Keeps falling over

[judyri]

Since my uncle's stroke, he's had numerous falls, because he doesn't remember that he can no longer stand up. The care home have pressure mats by the bed and by any chair he sits in, but the problem is the speed at which he can try to stand (he's amazingly fast for an 89 year old with stroke damage and early stage dementia) and the fact that he won't use a call button and wait for help. Even though the staff are excellent, it has to be accepted they can't have their eye on him at all times, and be within physical reach to catch him when he tries to get up.

I understand that restraints which would physically prevent him leaving the chair aren't an option, but is there anything else that can be tried to limit the number of falls in future ? He's currently in a&e having an x-ray having gone over both Sunday and yesterday.

Thanks.

 

[LadyA]

It's a sticky one. My husband lost his mobility quite suddenly. Before that, he had loved to spend his time walking around the Nursing Home. But suddenly, he couldn't even stand up unaided - but, like your uncle, he didn't understand that. He had enough strength to push himself off his chair, which he did, several times an hour. After discussions with the management, we decided to use a seat belt, similar to that used in wheelchairs and children's buggies to keep him from falling. Was it a "restraint"? Well, you could argue that it wasn't, because (a) it wasn't tight and didn't restrict his movements while sitting in his chair, and (b) the seat belt was not preventing him from standing up and walking away if he wanted - the fact that he physically couldn't stand was. The belt just prevented him from falling from his chair. He wasn't any way perturbed by the seat belt, he just stopped trying to stand within a few days.
There was another resident in the nursing home who was quite agitated, so for him, the Nursing Home always assigned a care assistant to sit with him, making sure he didn't fall. For double protection, they had his wheelchair alarmed, and a mat in front of it.

 

[try again]

There is a product out that acts like an airbag in a belt. It's quite expensive - this one's 650 euros. There are quite a few around. May be worth a punt if PWD is self funded anyway. They are reusable. Not heard anything else about them.
https://senior.helite.com/en/