Right to Fall...

I'm struggling with this whole statement of dementia patients having, "The right to fall". My grandma is in a rehab facility having falling from her chair by leaning over for her blankets and breaking her ankle. She had to be sent to rehab as she was a nonweight bearing patient and we were told rehab facilities are perfect for this as they are prepared to deal with patients like this.

So I went along with it but find all I hear is "she has the right to fall" when a request for anything is put in. I asked for bed rails as she is expected to roll herself over from side to side to be changed in her bed. When she goes to roll herself she has nothing to hold on to so cannot do it so they get annoyed and roll her themselves ignoring her loud screams of, "Help me. I'm going to fall. Help me!". One night she even yelled, "who stole my railing. I want my railing!" I asked about bed rails so she can feel safe and be able to help with the rolling properly and was told it was not allowed as it was a restraint. My grandma can get out of those bedrails easy enough and in fact when uninjured she used them to safely get out of her bed and to help me position her properly on the mattress. I'm frustrated not being able to get something to even help her with rolling.

So that brings me to my next statement. AT my house I use a camera. I understand they cannot. Before the baby monitor I used a bed alarm. Eventually I taught her to yell for help. So now she sits quietly in her chair or lays on her bed then yells, "Help me" when she as to go to the bathroom. Since I use a camera (the screen turns itself off until I hit the button) it allows me to hear her yell so I can get up to help her. She isn't going to get up by herself but will ask for help so I can help her safely get up. (We have been working on this for years so even with severe dementia she remembers luckily). At the rehab they have a button to be pushed. I never have used a button with her so she still yells. She is close to the nursing station thanks to my fussing but while in other people's rooms, they cannot hear her yell so no one comes to her aide. Then her next step is to sit up and yell louder. They don't hear her but if a bed alarm was allowed, they would hear the beep the same as they could hear the bell of a call bell. But they said the patient has the right to fall so no bed alarms can be used.

I'm so frustrated. I feel like it's an excuse for them to ignore the patients' needs and wants and just not do their job. Anyone else struggling with this idea of the "right to fall" and have any suggestions as to how to deal with it?