Preventing Falls in an Elderly Person's Home

How do you know exactly when it's time to get a can or walker for your loved one? In my father's case, at the moment, these things would be more dangerous to him, than helpful. He has a gait problem with balance being the issue. His biggest problem is the stairs. He has poor coordination, and motor skills, and would probably have to be taught to use a cane, that is why the cane would be more dangerous at the moment.

Marlo, these are great guidelines. In The Gerontologist this month, there are two articles supporting the idea that altering the environment helps elderly persons to be less disabled and show less physical decline over time.

One other issue, though, is the effect of dementia on physical mobility. Due to visual perceptual problems ("Is this a stpe up or a step down?" "Is this a rug or a hole?") and visual recognition problems ("What is this object?"), the person with dementia is at increased risk of falls.

Thanks for the newsletter - I always enjoy it.

Beth

Nauseated... By your post, I can only deduct that your father is not currently using anything to aide him in walking. If he is having trouble enough walking that you believe he may need an aid, then I would suggest discussing it with his doctor. If you think a regular cane will be more of a hinderance, there are canes that attach to the arm which act as an extension of the arm. As for walkers and stairs, it is difficult. My grandmother has come up with her own way of getting up and down the three steps to our house with her walker, but I wouldn't want her to have to try and negotiate flights of steps with it. She uses both a quad cane and a walker depending on how she feels at that time. Whenever we go anywhere, she uses her walker. Good luck.

Dear lonken, thanks for your post. Dad seems to do better with walking when he does it more often. Problem is, he just sits most of the time lately. I told him, he needs to walk more, he says no he doesn't. He says he has never walked like that in his life. I say dad, you have been walking this way for a long time now. The more excercise you get by walking, the better you will feel. He's not quite ready for a cane yet. I took him to the doctor, his regular physician was out. The replacement said he needed physical therapy, and a walking assesment. His regular physician already did one, and said nothing about needing physical therapy. Not going to be able to pay for therapy until I get his medical in place, which is a whole other long story. Dad goes into assisted living next week, so we will see how he does there. There are more activities provided there, so that will hopefully keep him active. Thanks I need the luck.

lonken,
Can you get physical therapy and occupation therapy for your dad? Sometimes it is helpful to exercised the hip muscles. My mom had the same problem and the physical therapy was a big help. The side to side rocking was caused by her hip muscles needing to be strengthened. We started with visiting nurse and got the help we needed. Good luck
Linda

We have re-arranged and safety accessed our house, cater to all his needs and concerns but it won't keep him upright. He says his legs feel like rubber. and he wont ever exercise. So we wait for the next emergency and wonder when the fall that is a bad fall will come..

Here's another reason for falls.....as evidenced by finding my mother on the bathroom floor last February. She has always been bowel-fixated and into the enema routine. Sure enough, she had given herself an enema and probably has a vaso-vagal reaction after a large bowel movement, thus causing a bit of lightheadedness and subsequent fall. I believe this was probably the cause of frequent previous falls also. She is now in assisted living and hating every minute. She has become nasty and demanding. It is very difficult !!

My mother wants to do the opposite of what she should and it doesn't make any difference what I tell her or how many times I explain to her what she should or shouldn't do and why, she just keeps doing the wrong thing. I don't know if it's contrariness or if she doesn't remember what I said, a second after I said it, because of the alzheimer's or if it's both reasons.
She has a very bad habit of standing way back from things, such as her walker, instead of getting up close to them so she can get got leverage or support. When she stands at the sink, she puts her feet up close to the cabinet, bends her knees with her behing sticking out, and holds on to the sink. Standing that way, gravity is pulling her back and if her hands ever slip, she's going to go right back on the floor. I am there helping her with her bath but it could happen while I'm turning away for a second for some reason. I can't believe that the disease has made her so dim-witted that she doesn't know what I am saying.
She has always been head-strong and she only thinks of me as the maid servant, not a daughter that she loves and who is trying to help her do what's best for her welfare. I don't mean that she doesn't KNOW I'm her daughter. And she's gotten in the habit lately of closing her eyes and looking like she's going to sleep when I try to discuss anything with her. I take it to mean that she's showing me that she's not interested in what I'm saying, which is something I've known for a long time, before she ever got alzheimers that I knew of. Does anyone else on here get treated like that by the people they are caring for? Just curious.

Hello Mystery Sue:

I have recently cared for all 4 parents in our home (moved them all in) My Dad had congestive heart failure, then My Mother In Law had a stroke, and my Father In Law had congestive heart failure. My Dad passed away and then after caring for him for over 2 years and My In Laws for over a year, I realized that My Mom was having problems doing the simplest of daily chores. I had her see a Geriatric Specialist which may be what you should plan to do for your Mom. It was then that I truly realized that My Mom was functional physically but not mentally any longer. I thought at first that she was just not responding to me (her only child) and that she knew perfectly well how she was treatign everyone around her. However, I have since learned that this a progression of the Alzheimers disease. I know it can be frustrating but you have to realize that she is not doing this intentionally. It takes all the patience you have but after caring for all of our parents ( we now just have my Mom living with us) I would give anything to have them back to have one more conversation with them. It is not possible any longet to have a conversation that doesn't go in circles with my Mom so it is our sense of humor that somehow keeps us going.
Wishing you the best.

Thank you JanBo for your response. Sorry about your losses.
With my mother, it's hard to tell what she can help and what she can't. I'm willing to bet that if her other daughter was telling her how to stand, use a napkin (she's gotten so that she'll only use tissues and not napkins) or anything else that she keeps doing wrong, she would do what she says. Mother has always shown her more respect than she does me. And her other daughter doesn't do a thing to help her. She rarely even comes to see her except on special occasions when she brings her a gift and stays for maybe 10 or 15 minutes. And she shows more respect for acquaintances from the church who visit once in a while (they don't do anything in the way of helping), visits which she'd rather not have, than she shows to me. As for having conversations, she isn't any more interested in having conversations with me than she is with anyone else. She's never been one for talking or a sociable person. I feel like I'm bothering her unless I wait till the commercials come on to say something to her. But if one of the above mentioned people were here, she would turn the TV off and at least be polite to them. So because of things like that, that's why I wonder what's deliberate in the way she acts with me and what is caused by the disease.