is it legal to put the mattress on the floor? she is 97 and keeps getting out? i ihave never heard of this it would be hard for a woman of this advanced age to get up or down as well as the nursing staff care i was a cna and lpn in this place and never heard of this
Why is she falling out of bed? Is she trying to get out of it? Is she rolling off the edge?
The nursing home's probably got the best solutions. I can hardly imagine any of us being able to think of something they haven't. But...after she's in bed, put the bed in the lowest possible position, and put one (even two) mattresses on the floor. Or perhaps by raising the foot of the bed and raising the head, you'll foil her attempts to get up on her own, depending on how strong she is. Perhaps putting one side of the bed against the wall will deter her. Move all furniture away from the bed so she can't use it to help herself up. If you can position her so her knees are higher than her hips and she has nothing to lean on, I'd think that would keep her in bed . . .
Still, someone determined? They're going to end up on the floor. So, the mattress is a great idea as it will cushion her fall.
Is she rolling out of bed or climbing over the rails? It makes a difference. If she's climbing out, I would agree that mattress on the floor might be the only solution unless she can be medicated to sleep through the night. Does she have very advanced dementia? Is she on Hospice care? Is she coming close to the end, and is this caused by agitation? I'd use medication to keep her from being agitated; it can't be easy to be frightened like that.
Most NHs have patients in Hospital beds which have side rails that can be raised. She needs to be in a bed with rails on the sides so that she doesn't roll out.
The nursing home's probably got the best solutions. I can hardly imagine any of us being able to think of something they haven't. But...after she's in bed, put the bed in the lowest possible position, and put one (even two) mattresses on the floor. Or perhaps by raising the foot of the bed and raising the head, you'll foil her attempts to get up on her own, depending on how strong she is. Perhaps putting one side of the bed against the wall will deter her. Move all furniture away from the bed so she can't use it to help herself up. If you can position her so her knees are higher than her hips and she has nothing to lean on, I'd think that would keep her in bed . . .
Still, someone determined? They're going to end up on the floor. So, the mattress is a great idea as it will cushion her fall.