Do you expect to be notified when your loved one falls in assisted living?

When my Mom was in a continuing care facility she was falling once or twice a week mainly because her brain didn't realize she could no longer stand up much less walk. It took a lot of trial and error to find a safe way to keep her from tumbling as most continuing care facilities cannot strap down a person. Mom was like Harry Houdini and could get out of just about anything.

Even if there was very minor injury, such as a scrap on Mom's ankle, the facility would give me a call. The HIPAA form asked for one person to be the main go between, and that was me.

Oh please note, even if Mom was living with you, unless she was glued to your hip like a 2 year old, she would fall if she is now a fall risk. You could turn to answer the phone and Mom would fall in a split second. So if you start getting a lot of calls from the higher level of care facility, it all part of getting older and losing one's balance or legs giving out.

I think you have the right solution -- moving her to a higher level of care.

I agree with Frequent Flyer. Once a person becomes a fall risk it is commonplace for them to fall but having said that I believe they should definitely contact you every time

Moving day is here, pray for her and especially for me. :-}

When the person is admitted, you sign a form about what you want to be notified for and which person is to be notified (just one). So who signed the papers?

Technically it may all depend on Hippa, POA, guardian status and the like. But if you are legally in the position to be informed - yes, they should be notifying you. Could it be possible that your mother asked them not to notify you? Regarless - you are making the right decision to move her to receive better care, in my opinion.

Yes....someone should absolutely be notified immediately. Now WHO that is probably depends on that person meeting certain legal requirements, such as Rainmom mentioned. I find it hard to believe that any reputable ALF, as part of a standard interview, patient evaluation and intake process would not have contact info for the appropriate people....and notify at least, the first person on that contact list, when any fall occurs.

In my case, both brother and myself share healthcare POA. Since he lives near Mom, he is the ALF's first point of contact. If he is not available, then I am contacted. We, in turn, inform each other and 3rd sib who lives overseas. Mom's ALF ALWAYS contacts us with any info on a potentially dangerous event. Mom is 94+ and now wheelchair bound after numerous falls, breaks, surgeries starting at 91YO (prior to being in this ALF). She is alarmed to the hilt and still considered a huge fall risk.

You were not contacted....who was? Anyone? If no one was contacted, I'd be very wary of moving your Mom into higher care in this facility. At minimum, you and other family members need to talk to them about this event and be sure that you and the ALF agree on when and who needs to be contacted....ALWAYS....re: your Mom's care and when any adverse events, such as falls, occur.

Yes, someone should be notified, and it sounds like you are the one at the top of the list? Dad was only in MC for about a month, and we got calls quite a few times.. sometimes things were fine and sometimes we had to go the hospital and meet them ( normally after I worked all day and had taken a pill to help me sleep...LOL) Not funny.. but I try... They fall, and they get hurt sometimes worse than others.. but you need to know! I can imagine how upset you were to see her.I hope a higher level of care works.. dad just kept trying to stand up..and they could not catch him in time.

It's been 24 hours that she's in her new 'home'. We moved all her pictures, furniture, etc in one day. I stopped by today to see how she was doing. She's doing OK. She did not recognize me, but that's been happening. Apparently she went to bed under her covers in her bed without too much fuss last night. Either she's too far gone to care anymore, or she recognizes her stuff and just accepted the changed environment. So, as far as I'm concerned, it was a success. It poured buckets of rain during the move, but we coped with that. I did not tell her we were moving. I said we were going for a drive, staying for dinner and then trying the place out for the night. That seemed to work. I don't know if she will protest or raise a problem in a couple days, or will just not care.

So glad to know you were able to move your mom to a better place with a higher level of care (and caring). Best of luck.