Does everyone elses loved one fall this much?

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Does everyone elses loved one fall this much?

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Is everyone elses loved ones falling so much? My Dad keeps falling a lot! Last week, he fell a couple times. They sent him to the hospital yesterday earlier morning for a fall. Just got a call from skilled nursing facility, he was walking by himself and he fell. He could have broken his nose. I need to Bubble Wrap him somehow. They sent him to the hospital again now.

Alzheimer's & Dementia Fall Prevention Falls

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My FIL (wife's father) lives with us. He has stopped treatment for metastasized colon cancer and also has dementia and Parkinson's. He is in hospice. He goes through periods where he falls more than at other times. This past weekend, he was at my wife's sister's house for the weekend and fell SIX times. He had fallen twice the previous week at our house where he stays 5 days a week. Just this morning, I had to pick him up off the floor at 1AM. We always check him thoroughly for injuries and ask if he is hurt...which he always says no. We ask if he hit his head, he says no. And then you are supposed to call Hospice after each time they fall. They send out a nurse to check him out. Part of the problem is that he refuses to use the walker we have for him. I think he is getting closer to the end of his life and is eating and drinking less and sleeping more, so the falls should come to an end as he continues to get weaker and won't be out of bed near as much.

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Reply to dmg1969

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The skilled nursing facility should be keeping a closer eye on him to prevent him from trying to walk on his own.
They should insist he use a wheelchair to get around.
You can ask the nurse in charge about an alarm that will alert staff if he gets up out of bed. If they are too busy to try and prevent him from falling, it may be time to look for a nursing home that can provide a better ratio of staff to patient care. Or you can hire an aide to be there with him one-on-one.
Many nursing homes are so understaffed and overworked, they simply can't watch one resident every minute. There should be a wheelchair next to your dad's bed, to prompt him to use it. And the SNF should require him to use a wheelchair for mobility, when they can watch him.

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Reply to CaringWifeAZ

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Does he use a walker? If not, do you think he can learn to use a walker? That may help. Talk to his case manager or the nurse at his facility about his falls and what they advise. The nurse can order a walker if she thinks it will help. This happened to my mother, and at her facility they had to call EMS every time she fell to have her checked out. Sometimes they would take her to the hospital. She hated being in the hospital (she had dementia at that time and was not communicative). As my mother declined, she 'forgot' how to walk. They ordered a wheel chair for her. It took 2 aides to transfer her (at 90 lbs) from the bed to the wheel chair, because she wasn't helping. From that time on, she was taken around in a wheel chair. They also ordered a Geri Chair (a safe lounge chair) for her to relax in during the day. All the best to you and your mother!

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Reply to NancyIS

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Marcia22: My mother had a lot of slipping out of chairs onto the floor that I found out about after the fact.

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Reply to Llamalover47

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My mother fell 95x over a 7 year period. She never did more than crack a rib or a sternum bone (which required no treatment) in all that time. She lived in AL and then Memory Care Assisted Living during those years, so she was never alone thankfully. With dementia at play, she'd forget she couldn't walk and try yo get up from her wheelchair. She'd also fall out of bed, fall off the toilet, slide out of the wheelchair, etc. Prior to dementia, neuropathy in her legs and feet made them numb so she'd fall all the time.

The AL and the Memory Care would not send her to the ER unless she hit her head.

Even with all the falls and other health issues, mom lived to be over 95 yrs old. Theres not much that can be done about the falls except to make dads environment as safe as possible.

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Reply to lealonnie1

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Your dad can no longer live alone with dementia.

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Reply to Patathome01

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Marcia22 said she got a call from his Skilled Nursing Facility, so he isn't living alone.

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Falls are unfortunately inevitable in the elderly. My dad had many, some with me standing right next to him. Do not lift your dad after a fall you witness as it can result in injury to you both. Better left to those trained to get him back up safely and assess for injury. We were fortunate, my dad never broke a bone, it was the bruising that looked like he’d lost a prize fight. I’m sorry you’re in this place with your dad and wish you both peace

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Reply to Daughterof1930

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Falling is one of the many symptoms of dementia and so very common, and there really is not much you can do about it unless you now want your dad kept in a wheelchair all day.
In fact it is often a fall that will be the demise of a person which in all honesty can be a blessing that the person doesn't have to suffer any more with their broken brain.

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Reply to funkygrandma59

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I doubt seriously if your loved one likes falling
It happens.
Balance gets worse.
Sometimes there is some numbness in the feet and legs that do not allow the person to feel the floor or ground beneath them.
"things" on the floor. Shoes, socks, rugs, extension cords, that pile of magazines you want to go through.
Slippery floors
Stairs
Medications
Poor eyesight
I could go on but you get the idea.
A variety of diseases that alone cause balance problems.
Falls are a HUGE problem and they can cause serious injury and even death.
Keeping someone active is great as long as it is safe.
Your loved one actually USING a walker that is fitted properly and properly used if they need a walker.
A cane that is used properly and fitted properly if a cane is needed.
Physical Therapy if necessary that can help maintain or regain balance.
Again I could go on but you get the idea.

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Reply to Grandma1954

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Does everyone elses loved one fall this much?

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