Need Advice on Preventing Falls
My DH, who is in the later stages of Alzheimer's and lives in MC, is having two different issues with falling on the floor. The first issue is that he is becoming more and more unstable when he walks and has fallen a few times and split open his forehead. Now I'm told that he is hallucinating and reaching down to the floor to pick up something that isn't there. Caregivers are afraid he will fall. We've discussed putting him in a wheelchair, but we're afraid he will lean over and the whole chair will fall over on him. He is still barely mobile and likes to wander in tiny, unsteady steps. He can push himself out of a chair when he has the mind to, otherwise he needs assistance getting up. The caregivers can't watch him every second.
One caregiver expressed concern that my DH may end up with a broken hip and have to live in a rehab facility. Anxiety gripped me concerning that possibility for many reasons. First he would need 24/7 care at a hospital and nursing facility and with my own health issues I could not provide care but a few hours a day. Also, he is not receiving government assistance yet and I don't know how I would pay for the caregivers. Finally, he is so gone in his mind that I'm sure he'd pull out stitches, tubes and so on. What a nightmare!
The second issue is fairly new. My DH is intentionally putting himself on the floor and refuses to get back up. Although he probably only weighs 120 pounds, two caregivers have hurt their backs trying to stand him up. He's dead weight and sometimes pulls in the opposite direction. Recently, when I arrived to the MC home, he was in his bedroom on the floor with a full adult diaper that was leaking, as well as spitting and drooling. He was mean to the caregiver and she was waiting until I arrived to convince him to get up (he will often do things for me that he won't for others), and help her to stand him up.
Any thoughts, advice or ideas would be welcomed with these two issues. Thank you!
Comments
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Hi Sweetfire,
I am not at this point yet - dreading the day! I did read in a previous post there are wheelchairs with a ‘table’ that can lock in place. Sounds almost like a child’s high chair. This might be an option to keep him in the wheelchair and not be able to bend over. You might ask about this at your MC facility.
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Sadly, falls are very common in late stages. There really is no way to prevent them. Even with hiring 24/7 care the PWD can fall. My DH fell face forward out of a wheelchair so they are no safer. The nurse was right beside him and couldn’t get to him in time. Some facilities won’t allow patients to be restrained. I would discuss it with the Director of the facility. Is he under hospice care? At least that would be more eyes on him. So sorry you are at this point.
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When my DH was in rehab they put him in a wheelchair that could be tilted back. In his case, it eliminated falling out of it. I’m attaching a picture that was similar to the one that he used. It gave me a lot of peace, knowing that he wasn’t going to fall out of his chair.
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My mom hangs around on the floor a lot. I let her. I try to "allow" anything that doesn't hurt her, and makes her happy. And really, where would they feel the most safe? On the floor where they can't fall. Maybe set up a place next to the wall with pillows (and an area rug if not carpeted) so he can feel good there. I find that giving her what she wants, like a child, calms her.
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Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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