My husband falls out of bed on occasion. He has middle-stage Alz, problems with gait. I'm considering a rubber mat beside the bed to "cushion" any future falls. But, would I simply be creating a new trip hazard?
Drive Medical makes several bedside/ fall mats designed for bed falls. Most of them are pretty thick to prevent injuries . Some even have sensors/ alarms in them to notify loved ones a fall has occurred. To the point of "tripping" on them, they also make fall mats that a cushioned with beveled edges to prevent tripping on them.
I took two of those foam noodles people use in swimming pool and an old sheet and made a casing down the sides of the sheet (horizontal). The noodles are inserted into the casing like a curtain rod. They can be removed to wash the sheet. This gives soft barriers and seems to work
My husband fell out of bed 2 years ago, hit his head on the night table and was on the carpeted floor bleeding. He ended up in the hospital with tests to see if his brain was injured, if his heart was OK, etc. He was sent home with a recommendation to sleep in a hospital type bed with rails on our first floor as he had trouble negotiating stairs to get to our bedroom. The bed railings worked, as long as he didn't climb out over top of them! Occasionally I would find him sitting somewhere on his way to the kitchen. Now my husband is more advanced in his dementia and can't stand up any more. He tosses and turns in his sleep sometimes so I still put the bed rails up. I also used to use an alarm system which would go off if he tried to get out of bed. No need for it now.
I used the "locking foam blocks" - you can get a package of them for around $20 at Sam's, Lowe's - look for locking children's blocks. I needed several packages - it all depends on how much flooring you want to cover.
For my father, we covered the entire bathroom floor and the kitchen.
You can also get a 5 in boxspring that will help lower the bed. I had a 18 in wide bedrail for Mom. After a back procedure, it was used to help her pull herself up. It fits under the mattress and can be anchored. Its also gives them something to hold onto when standing up. Keeps them from rolling out of bed.
Mom has a rubber fall mat on each side of her bed at the NH. To minimize the trip hazard they are rolled up during the day when she is out of bed, and only unrolled when she is laying down. But she doesn’t get up on her own during the night. If your husband gets up on his own at night maybe a bed alarm that alerts you to his movement off the center of the bed would help as well.
For my father, we covered the entire bathroom floor and the kitchen.