What you can do if you ever deal with another situation like this is strongly suggest that whoever the caregivers are put side rails on the bed of the person they're caring for, or even put the patient in a hospital bed with side rails. Falling from the bed can be especially scary because it's no way to wake up, especially if the person happens to hit their head in the fall. All other falls can also be scary, but the scariest of them all is falling from bed. This is why some people really should be using side rails, because siderails can really reduce the amount of fall risks the person may already be facing.
My mom a while before she passed always was asking where I slept and I wish I had put my bed in her room, she ended up having two falls which lead to being checked out in a hospital for a week and a two week rehab which started a downward spiral.If you can move your bed in her room it will comfort her greatly and ease her mind that someone is there.
The nightlight is a good suggestion. Also, a stuffed animal may be comforting. Start out with you and the stuffed animal, and as she gets used to having it around, absent yourself once she's asleep. Maybe she will eventually need only the toy.
An elderly friend of mine faced something very similar. He was actually scared to be alone, especially at night. He always wanted me to stay, and he even set up a spare bed on the other side of his room for me to rest as he was falling asleep in his bed on his side of the room. What I found helpful is to stay for a while after he fell asleep before going home. I only left a while after he fell asleep, and I slipped quietly out and headed home. My friend really didn't like sleeping alone, which is why he set up an extra bed for me on the other side of his room. When I was there he wasn't quite as anxious as he was when I wasn't there, so this was how this particular situation was handled.
Is this something new? Is she recently widowed? When my dad died mom found it helpful to sleep with a big pillow on his side of the bed so she didn't feel that empty space in her sleep. It also helped to have new locks put on all the doors. If that isn't the problem then I suggest you treat it the same way you would with a small child. Try to figure out exactly what it is she fears and address the issue. If you can't pinpoint it or reassure her then leave on a nightlight and make sure she knows she can contact you easily (use a baby monitor or an alarm pendant depending on your living arrangements). And lots of older folks like to have a teddy bear or other friend to keep them company at night, my mom has one :)
The final decision is your's.
week rehab which started a downward spiral.If you can move your bed in her room it will comfort her greatly and ease her mind that someone is there.
Mom that I was sleeping on the couch. Panic ensued. OMG.
When my dad died mom found it helpful to sleep with a big pillow on his side of the bed so she didn't feel that empty space in her sleep. It also helped to have new locks put on all the doors.
If that isn't the problem then I suggest you treat it the same way you would with a small child. Try to figure out exactly what it is she fears and address the issue. If you can't pinpoint it or reassure her then leave on a nightlight and make sure she knows she can contact you easily (use a baby monitor or an alarm pendant depending on your living arrangements). And lots of older folks like to have a teddy bear or other friend to keep them company at night, my mom has one :)