, he should wait a couple of minutes to get his balance back. If he is not using a cane, he will move around more easily.

Quilting brings calm · October 17

Does he have a walker? If not, get him one. You can find them at Walmart. Or at a home health store. If his bed is too high, take the mattress and box springs off and place them on the floor. Less distance to fall if he rolls out of bed. Has anyone suggested admitting him to the hospital for IV antibiotics for his UTI?

towhee · October 18

All good suggestions. If his memory is so bad that he is unable to adapt quickly to new techniques and equipment you might want to look into hiring an private aide for those early morning hours but for no more than a week. It is too darn expensive otherwise. Facility staff fall into a pattern with the residents, they will start getting the same people up and dressed in the same order every day, although since staff differs the order may differ. Express to the supervisor that you want your dad up before he would normally get up on his own and supervised until he is steady or sitting in a wheelchair. You want a occupational/physical therapist visit scheduled now for when he is off meds and hopefully better. The staff should also be making sure he is not getting dehydrated.

SDianeL · October 18

you mentioned your Dad is in AL? Or is he in MC? A MC facility is better trained to care for dementia patients. MC facilities put pads by beds in case of falls. Falls cannot be totally prevented. They are common as the disease progresses. Your Dad may not be able to learn to use a walker if he’s not currently using one. My DH could not. He may need to be in a wheelchair. You could hire someone but that is very expensive and even with a caregiver falls can happen. I would discuss it with the nurse or director of the facility and see if he should be moved to MC and what other things do they recommend to at least reduce the number of falls.

Klako · October 18

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. He currently uses a rollator. The issue is that he is weak right now and does not remember and then he tries to get up like usual and falls. He is in AL but is approaching a level where I believe he needs MC.

SDianeL · October 18

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/256343#Comment_256343

Based on your post about him being weak and falling, I would say he is at the point of needing MC now. Don't hesitate. His safety is the most important thing.

April23 · October 20

Once the PWD starts falling repeatedly, they are now permanent fall risks, even when the UTIs resolve. Part of the problem involves what you just mentioned—they don't know they are weakened, they don't remember that they hurt themselves, they don't remember that they are only supposed to walk with assistance. So they try getting up when they shouldn't, which leads to more falls.

This is the same situation I had with my dad and it led to placing my dad in a MC RCF. His AL could not provide the level of attention that he eventually needed.

Klako · October 22

Dad is not able to get up, stand or walk on his own. He is in a SNF now for therapy but yesterday was hallucinating and babbling and very weak. So much so that I have to feed him and swallowing is becoming an issue. Trying to figure out if the falls have accelerated his Alzheimers or if this is temporary.

Quilting brings calm · October 22

It could be- or it could be the other way around. His dementia might be progressing, and the falls and the other symptoms are results of that.

Klako · October 22

That is true too. Not ever having navigated this I am just unsure where we are going from here or what to expect.

dipeshvora · October 24

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/256343#Comment_256343

Yes he needs MC but at the same time make sure to keep a surveillance from your side as well. Get a medical device to keep a track on his falls and whereabouts, there are good lockets and smartwatches that detect falls, tracks vitals, location and more.

My suggestions would be one of these: mySeniorCareHub's Smartwatch | Medical Guardian's MG Mini Lite

harshedbuzz · October 24

@Klako
I agree with QBC, this sounds like disease progression causing new symptoms/behaviors rather than the symptom (falls) triggering symptoms like babbling and swallowing issues assuming the UTI was cleared.
Did they culture and then recheck for infection?
HB

Anonymousjpl123 · October 24

Yep. The UTIs increase as the disease progresses, making it sometimes hard to dice out what is causing what. All I can say is that even in a stellar memory care my mom had a really bad fall that landed her on hospice, and she had quite a few bad injuries (which have thankfully healed).

The walked will help, but she may just need more eyes on her. Another idea may be a part time aide in the hours he’s most active.

I’m so sorry. This really sucks and there are no easy, cost effective solutions.

Falling

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