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My uncle recently broke his hip. He has Parkinson’s and dementia. He has a caretaker and family to assist him, he needs a walker and assistance to walk. However, he does not listen and keeps trying to get up and walk unattended and tries to get up at night. Any suggestions on how to keep him from getting up?

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You can’t tie him in bed, that’s for sure. I would get a bed alarm that will go off when he gets out of bed, or a video monitor. It’s either that or you’ll have to call 911 if and when he falls and injures himself again. Speak with a medical equipment company or a security company to see if anything can be done or “jerry-rigged” for your own peace of mind. And, jmho, but have you considered a facility? It might be time.
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boosic, do you know why your Uncle gets up in the middle of the night? Maybe it is a bathroom run, and that is hard to stop unless one can get the Uncle to wear Depend type garments and have pads underneath him to catch any urine run-off.

With the dementia, maybe your Uncle is at a stage where he doesn't remember he can walk. That happened to my own Mom, and she couldn't help it, her brain wasn't communicating right, and sadly there is nothing one can do to correct that brain communication.

I bet your Uncle is a two person lift, so are there two people with him during the sleeping hours? As Ahmijoy had mentioned above, it might be time for the family to think about placing the Uncle in a continuing care facility.
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It isn't a matter that he won't listen. It is a matter of having a broken brain. He may listen and agree to call you for help but then forget that conversation ever took place and even forget that he can't walk without assistance.

I used a motion sensor in the bedroom, and carried the receiver with me. If my husband started to get up I would hear the buzz. It took a bit of experimenting to learn where to aim it so it wouldn't pick up movement within the bed, but then it worked well. Also I helped him use a urinal bottle rather than having him walk to the bathroom.

Can he safely stand on his own? Having the walker right next to where he is seated may help him remember that he needs help. Or not. Sigh. His brain is broken.

No amount of reasoning is going to change things. Constant supervision may be necessary. Can his caregiver stay near him most of the time? Can a family member take over when the caregiver takes breaks, goes to the bathroom, etc?
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I agree that this issue stems from his dementia. No amount of discussion or cajoling will help him understand that he needs assistance at night.

Have you considered a commode positioned next to his bed, lid up? Maybe he'll see that and won't feel the nee to walk to the bathroom.
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I agree with thoughts above about how you won't likely to convince him to not get up alone, because, he can't remember or reason it out. So, the only way is to offer as much protection as possible. I had the same issue with my LO.

I'd try to figure out if he is having trouble sleeping. If so, I'd discuss a sleep aid with his doctor. Often people who have dementia suffer with sleep disorders. If he is resting better, he may not be as inclined to roam.

Also, is he able to wear depends? If he is getting up because he's wet, I'd try to fix it so he stays dry with depends and pads.

And, we started using a bed alarm that fits on the mattress. It alerts when she gets up, so the caretaker can go to her. They have to be fast though. If he's at home, it might pay to have a person in the same room to attend to him as soon as he gets up and the alarm goes off.

It can be very frustrating to keep people from falling, regardless of where they are. I hope some of the tips help some.
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This describes my husband exactly. I have a motion detector on the floor, and when his feet swing over the edge of the bed (before he even stand up), the alarm goes off. I wake up, jump out of bed and arrive by his side before he stands up.

You have to have someone who is willing to perform this task. You won't get it in a care facility.
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Also, if I wasn't able to perform this "service" for DH, I would ask the doc for sleeping meds for DH so that he wouldn't wake during the night.
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We have a similar situation here. My mom is 87 has Parkinson's, dementia, and is very weak. This is going to sound awful, but it's a bit easier now that she can't get up by herself anymore. She does have a few rare instances where she does and it's scary.
I bought a lift chair a few weeks ago because lifting her was taking a toll on me. I hadn't really worried about her using it because she forgets it's a lift chair most of the time, and she doesn't know how to use the remote. (Macular degeneration makes her unable to see the button diagrams)
Last week when I was in my bedroom, she apparently needed to use the bathroom. She forgets that she needs help too. Well I guess she saw the remote sitting there and kept pushing buttons until she got up. Her walker was right there, but she still fell after a few steps. She got some bruises and is still hurting. I feel so bad for her. Anyway, now I've started hiding the remote. I feel bad doing that, but I can't be in there every minute of the day.
I'm not sure why I felt the need to ramble about my own experience. We obviously don't have it figured out.
I did put a baby monitor in her room and I'm a light sleeper, so I can hear if she's moving around in there. I love the idea of the motion detector that a few people mentioned above!
I could use that for her bedroom because she sleeps with her door closed. We have pets, so it wouldn't work in the living room.
Best of luck to you.
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Bed alarms are good as well as motion detectors. They make a hospital bed that lowers very low to the floor and the elderly patient is usually unable to get himself up from the bed when it is that low. There is also thin padding to put next to the bed to soften a fall.
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It is all too sad as I know what you are going through. Four months ago my husband came home from the hospital after another bout of pneumonia. He could not longer walk at all. Had to use a wheel chair. He suffered from COPD bad and the last bout of pneumonia really took him down a notch big time. In the end COPD starts messing with the oxygen not getting to his brain and he thought he could walk this one day and fell and broke his hip. He really went down hill fast after that and was gone within one week. We had gotten him a hospital bed and had upper and lower rails to keep him in bed after he broke his hip and all he tried to do once he broke his hip was to try to get out of bed. So hard when you cannot fix broken signals to the brain as it must be also with dementia. Heaven help all of us caregiver as we all need strength and help get us through caregiving. Thanks for this web site where we can vent a bit and also try to help others also.
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Bed rails might help delay his ability to get up until someone can come and help him. Also walker next to the bed and the commode nearby might help. A baby monitor and bed alarms can help the caregiver some advanced warning. My father was getting up in the middle of the night and these steps helped ensure that one of us were there when he tried, but it wasn't too long after that we placed him in a Memory Care ALF.
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It would be VERY helpful if contributors to these so much needed discussions would tell us: The name of the products (motion sensing equipment for example); efforts needed to install such items; cost; the vendor's Internet web site "address", etc.
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fpr my husband Medicaid got him a hospital bed with full side rails to prevent him from falling out of bed. where can I get a lift chair since I have trouble lifting him? still having problems with getting aides to care for him and now have hospice coming to house but still no aides. dr. prescribed meds for night so he now sleeps thru the night.
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boosic, I feel for you. I go through the exact same thing with Mom. I had to hire evening caregivers to sit with her because she got up so many times during the night. She wears depends, but if she knows she has to go, she wants to get up and go to the bathroom. The care is expensive, but it keeps her safe (and clean) during the night. That also means that during the day, someone has to be with her all the time.

If I leave the room, even if I tell her I will be right back, she doesn't listen (or it doesn't register) and she gets up. She wants to know where everyone is. The other day, I put her in a wheelchair, buckled the belt and told her I had to run downstairs to take care of laundry... I was gone 2 minutes. I came upstairs and she was standing by the end table. If she would have stepped backwards, she would have fallen...

We have an alarm, but it is soooo loud. It is deafening. (And the volume can't be adjusted.) We also have a fall pad to put next to her bed (hospital bed). She has gotten weaker, so when I spend the night, I am able to put the rails up on the bed without worrying about her sliding out the bottom or top of the bed (a PT told me that was a dementia thing, too...). But, it doesn't stop Mom from throwing her legs over the railing...

It is very hard and very frustrating.... We just want them to be safe....
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I bought a weighted lap blanket for my husband, with the weight on them they sometimes don’t try to get up. It’s meant for the lap but I also laid it on him in bed. I actually bought it too late to really say if it worked for him he passed away a week later. But I have heard they work. I bought it on Amazon. It may be worth a try.
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PaulBern, My mom is in a hospice program (she is receiving palliative care right now). Everything she got -- the hospital bed, fall mat, alarm, wheelchair (we already had a walker) -- were all covered 100% by Medicare through this program. They were ordered by the organization providing the care.
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Bharty
You can get lift chairs at many furniture stores, or online. Spinlife.com has a huge selection of chairs and mobility aids. Amazon also carries them. I researched before buying and decided I wanted one with two motors, that way you can move the foot rest independently of the back. Price range is $400-3000 just depending on where you buy and what model.
I ended up finding one locally. I paid about $1000 and delivery was cheap. Maybe $40? But that will vary. Delivery was one of the reasons I was hesitant to buy online. If it's shipped to you, it's usually brought to the door. I would have had to get it inside. Spinlife offers a few different delivery options including "white glove" service where they'll set it up for you but it's really expensive.

Mapotter
I had to laugh when you mentioned the alarm. We must have purchased the same one. I feel like it's loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood. We've never used it because I'm afraid it would scare her to death. Maybe even cause a fall or heart attack. I'm not sure who designed that but I can't imagine it being suitable for any situation.
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my mom is almost 98 and I have the same problem with her. Her mind thinks she can do it but her balance is not good. I put a sign on her walker to help her remember, I tell her often that if she continues this that it makes me extremely worried that I am going to get "the call" from the facility she is in and this may be the worst call I get. That conversation seems to work "for a while" but the memory thing gets in the way. I try to be firm but gentle. Dementia and Alz is sooooo hard to deal with! Good luck!
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It is so hard to grasp the fact that they can't/don't understand that they will fall if they try to walk by themselves... Today, I told my Mom to sit for one minute (it was actually less than that...) because I didn't want her to fall so that I could run down the basement to put something in the freezer... I opened the freezer door and hear a thump.... 5 stitches and a CT scan and we are back home...
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have you tried benedryl for night aid? might help him sleep at night. also melatonin.
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My dad was getting up about every 15-30 minutes all night long to use the restroom. He drinks what we all feel is a lot of water but we did not want to limit him on intake because even with what he drank it didn't seem to be enough. It was very tough on us getting up that much, he is immobile and takes at least two to get him up). We did this for about a month. We did research and decided to use an external male catheter on him. We use it 24/7 now because of mobility issues. The catheters have been one of the best decisions we have made. It has not only made it easier for us as caregivers but it has made a big difference for my dad not having to walk to the restroom every time he has to go. The catheter is attached to a leg bag that we empty before it gets too full.

It took some trial and error on our part to find the best ones for dad as far as brand and size. I believe we go through Liberator Medical to get them and Medicare pays for them. They sent samples in the beginning for us to try.

I hope you find what works best for your situation. This is a tough ride....I wish you the best.
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For the person that wanted info on the motion detector, I purchased the '
SMART CAREGIVER TL-5102MP Motion Sensor And Pager' from Amazon for $25.  Works great unless you have a pet that wanders around
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