My BiL said he fell to ground at night twice in one week. SNF said the reason for not having it on all beds is that some people hurt themself by rails. We are concerned about his wound and falling. Do you have any thoughts on this?
My Mom was given a concave mattress. Her bed was taken down as far as it would go and pads put on each side of her bed. The small railing will probably not be allowed. My Mom had one at the AL and when the head Nurse found out it was there, I was asked to remove it. It was suggested by PT after a back fracture procedure to help her sit up. Also helped steady her when she stood. It did keep her from falling out of bed but that was not the purpose. My RN daughter, 20 yrs in NHs, felt I may have been able to fight it. But I didn't try.
In my state bedrails are considered a restraint and can't be used even in private homes. My MIL's facility puts the mattress directly on the floor so the resident cannot get out without assistant. Nightime falls on the way to the bathroom is a major reason why residents fall in facilities (and maybe even in private homes).
Bed rails are against the law, and that's that. If your BIL is on hospice now, or when he does get on hospice, they can bring in a pillow bolster for the bed that sort of cups the person inside of it, thereby preventing a LOT of falls out of bed. Here's what it looks like on Amazon (sort of):
You may want to see if such a device is allowed NOW at your BILs SNF, just on the off chance such a thing would be approved. When my mother was given this type of bolster by hospice, it immediately STOPPED her from falling out of bed, which was a weekly happening beforehand.
I don't think nursing homes are allowed to have bed rails on beds anymore which I think is a danger in itself. My mother is in a nursing home and she wants the bed rails because she is afraid of falling out of bed and has at least twice that I know of. Her roommate told me that my mother got stuck between the bed and the wall once. Doesn't sound safe to me. She is mostly immobile so she can't move herself around in her bed very easily. Anyway to answer your question my mom's bed can be lowered to very close to the floor so if she does fall out of bed it is a very short drop to the floor and she won't be injured.
That's what this SNF is doing right now, we'll see how it goes. Hopefully he won't fall much and lay his open wounded side on floor for too long. Thank you.
Bed rails became against policy after residents became trapped between the mattress and the rails and suffocated or broke limbs being unable to get themselves out. Some places have put the mattress on the floor, others have added padding to the floor on the sides of the bed. There are also bed alarms but they only alert to a fall that’s occurred. It’s a frustrating situation for many, as with many things in caregiving, trying to prevent one issue causes another.
The small railing will probably not be allowed. My Mom had one at the AL and when the head Nurse found out it was there, I was asked to remove it. It was suggested by PT after a back fracture procedure to help her sit up. Also helped steady her when she stood. It did keep her from falling out of bed but that was not the purpose. My RN daughter, 20 yrs in NHs, felt I may have been able to fight it. But I didn't try.
I did find a recent article warning about these portable bedrails.
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/06/1103279085/adult-portable-bed-rail-recall
https://www.amazon.com/Prevention-Bolster-Mattress-Defined-Perimeter/dp/B07X5F5P54/ref=sr_1_6?crid=LUFKM4OKK6PG&keywords=bed+bolsters+for+adults&qid=1664814120&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjQ1IiwicXNhIjoiNS43OCIsInFzcCI6IjUuMDgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=bed+bolster%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-6&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0
You may want to see if such a device is allowed NOW at your BILs SNF, just on the off chance such a thing would be approved. When my mother was given this type of bolster by hospice, it immediately STOPPED her from falling out of bed, which was a weekly happening beforehand.
Good luck.
Her roommate told me that my mother got stuck between the bed and the wall once. Doesn't sound safe to me. She is mostly immobile so she can't move herself around in her bed very easily. Anyway to answer your question my mom's bed can be lowered to very close to the floor so if she does fall out of bed it is a very short drop to the floor and she won't be injured.