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By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
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When my Mom was in long-term-care she kept climbing out of bed and would fall because she could not longer remember she couldn't stand or walk.
What the care center did was lower her bed and place "fall mats" on both sides of the bed. That helped somewhat, but Mom wasn't going to be stopped. Eventually the nurses/aides had to prop pillows around her which made it more difficult for Mom to climb out. Then came a time where Mom had to be given something to calm her down, that zoned her out big time... it was either that, or Mom getting hurt with her constant climbing.
I hope this will work for you, as being sleep deprived can cause future health problems for you :(
Thank you..I think this is a great idea. The fall mats will help her out , and on top that she had an appointment at the doctors office and her doctor gave her a prescription for some meds to help her sleep through the night. Hopefully this works and i can also get some sleep along with her and worry less about her falling so much. Again thank you for your advice.
I had a patient that did this and she ended up breaking her shoulder! The only thing that would stop her from getting out of bed unassisted was a hospital bed with rails that kept her in the bed. You can also try buying a bed rail. I tried this at first, but it wasn't very effective and a couple of times she managed to get around it. Have her doctor write a prescription for a hospital bed. Good luck!
Lowering the bed can help if she were to fall out of bed. However it may cause more problems if she were to trip on any mat placed on the floor around the bed. Is there a possibility of getting side rails for the bed so it would stop her from getting out of bed or at least slow her down. If you place a bed alarm on the bed or on the floor that would alert you that she is getting up.
In a facility you can not have bed rails up at the foot and head of the bed on both sides at the same time, that is considered "confinement" but at home you can do so for her safety. I had my husband's bed up against one wall so that limited the side that he could get out of. Or at least move his legs off of the one side. I am lucky in that he never tried to get out of bed without help. At least when he became a fall risk. But side rails might help slow your Mom down a bit so it will make it easier for you to monitor her
The bed with side rails COULD work. It could also not work, if this woman is so eager to climb out of bed and thus, hurt herself. I like the person's comment of the medicine.
If you consider bed rails, read all of the warnings about them. They are prohibited in many long term care facilities, due to the safety risk they impose. I'd look into that fully and the reasons they are considered less safe than not using them. Doctors can order them in some cases.
My husband fell out of bed last week, got a badly bruised swollen eye and we called an ambulance to go the hospital to check for broken hip, possible stroke. In the hospital they attached him to the bed with a Posey belt that was given to us on discharge. They arranged for a hospital bed which is up against the wall which he faces in his usual sleeping position. I slept on the sofa nearby as I was afraid he would get over the rails; they're not that high. In the hospital they did use additional pillows to keep him from putting his legs over the rails. It is a worry. During the day I left him sitting in a chair to go upstairs and attend to some chores only to find him crawling up the stairs. Now I use the Posey belt to keep him secure sitting in a chair.
Why was she climbing out of bed during the night? My mother gets up frequently to use the toilet. She doesn't want to wet her Depend/pad (still has her pride) so she will try to get up. We have someone with her 24/7 at home when I'm not visiting. We got a side rail that has bars that fit under the mattress (as mentioned by a previous poster). She can hold on to that to pull herself up, giving the aide or me enough time to get to her to help with her walker and get her safely to the toilet and back in bed. Doctor doesn't recommend sleeping aid because that would make her dizzy if she got up during the night, increasing the fall risk.
CatyRay...is there a way that you could put a commode next to the bed. Would make it easier on you or the caregiver rather than trying to walk a sleepy woman to the bathroom. I just know how groggy I sometimes am..not to mention I sound like a popcorn popper when I walk with all the popping joints I have..that's enough noise to wake me up!
My mom also forgets she cannot get up and do things by herself anymore and therefore risks falling to get up during the night. Fortunately, it takes her a long time to actually get herself up into a sitting position anymore, no less actually get up on her feet. I have a bed rail on one side of the bed but not on the other. Having a rail on both sides really upset her and made her want to get out all the more. So I place her walker right next to her bed, which is just a box spring and mattress on the floor, nice and low in case she does fall out in the process, and I tie two school bells on the walker at night. When she tries to get up, she invariably will kick or wiggle the walker in the process and I hear it through the monitor and can be in her room before she hurts herself trying to get up. We also have the portable commode right by her bed so nighttime toileting can be taken care of in a matter of just a few minutes and then we are all back to bed and right back to sleep. I do give her Tylenol PM, especially on evenings when her shoulder is particularly achy. It does not seem to make her dizzy or groggy but does help her sleep more restfully.
Mom's bathroom is about 15 feet from her bed. She does not want a stinky commode next to her bed. She would more likely fall when trying to use it. She has a raised seat with handles on the toilet. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
The commode in the room is NOT stinky. As soon as it is used, I take the pot and dump it in the toilet and rinse the pot before returning it to the commode in the bedroom. If you do not want to use one, that's fine, but please don't imply something about those of us who find them helpful when you really don't know.
Bedrails- good, bad, and ugly. Lots of articles on deaths due to them but it is impossible to count how many lives were saved during the same time. The cheap bedrails for homecare can be dangerous because there are no safety standards but some are ok- it all depends. No one has mentioned SuperPoles or Friendly Beds where a vertical pole is a huge aid for a person to grab to help in standing up ,and maintaining balance. In many cases a commode is placed next to the pole so that a people uses the pole to pivot onto a commode and back onto the mattress. No walking means a lot less chance of a fall. Imagine the danger of a sleepy, lightheaded, heavily medicated elderly person getting up in the dark and walking any distance to the bathroom- at least the pole/commode option addresses this. Always happy to offer assistive product suggestions.
I'm sorry if anyone took my comments the wrong way. We caretakers bear a heavy burden and each case is different, and a big difference is whether the LO is home alone or has help. I spent two weeks with Mom and the end of June/early July, and I was a wreck, what with Mom's calls to have help to bathroom, or she's thirsty, too hot, too cold, etc. (sometimes 5 or 6 calls within 30 minutes). The bedside rail is great because she can use it to pull herself up into a sitting position and reach the walker. I'm trying to keep Mom in her own home as long as possible, but my brother is ready to send her to a nursing home RIGHT NOW! I keep reminding Mom that when the time comes that she can't get of out her bed or use her walker the NH will be her only option (this works both ways as a carrot and/or stick). It's nice to have a forum where can just vent our frustrations, too!
The fall mat is an excellent suggestion and lowering the bed. However, you never mentioned if it's okay for her to be up at night. The problem with drugging her at night is that if she does wake up and is determined to get out of bed, she is more likely to fall due to dizziness from the drug. I'm surprised the doctor prescribed this as most no longer do.
If she's okay to be up at night when you're alseep, then the lower bed and mat are fine. If it's not okay, you may need to add a bed alarm. They vary in price and features and you'll have to look through them to decide what you need, but it will go off, letting you know she's trying to get out of bed. Amazon has them for as low as $50. I highly recommend that if safety is a real issue and it sounds like it is.
They make bed alarms . They go under the fitted sheet. You would at least hear when she is getting up. My husband had a disease that effected his balance so falling was a major concern. I used a bed alarm, he had the side rails also and like some suggested I tied a bell onto the rail, I also used a chair alarm. He would still try to get up but at least I would know and could get up in time to help him. I hope things go well for you.
Yes, I have a bed alarm for my mom's bed. I got it through Amazon for about $65. It is great! I also have a baby monitor in the room to make sure I can hear the bed alarm in my room when I'm asleep. At this point, though, the bells at the side of the bed are more functional since Mom seems to have lost the ability to stand up by herself.
I used a bedside commode with my late mother to SOME success. The only thing is that she would try to move it out of her way and almost fall over doing so. Of course, any amount of talking in regard to it was a waste of breath.
Velvet- your mother may not have lost the ability to stand if she had a sturdy pole to grab to aid her in standing (and then hang onto it until she felt comfortable in moving on). I would love to offer suggestions. Unfortunately some people are one fall from leaving their home forever and proper assistive devices may be the key to avoiding that injury. Many times the right product is equally important to avoid the caregiver injury as well.
I got a bed alarm ,bed rails (I tied a bell to the rail too), I had a chair alarm and I used baby moniters - one in the room with my husband the other in the kitchen . That way I could hear whenever he tried to get up and I could get to him before he fell. It was a challenge, he would take the batteries out of the alarm or stuff tissues into the bell , that is where the baby moniters helped. Good luck.
My mother went through the sundowner period where she wanted to be up all night. When sitting in a chair day or night her head is down sleeping most of the time. Using a hospital bed with rails extra pillows and straps saved us both. She is able to now stay in the bed and rest all night. Sometimes i play a movie for her all night (Moses dvd is 3hrs and it auto repeats). The strap is a combination of belts and posey belt all connected. I cover it with a blanket so she can't see it. I instruct her to stay in bed until i come to help her out. Without the strap she has gotten out no matter the rails or how high/low bed is positioned. For us, strap has been the best way to keep her safe and in bed.
I have the same problem with an Aunt in Memory Care. The facility accepts falls as a part of the disease and while some rooms have foam pads on the floor around the bed, they are used for people who fall out of bed, not those who get up in the night. . My Aunt has fallen four times with two bone breaks trying to get to the bathroom when she is in bed. I have tried to work with the facility staff to make sure she is really tired and sleepy before putting her to bed, so that she is in common areas and more likely to be seen if she tries to get up. The facility refuses any suggestion I make whether it's a bed alarm, a motion detector, more staffing, more frequent bed checks or preemptive bathroom trips. There is always some reason these things don't work or can't be done. I have resorted to trying to strengthen my Aunt's legs so that at least she can get up and stand in one place a minute before deciding to walk. She may sit down again if she realizes she can't make it. Her last fall was by the bed, so she collapsed as soon as she stood. (I have a thick gel pad rug there). I like the pole idea, and I'll ask, but I'm sure the facility will have some objection to that. I'm so frustrated. And I feel responsible. Please keep posting ideas. I need help.
Side rails can be dangerous, facilities are not allowed to use them. People can get tangled in them when they try to get out. Be sure they are safe in your situation. The fall mats are specially made for this purpose.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
What the care center did was lower her bed and place "fall mats" on both sides of the bed. That helped somewhat, but Mom wasn't going to be stopped. Eventually the nurses/aides had to prop pillows around her which made it more difficult for Mom to climb out. Then came a time where Mom had to be given something to calm her down, that zoned her out big time... it was either that, or Mom getting hurt with her constant climbing.
I hope this will work for you, as being sleep deprived can cause future health problems for you :(
Is there a possibility of getting side rails for the bed so it would stop her from getting out of bed or at least slow her down. If you place a bed alarm on the bed or on the floor that would alert you that she is getting up.
In a facility you can not have bed rails up at the foot and head of the bed on both sides at the same time, that is considered "confinement" but at home you can do so for her safety. I had my husband's bed up against one wall so that limited the side that he could get out of. Or at least move his legs off of the one side. I am lucky in that he never tried to get out of bed without help. At least when he became a fall risk. But side rails might help slow your Mom down a bit so it will make it easier for you to monitor her
If she's okay to be up at night when you're alseep, then the lower bed and mat are fine. If it's not okay, you may need to add a bed alarm. They vary in price and features and you'll have to look through them to decide what you need, but it will go off, letting you know she's trying to get out of bed. Amazon has them for as low as $50. I highly recommend that if safety is a real issue and it sounds like it is.
It was a challenge, he would take the batteries out of the alarm or stuff tissues into the bell , that is where the baby moniters helped. Good luck.
Using a hospital bed with rails extra pillows and straps saved us both. She is able to now stay in the bed and rest all night. Sometimes i play a movie for her all night (Moses dvd is 3hrs and it auto repeats).
The strap is a combination of belts and posey belt all connected. I cover it with a blanket so she can't see it. I instruct her to stay in bed until i come to help her out. Without the strap she has gotten out no matter the rails or how high/low bed is positioned. For us, strap has been the best way to keep her safe and in bed.