What would you do? - Falling out of bed

[black night]

I have vascular dementia can somebody help me

What would you do in this situation?

We're planning to include more real life experiences of dementia in our Living with Dementia magazine and we'd love to hear from you.

Please do add your comments below, and we may feature it in the next issue of the magazine.

Thanks

Harriet

Hi I've vascular dementia and depression and angsity attacks and muscular problems and imbalance and artheritis and tinatis. When I go to the bathroom in the night I take my zimmer frame with me it seems to make me more solid .although I fall over a lot one day I fell over and my zimmer frame fell on top of me .

 

[StarOscar]

Falling out of bed.

You might consider a pressure mat next to the bed which would alert your mum once it is stood on. The alarm would sound and might give your mum time to get to him to help. Say onto a commode next to the bed.
Jo

 

[DLTapped]

Falling out of bed

What about cot sides?

You could also try a commode at the side of the bed with the seat visible.

 

[Billy's Girl]

Resolved in an unorthodox albeit crude way!

When this started happening to my husband he always sat up and swung his legs out of bed before reaching for his stick and then often falling. I decide on a simple way to help him. I got a small square bucket and placed it at the side of his bed. I then put two A4 sheets of paper on his wardrobe door immediately facing him and wrote in large thick black felt tip PEE IN THE BUCKET, NOT TOILET. Very rough and ready but it did work for ages. I put disinfectant in the bucket and made sure I washed his hands first thing in the morning. He got into the habit immediately. Not ideal, but needs must. It took me back to my childhood days with the potty under the bed. Months later though, he did get up once and fell in the bathroom which was near fatal and he is now in a nursing home. It was a one off thing I was not expecting, a sign of him forgetting the instructions.

 

[Billy's Girl]

It happened to my husband on several occasions - he was quite unable to get from the floor to his knees or feet at all due to arthritis and weakness generally. We were supplied with a safety bar to help stop it (by the memory clinic staff) but he was able to 'wiggle around it' and it made him 'frustrated' and cross. He never hurt himself but towards the end stages of him being at home it often took us (my disabled daughter and I) an hour to walk him on his bum to the top of the stairs so that I could go down below him and eventually get him on his feet. This was obviously putting us both in danger of falling backwards.

This was part of his life at home with us for about six months before he was finally unable to climb the stairs to bed and an ambulance took him to hospital one night for 'assessment' and he was never home again. Two weeks in a totally unsuitable ward (his dementia made him want to come with us every visiting time and he followed the staff everywhere - but they did like him and he was able to walk. But as it was now a case of 'In his best interest - not our wishes' - he was found a place in an EMI home (he was 80 then). Such a traumatic time for us all - I could still cry as I type this - and his swift deterioration both mentally and physically (he stopped walking and became chair bound after six weeks) still makes me wonder if I should have fought harder to keep him with us -my brain says no but my heart still wishes for a better solution.

He has been in a wonderful Nursing Home with the most caring staff for 20 months now - he is still not walking and no longer knows who we are at visiting. He talks constantly to himself in a self answering way - is confused if you respond and no names, pictures, personal items elicit a response. But he makes the nurses laugh and they hold 'fantasy' conversations with him on his good days. On his noisy shouting days he is best left to himself. But I miss him so much my husband of 52 years and friend and confidant!

I am in exactly the same place as you although he still remembers my name. I used to visit every day which wore me down so now go every other day. He has been away from home for over a year now since his big fall. Yesterday he was chatting, all random things which I have learned to just go along with but on two occasions he started talking incoherently. He could not get his words out so I wonder if he is having brain bleeds again. He smiles at me and looks peaceful and the staff love him. We are the ones suffering.mi have thes days like today when I want to curl up and make the world go away, but will bounce back tomorrow to visit.

 

[Gknee]

Falling in care home.

Mum has been placed in a care home for assessment as she was unable to stand up and move independently. She had two falls at home that we know of, but no serious injuries. She has been in the care home for 5 days now and has had falls ever day. She has a walking frame but forgets to use it, and tries to stand on her own. She doesn't wait for help either, even when the staff notice and anticipate what she is trying to do.

So far she has fallen in the loo, in the lounge, dining area and mostly in her room, where she has a sensor mat. They have just called me to say she has had 3 falls in the past hour.

A meeting with her social worker and OT from the memory clinic today highlighted a problem I hadn't even thought of - that there aren't enough staff at night for two people to lift my mum and leave a safe staffing ratio for the rest of the residents on the EMI floor. So even if she is able to have a place in the care home ( social services are pushing 'extra care' living and know they will have to give strong evidence to allow her to stay there) it isn't really suitable either if her night falls continue.

She has mixed dementia and has deteriorated rapidly in the last 2 weeks. Any ideas?

 

[SerenaS]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your comments - we were thrilled with the responses, and with the range of helpful tips that you shared. As soon as the article is available, I'll share the link with everyone.

Serena

 

[SerenaS]

Hi everyone,

I'm pleased to say that the October/November issue is available to download and read now.

The 'Your Answers' article is on page 30, and there are plenty of interesting features and an article about Talking Point on page 27.

You can also read selected articles from our magazine >here<.