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marcieg Asked August 2022

Bumps and bruises in memory care?

My sister can’t tell anyone why her ribs hurt or where she got the bump on her head. She has FTD and can’t communicate. The nurse on staff checked her out and said she was ok. Does this happen a lot in facilities like this?

Midkid58 Aug 2022
If your LO is on any kind of blood thinners then bruises will appear more easily and look worse.

Also, an elder's skin can get very thin and fragile, and what would have been a simple scrape is a bad skin tear. And those take forever to heal.

Mom is always sporting a new bruise and most of the time she doesn't remember bumping in to anything. It's part and parcel of the aging process.

freqflyer Aug 2022
My Dad use to tumble out of his recliner when he would bend down to tie a shoe. One time my Mom fell out of bed and bumped into her night stand. Both happened while they were still living at home. Later Dad admitted that he and my Mom would slip on the stairs trying to help each other [Mom refused caregivers or moving to senior living].

By the time one gets to be in Memory Care or a Nursing Home, they are prone to more bumps and bruises as one's sense of balance isn't as keen as it was a few years prior.

Couple years later, my Mom had forgot how to walk due to a head trauma fall at home but her brain still said she could, so she would try. She was now in a nursing home. Oh my gosh, she was always getting hurt. The Staff tried so many different things to keep her from being mobile. Mom had dementia now.

Dad moved to senior living, and he would forget to use his walker. Thus number falls and an occasional 911 by the Staff.

An elder could be in a room full of doctors and nurses, and still fall. It happens too fast for anyone to jump in to stop the fall.

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Fawnby Aug 2022
Happens all the time with elderly people. Those with dementia are especially prone to falls, bumps and so on. Their brains no
longer control their bodies as well as before. I wouldn’t be too concerned about this as long as you’re able to get reports from the facility. There will be times there won’t be a report because seniors with dementia will have no idea they fell or bumped something. It’s sadly par for the course.

Grandma1954 Aug 2022
I have bumped my head on an open cabinet door, bent down to pick something up and bumped it on the underside of the table or desk. And from the moment that happens I will say "ouch", rub my head then promptly put it out of my mind, later when I get a bruise or touch my head and it hurts I will have to think about what I did the day before that made my head hurt.
I get bruises and forget why or how...
So many bumps and bruises can be and are innocent injuries.
If you have questions about injuries ask. The facility should be documenting all incidents (that they are aware of)
How mobile is your sister?
If she is able to walk around with or without a walker falls are not unusual so bumps and bruising would not be a surprise. However if your sister is not mobile that is a whole 'nuther thing.
Cameras might be permitted, ask. That would take care of incidents that happen in her room. (cameras can not be placed in bathrooms and check legality on audio in some places there needs to be consent of all parties for recording audio)

Geaton777 Aug 2022
Well, falling and bumping is an elder thing, not just a facility thing. My own mother has fallen 3 times in the past year, each time in her own home: stitches, broken ribs, leg wounds, etc. My Aunt fell with my cousin walking right next to her. Broken knee cap. On another occasion, she got up out of her chair (not remembering she can't walk) fell and broke her shoulder bone.

If you are concerned about what is happening at the facility you may want to consider a camera, with the permission of the facility.

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