My 79 year old mam is in a care home (she has been there for over 3 years now) with quite advanced dementia. In the last 3 months she has fallen out of bed 3 times during the night. The last time was 2 days ago when she smashed her face on the floor and had to be taken to A&E. Luckily nothing was broken but she looks like shes gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. I asked the care home a few weeks ago if they would put a bedguard on her bed to stop her falling and they said they couldnt because it was classed as a "restraint" and therefore constitutes abuse! I have never heard anything so ridiculous. I rang social services and they said this was correct. They advised me to ask the home to lower her bed or put a "crash mat" beside it. When I mentioned this to the home I was told the bed couldnt be lowered and crash mats were a "hassle". Because I was insistent they did agree to put a "bumper"along her bed to stop her falling but made me sign a statement to say it was my idea. I find this whole situation absolutely crazy. Surely its better to stop her falling with this bumper. I am worried sick she will break her hip. Has anyone else out there had a situation like this. I would be grateful to hear from anyone with any advice.
At my wits end with care home "rules"
- Thread starter Countess
- Start date
The home should provide a 'rise and fall' bed. This is electronically operated and the bed can be lowered almost to floor level. My husband also fell out of bed and smashed himself up several times. We had no more problems once the home got him this bed and put a crash mat with a sensor on top for night times. This care home was local authority run and so the LA provided this bed free of charge to the home.
The beds cost about £1,000 and the care home should be able to get a discount on this if they are willin g to purchase one. If they have contracted to care for your mother then it should be their responsibility to pay for the bed. They can approach the local authority for help via the disgtrict nursing service. My LA run a 'loan service' for such beds but I do not know if this is across the country.
At another care home my husband needed this type of bed again and I actually paid for the 'rise and fall' bed myself as the circumstances were dire and urgent that he needed to go to this home. He was in a hospice at this time and I had been told that he was not dying and therefore had to move and this was the very best nursing care home I could find. He died in the hospice on the day that he should have moved to the new home. The care home then offered me half the cost back which I accepted.
My mother is in hospital but is coming home tomorrow. Because she is now on continuing helath care funding the local authority via the district nursing service have delivered to her home a new 'rise and fall' bed and and commode, both free of charge but to be returned to them when they are no longer needed by her. She is dying from an inoperable tumour and this is why she is on continuing care funding.
Hope this helps you and I would suggest that any district nurse would give you access to this type of bed as it is pretty obvious it is very much needed for your mother.
xxTinaT
The beds cost about £1,000 and the care home should be able to get a discount on this if they are willin g to purchase one. If they have contracted to care for your mother then it should be their responsibility to pay for the bed. They can approach the local authority for help via the disgtrict nursing service. My LA run a 'loan service' for such beds but I do not know if this is across the country.
At another care home my husband needed this type of bed again and I actually paid for the 'rise and fall' bed myself as the circumstances were dire and urgent that he needed to go to this home. He was in a hospice at this time and I had been told that he was not dying and therefore had to move and this was the very best nursing care home I could find. He died in the hospice on the day that he should have moved to the new home. The care home then offered me half the cost back which I accepted.
My mother is in hospital but is coming home tomorrow. Because she is now on continuing helath care funding the local authority via the district nursing service have delivered to her home a new 'rise and fall' bed and and commode, both free of charge but to be returned to them when they are no longer needed by her. She is dying from an inoperable tumour and this is why she is on continuing care funding.
Hope this helps you and I would suggest that any district nurse would give you access to this type of bed as it is pretty obvious it is very much needed for your mother.
xxTinaT
Thanks for your advice Tina. I will look into this. I find the home very reluctant to tell you about things like this. Sometimes I think they just cant be bothered. I have been at screaming point with this over the last couple of days. I could just burst into tears but I feel that I have to keep "fighting" for my mam. Im sure you understand how I feel after your experiences also. Alzheimers is a very cruel disease...............
The thing that happened with my dad when he had a bedguard on was that he tried to climb over it which meant he had even farther to fall, if he got out of bed.
He fell out of bed a couple of times initially, so his home tried the bedguard - I had to sign a form to say I agreed to it - I did understand their reasoning behind it - BUT they didn't put it as strongly as saying it was abuse, not exactly subtle!!
They did explain that it was considered restraint - but so is a seatbelt when he is in a wheelchair - its just to stop him climbing / falling out!
...having said THAT now dad doesn't have a bed guard on (it was decided it was too risky because he climbs) they check him every hour at night and his room is right next to the nurses station so they can hear him when he is on the move.
I like the idea of the bumper/crash mat, if they cannot lower the bed - but saying it's a 'hassle'? That's outrageous! They are there to care for her and should take reasonable steps to do so.
He fell out of bed a couple of times initially, so his home tried the bedguard - I had to sign a form to say I agreed to it - I did understand their reasoning behind it - BUT they didn't put it as strongly as saying it was abuse, not exactly subtle!!
They did explain that it was considered restraint - but so is a seatbelt when he is in a wheelchair - its just to stop him climbing / falling out!
...having said THAT now dad doesn't have a bed guard on (it was decided it was too risky because he climbs) they check him every hour at night and his room is right next to the nurses station so they can hear him when he is on the move.
I like the idea of the bumper/crash mat, if they cannot lower the bed - but saying it's a 'hassle'? That's outrageous! They are there to care for her and should take reasonable steps to do so.
Countess if your mother is self funding you could buy the bed out of her funds, as this would be for her benefit. Just an idea.
The whole business seems to me to be a nightmare of health and safety but Where oh Where is the CARING
Jeannette
The whole business seems to me to be a nightmare of health and safety but Where oh Where is the CARING
Jeannette
Yes, the home also said to me that they were worried she would try to climb over a bedguard. This bumper they have put on looks like a large foam "toblerone" which is strapped to the mattress and should just stop her rolling out of the bed. I just dont like the way they are trying to put the onus on me. They took the carpet out of her room before Christmas because she kept weeing on it and it was constantly having to be cleaned and was therefore always damp. They replaced it with a vinyl flooring which is a hell of a lot harder if you were to fall on it. They also put a thin mat contraption on the floor which set an alarm off in the nurses office if you put any pressure on it. Their reasoning was that if she fell they would go straight in to her. I said that was all well and good but it wouldnt stop her falling in the first place!
That sounds dreadful. have they put bars on the windows too? It sounds as if they are short staffed if they can't even shampoo the carpet every so often. Mum has accidents and its squirted with something and then she has a shampoo while she is removed from the room. The carpet is only damp for a couple of hours while she is away being given lunch.
Countless, hi
My hubby often falls out of bed and his bed in lowered to it's lowest position and a crash mat is in place beside the bed, it works although he can be on the mat for up to half an hour in the night with only wet pjs on, I've bought him warm flannelette pjs and he is now warmer if this situation occurs. There isn't an easy option but falling out of bed is going to happen and there are options to mitigate any damage that might be caused.
I hope that you find the right answer for your mum and there are no more needless trips to A&E, enough!
With best wishes from Jo
My hubby often falls out of bed and his bed in lowered to it's lowest position and a crash mat is in place beside the bed, it works although he can be on the mat for up to half an hour in the night with only wet pjs on, I've bought him warm flannelette pjs and he is now warmer if this situation occurs. There isn't an easy option but falling out of bed is going to happen and there are options to mitigate any damage that might be caused.
I hope that you find the right answer for your mum and there are no more needless trips to A&E, enough!
With best wishes from Jo
By the same logic, putting a seat belt on her when she's in the car would constitute abuse - and abuse required by law, yet! A seat belt is certainly a restraint.
However, if the person is liable to try and climb out over the guard rail, it can present its own hazards and can be a counterproductive measure, as it would tend to make a fall more severe. There are also potential hazards getting limbs caught between the rail and the bed.
After Dozens of Deaths, Inquiry Into Bed Rails
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/health/after-dozens-of-deaths-inquiry-into-bed-rails.html
March 10, 2010
Safe in Bed?
By PAULA SPAN
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/safe-in-bed/
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FIL has the same problem in that he can fall out of bed (although thankfully not recently). We don't how he is/was managing it given he doesn't have the strength/muscle control to stand on his own never mind walk!
Anyway the first time it happened it was over side bars so the home immediately stopped using those, moved his bed so one side was against the wall, lowered the bed at night and put a crash mat beside the open side. He still managed to fall/roll out so what they do now is have a pressure mat on the bed positioned on the side nearest the wall. FIL is put to bed on that side of the mattress and a heavier crash mat is on the floor. The theory is that if he rolls off the pressure mat the alarm should alert the staff before he gets the whole way off the bed and on to the floor.
As far as I know it seems to have worked so far. I will need to ask how often he triggers the alarm but we haven't had any more calls to say he has fallen out.
All this was arranged without any requirement for input on our behalf at all! We were phoned each time something happened and at that point told what they were intending to do to try to stop it happening again.
We would have been very unhappy if anything else had happened and I have to say if they were being as obstructive as the home your poor mother is in I would be at least considering if I was happy for FIL to continue to stay there.
Anyway the first time it happened it was over side bars so the home immediately stopped using those, moved his bed so one side was against the wall, lowered the bed at night and put a crash mat beside the open side. He still managed to fall/roll out so what they do now is have a pressure mat on the bed positioned on the side nearest the wall. FIL is put to bed on that side of the mattress and a heavier crash mat is on the floor. The theory is that if he rolls off the pressure mat the alarm should alert the staff before he gets the whole way off the bed and on to the floor.
As far as I know it seems to have worked so far. I will need to ask how often he triggers the alarm but we haven't had any more calls to say he has fallen out.
All this was arranged without any requirement for input on our behalf at all! We were phoned each time something happened and at that point told what they were intending to do to try to stop it happening again.
We would have been very unhappy if anything else had happened and I have to say if they were being as obstructive as the home your poor mother is in I would be at least considering if I was happy for FIL to continue to stay there.
We had the same situation with my mum, so the home got an elctric bed which could be lowered almost to the floor. The bed was provided by the NHS (same place that you can borrow crutches/wheelchairs/commodes etc.), and as time went on it was replaced with an even more adaptable one. She had crash mats at each side as well - I can't imagine why they are a hassle as they fold up very easily when they need to be moved for any reason, and are very light. Sounds like they are just being awkward.
Hope you get a resolution.
Claire
Hope you get a resolution.
Claire
What I would suggest is speaking to the home again and saying the risks of your Mum falling from her bed and breaking her hip are just too much to let this one lie.
It’s appalling that they’ve said it’s too much hassle – it’s their responsibility to do whatever means necessary to stop her injuring herself.
They can either speak to the district nursing team about using a bed from the central loan store (they will provide beds and equipment once assessed) and in the meantime, should place a “crash mat” beside the bed so that it helps to cushion the blow should she fall again.
Bed rails and bumpers do have their problems though as others have said and if a person is relatively active and able to physically get themselves over the side of the bed, they’ll fall from a greater height and potentially do much more damage.
We used to have a chap who deliberately threw himself out of bed each night because he preferred to sleep on the floor and in the end; I just moved his mattress down there and made it comfy and as homely as was possible. He didn’t have any more accidents after that and was happy to “sleep on the deck” as he put it.
The home must by law do whatever is necessary to try and stop your Mum from injuring herself.
It’s appalling that they’ve said it’s too much hassle – it’s their responsibility to do whatever means necessary to stop her injuring herself.
They can either speak to the district nursing team about using a bed from the central loan store (they will provide beds and equipment once assessed) and in the meantime, should place a “crash mat” beside the bed so that it helps to cushion the blow should she fall again.
Bed rails and bumpers do have their problems though as others have said and if a person is relatively active and able to physically get themselves over the side of the bed, they’ll fall from a greater height and potentially do much more damage.
We used to have a chap who deliberately threw himself out of bed each night because he preferred to sleep on the floor and in the end; I just moved his mattress down there and made it comfy and as homely as was possible. He didn’t have any more accidents after that and was happy to “sleep on the deck” as he put it.
The home must by law do whatever is necessary to try and stop your Mum from injuring herself.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply to my post. Your advice has been very helpful and to be honest sometimes its a relief to find that youre not the only one with a problem! I am going to ask the relevant authorities about a rise and fall bed and I think I will also mention about the home saying the crash mats were a hassle. I havent slept properly for the last few nights expecting a call to say shes fallen again but this hasnt happened so maybe the bumper is doing its job. Shame I had to fight to get it though...............
You may find that the reluctance to use bed bars relates to this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...sabled-patient-got-head-trapped-bars-bed.html
I can't be sure, but I have more than a slight suspicion my mum's broken arm was caused by beds bars being shut on it that is why there weren't any witnesses
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...sabled-patient-got-head-trapped-bars-bed.html
I can't be sure, but I have more than a slight suspicion my mum's broken arm was caused by beds bars being shut on it that is why there weren't any witnesses
My wife,65 with Vas Dem and in a NH has a mattress on the floor when she is in bed.The bed is also at its lowest level.
She cannot walk or weight bear but she went through a phase of thinking she could get out the bed and walk.She had a good few falling episodes,
For some reason she now no longer tries to get out of bed.
She cannot walk or weight bear but she went through a phase of thinking she could get out the bed and walk.She had a good few falling episodes,
For some reason she now no longer tries to get out of bed.
I have heard about hip guards but to be honest my mam would never wear one. She screamed and shouted at me today when I just tried to smooth down a lock of her hair which was sticking up! She hasnt fallen again since the foam bumper went on the bed (thank God). She has a heck of a black eye now and the swelling has gone right down. I have just got home and sat and had a bloody good cry. Sometimes it helps..........
An update on whats been happening...... As I expected my mam is climbing over the bed bumper during the night. Out of sheer exasperation I rang social services who told me to ring my mams GP and ask for the district nurse to go out and assess her for a rise and fall bed. I did this but the district nurse told me that because my mam is in a care home and not a nursing home she cant have one of these beds from the NHS! My mam would have to be in bed for more than 20 hours a day to qualify. However she would arrange for Occupational health nurse to go out and see my mam. What the hell for I dont know if they arent prepared to help with anything! I spoke to the care home manager again and she said she would ask her manager if the company would be prepared to buy one of these rise and fall beds and a crash mat. No guarantee though. I cannot afford the £800 for one of these beds and neither can my mam. I cant believe this situation. Its an absolute disgrace. I could scream...........................
That's truly dotty - if she was in bed 20 hours or more a day she probably wouldn't be trying to climb out.
I would accept having the OT out - you never know, sometimes "people" (as in the district nurse) don't know what they think they know, if you see what I mean.
I would accept having the OT out - you never know, sometimes "people" (as in the district nurse) don't know what they think they know, if you see what I mean.
I dont think the care home manager was very pleased that I had rang social services but I wasnt trying to go "over her head" I just thought if I tried to take some action myself it would help. I generally get on well with the manager and the staff in the home but I was just at my wits end........
