Mom took a fall today, not sure what to do if this keeps happening.

Falls CAN occur ANYWHERE. Our personal criteria for decision making was based on fall risk vs. availability of services and care.

LO fell in her AL after living there about 3 months, I was notified within 20 minutes, she received Tylenol and stated that she had no pain, slept well, and was X-rayed the following morning.

She had fractured her clavicle, and wore a sling for 7 weeks, healed correctly, no problem.

In HER situation, the AL was the better choice for her, and she’s doing well there, with frequent visits and lots of staff love and encouragement.

I was an ABSOLUTELY CONFIRMED anti-NH advocate until I tearfully admitted that my sweet mom’s management was totally overwhelming even to an active and cooperative family team.

The last 5 1/2 years of her life were far happier and more comfortable than many years before them. Try to keep an open mind about ANY potential alternatives to her care, doing the best you can to find safe, comfortable, and content, whatever you (and she) decide.

If you DO decide to choose a residential care setting, the closer you are, the more comfortable you’ll be likely to feel. I LOVE the fact that I can run in and check on my LO several times a week. Our short visits are a joy for both of us!

Is your mom of sound mind? Do you have POA? My mom was falling several times a week, sometimes more than once per day. This is no joke!!! Being of “sound enough” mind there was nothing we could do. She was in too good of shape for the nursing home and we couldn’t force her into assisted living, or force her to hire an in home caregiver. We argued, begged, & pled with her to do something. The falls ultimately damaged her back to the point of needing surgery. The surgery left her with nerve damage affecting her right leg to the point of having no use of it. She is now completely wheelchair bound with 24\7 care at home until her money is gone, then it’s off to the nursing home. I wish you the best of luck in finding a solution.

Another regular poster on the forum mentioned that there came a point where it was safer for her husband to stop trying to walk so they let him use a wheelchair, do you think that is an option that would work for your mother?
(BTW falls happen in nursing homes too)

The worse Alzheimer's gets, the more falls they will experience. It's called gait apraxia due to the plaquing. I think they simply forget how to walk.
(1) Most falls happen at night and near the bed. Get Mat alarms..when they step onto them it goes off. You can get them on amazon.
(2) keep hallways lit.
(3) lots of grab bars for walk-in showers. You need to get rid of the bathtub.
(4) fall mats near the bed.
(5) Get walkers with wheels.
(6) Get rid of throw rugs.
(7) ****Keep a bowel diary.**** If they still flush buy a flush lock to install on the toilet because you need to see their bowel movements and record it on your calendar. Why? Constipation feels uncomfortable so they will wander trying to find relief. They can get impacted as little as 2 days. If they get impacted you need to take them to the Emergency Room where a nurse will disimpact them and give them enemas. NOBODY will talk to you about bowels but the stress of caregiving -- over 90% of it has to do with their bowels. The older they get the worse their bowel function becomes.
Most people with Alzheimer's will die due to either falls or pneumonia.

My mother fell, breaking her hip, with TWO aides in the room. When I recounted this story to the RN who did mom's discharge planning, she said " sweetie, my mom fell with 3 RNs in her room. And one of them was me ( her daughter)".

Elders fall.

Dianne, I'll share what I learned when my LO suffered repeated falls. It was very scary and stressful. She ended up with a fractured foot, fractured spine, fractured hand, and fractured wrist, all on different occasions. These injuries caused her a lot of pain, especially her spine. We tried everything, including a safety belt for when she's in her wheelchair and a bed alarm that alerted when she got out of bed at night. (She couldn't walk, but, would get out of bed and hit the floor.)

Regardless, of the measures you take to prevent falls, it's unlikely that you can prevent them, unless you are standing by her side all the time. I once caught my LO from falling as she tried to walk around her walker. She went straight back and would have hit the floor had I not caught her. There was no reason for her to have turned loose of her walker. Her brain just wasn't working properly. Her falls were actually 100% due to loss of balance. And, if she had been holding on to the walker, as she was supposed to be, she would not have fallen, but, she forgot to use her walker due to dementia, so no amount of reminding, notes, etc. helped. The only thing that worked was supervising her constantly, so that if she got up, you told her to grab her walker and you watched to ensure that she didn't let go of it. Otherwise, she would forget. But, that's not practical, so they forget, they fall and they get the fractures.

I might discuss her falls with the doctor you are going to see. Is this the same one who diagnosed her with dementia 6 years ago? You say that she's thinking clearly, but, if she is falling and not using the walker, I would consider that she is progressing in the dementia, since she's not using proper judgment. Or she's just forgetting. Either way, it's not likely to improve. I'd explore the options if you cannot handle her fulltime care. Soon after my LO's falls, she went to a wheelchair and that did slow the falls down, but, you would still need to know how to do transfers inside the home 24/7 and she could not be left alone if wheelchair bound. If she were to fall, you could call 911 to help get her up.

I hope you find the answers you need.

Hi, Kelly. Many things could be causing Mom to fall. Having her tested for Parkinson’s is a good idea. She may also have something as simple as an inner ear infection or a vision problem. If she is not presently using a walker, you may want to have her start. Being in a nursing home is not a guarantee she won’t fall unless she has a sitter with her 24/7. My mom fell quite frequently in her facility. Sometimes, it was her fault—going out without her walker, walking too fast, etc. I’m sure you’ve already made sure not to change furniture around in your home or in Mom’s room and you’re not using throw rugs which are a trip hazard.

I installed some grab bars in my mother's bedroom and bath just so she can hold to them when getting out of bed or moving around her room while dressing. She hasn't fallen where I have the grab bars but has taken a couple of falls where they are not.

If your mother will use one of the walkers with rollers while moving through the house that may help reduce the falls. My mom can use the older model where when she presses down springs let the posts touch the floor and stop the walker. My brother purchased one of the new rollator walkers but mom doesn't like having to use the "brakes" to stop it from rolling.

She should be seen by a neurologist.

My Mom was diagnosed with dementia and everyday in late afternoon when my Dad took mom to the bathroom she would just crumble to the floor when she went thru the doorway. Had PT come in to help with walking and exercise and he would come in the morning. Second time he came he asked questions about what type of dementia Mom had and did she have Parkinsons. We had no idea about the dementia and no to Parkinson's. He suggested we let doctor know that mom was hesitating at thresholds and showed mild signs of Parkinson’s. At this point my parents were still going to Church everyday, etc with mom holding onto Dads arm. With a change/addition to medication and deciding to put a commode behind a screen in dining room the falls stopped. However after a couple of years moms mobility declined and we just used a wheelchair around the house. Hope this was helpful and good luck on this journey 🙏