Mom tries to get out of hospital bed, any advice?

DLB, what your Mom is doing is identical to what my own Mom was doing. My Mom's brain told her she could stand and walk, but in reality she would just fall.

As others have mentioned, bed-rails can be dangerous. So easy for a patient to get tangled up in the rails, some with fatal outcomes.

What the long-term-care unit did for my Mom, besides lowering the bed and putting down fall mats, was tuck pillows around her which made it difficult for her to climb out of bed.... one drawback was that Mom wasn't able to turn over on her side to sleep because the pillows were in the way, thus it caused a lot of pain to Mom's back.

You could try putting a pillow under your Mom's knees if it doesn't cause her any pain. That could help slow her down if she feels she can get up.

It is so sad to see a love one going through this :(

Hello and thank you for helping me w/ this. Mom is in last stages of Lewy Body dementia and is bed ridden due to severe arthritis in her knees. She is very weak. She is now under hospice care and has a hospital bed at home. She forgets she can't walk and will do anything to get out of bed. It breaks my heart to have to keep telling her that she can't get out of bed but if she does she will fall and then we have to get the fire department out for a "lift assist". The other day I was with her and she was all tucked in, sleeping in her bed w/ the rails all the way up. I went to make lunch for her ( gone 1 hour) and when I returned she was all the way down at the end of the bed w/ one leg off and one leg hanging over the footboard. She was kind of stuck but she is a strong, determined woman and I have no doubt she would have made it off that bed. She can't go far, but getting her back in bed is a huge endeavor and of course I'm worried about her hurting herself. We check in on her as much as possible. She sleeps most of the day and night. She just can't remember she can't walk.
I've looked in to restraint belts and I think that might be the answer. Ugh.

You can use rails in a home setting but like said, they can get hurt climbing over them. Have u asked a doctor about sleeping pills for night time?

Have you thought about having an in home provider come in to assist with her safety at night?

Sorry I assumed this was IN hospital.

If using hospital bed at home, I would try alarm. But as CM asked... about what support your Dad has, especially at night? He will need his sleep.

Low lying bed may be an option? May be time for a proper review of both their needs & set up.

Bed rails up for confused patients is a big no-no where I live now. (Investigations found Injuries from climbing OVER are a lot worse).

Falls prevemtion strategies that may be used can be;
* bed that can be lowered to nearly floor level. (May look undignified, but safety is priority).
* room in close view to nurse station
* alarm to notifiy when patient put of bed
* offer regular toileting
* extra staff member employed to 'sit' & keep company

Hospital should be experienced with this situation - talk to the Nurse in Charge & ask what their strategies are to keep your Mum safe.

Hi, DLB, I just looked at your profile for more information.

Your parents are living alone together, are they? - with your elderly father as your mother's primary caregiver. Apart from you, what does your father have in the way of support and help at home?

There are two main risks in what you're describing:

1. That she might be successful, and will fall and hurt herself.
2. That she doesn't succeed but hurts herself in the attempt, bruising herself against the rails or getting part of herself trapped.

Is either of these likely? Because it could be that the biggest problem is the worry it's causing your father, and the stress if your mother is calling out for help constantly.

Is your mother confined to bed 24/7?

Do you leave the rails up? You can also add an additional rail next to the rails attached to the bed. There are pads that will sound an alarm when she tries to get out of bed.