Repeated falls. Any advice?

If he has vascular dementia, it's very probably that he is taking medications to control his blood pressure. These medications can cause postural hypotension that makes him pass out. Another possibility is that he might have had mini-strokes in the cerebellum, the area that controls balance. Regardless of the cause he has to be put on "Fall precautions". A bad fall could kill him.

I might add I have 4 fallers in my family now. In order of frequency: #1 lacks insight, #2 centre of balance, #3 neuro, #4 frail/lack of muscle.

I liken it to going back in time to toddlerhood, when falls are frequent. Although, sadly, falls in elder come with much more serious injuries & consequences 😥.

Remove what dangers you can;
* Poor footwear
* Unsafe rugs
* Medical reasons (that postural blood pressure drop!) IF at all possible. Sometimes it is not.

Then add as many protective measures you can;
* Good footwear
* Grab rails
* Lighting (esp bathrooms at night)
* Walking aide provided
* Supervision

Do what you can. Acknowledge it sucks.

"Would you forget you need to use a zimmer?"

YES.

Long term memory for that first magical school dance, first car, getting married, a cruise...

Zimmer frame? No.
Living somewhere new? No.
Even being old? No.

Dear Funky and Lea
Thank you so much and when I read your posts my heart went out to you both.
I had a chat with the OT in A&E and our SW yesterday. They gave dad a drip and his blood pressure was all over the place. Frailty team checked him out too. He was mobilising ok. I think it’s a miracle he’s in one piece.
I had no idea about the frequency of falls. I had no idea about so much of this.
you are so right. We are constantly on high alert for the next crisis. We hate seeing our loved ones go through it, what it’s doing. we can send someone to space but we can’t ease this.
thanks again. speaking to others and getting your advice helps me so much and I really appreciate it xxx

Moxy, my mother fell 95x while living in AL and then Memory Care; the first 40 falls were in Assisted Living b/c she felt she 'didn't need' her walker (which I think is what you are calling a zimmer?) Then while in Memory Care with moderate dementia at first, then advanced dementia as time went on, she proceeded to fall another 55x! She FORGOT she could not walk and was wheelchair bound! So she would try to get up and down she'd go, time and time and TIME again. She'd fall out of the wheelchair, out of bed, off of the toilet, sometimes 3x in a DAY! This went on for 2 years and 9 months. I would get a couple of calls a week from the MC telling me of her falls (no injuries, believe it or not) and towards the end of her life, they were finding her on the bathroom floor more and more often. She was checked on hourly, thank God, so she was never on the floor more than an hour at any given time. She'd also forget to pull the string for help from a caregiver or to let them know she'd fallen!

So yes, when your short term memory is gone, you forget you can't walk w/o a walker or that you can't walk PERIOD. My mother would often try to get up while I was visiting her, which would make my heart race.

Dementia is something I truly hate with every ounce of my being. It strips our loved ones of who they were entirely, leaving only a shell of a person in their place. It also robs US of our parent and leaves us on high alert 24/7 waiting for the next crisis to hit with all the falls and all the hand wringing that goes on.

I wish you the best of luck with all you have in store with your father. May God give you and your dear dad the strength and courage to persevere.

My husband had vascular dementia, and yes, falling a lot is one of the symptoms, along with severe incontinence.
My husband fell a lot and was very unsteady on his feet. He did however use his hemi-walker(he only had use of one hand due to stroke)and would still fall, so I'm not sure how good any device is at this point.
You may want to talk to his doctor to see if it's time to keep him in a wheelchair for his own safety's sake.
I wish you and your dad the very best.

i think you’re both right - he is forgetting. I just spoke to him in A&E and he sounds very tired. The nurse said he doesn’t remember the fall. they are doing a CT scan but generally he’s ok which is good.
it took us months to get him to use a frame. He said to mum a few days ago bring me a walking stick.
he also forgets he has a catheter at times.
thanks again both much appreciated xx

Moxy, many if not most dementia patients ( in my limited experience) forget to use their walker, even when it is standing right in front of them.

The sad, sad fact is that old people fall. Frequently.

hugs!!

i hope your father will be ok!!

a friend’s father unfortunately also falls often (luckily nothing broken). he doesn’t forget to use the walker, but thinks he can manage a few steps without.

another friend’s father really forgets he has difficulties walking. dementia.

i hope your father can be reasoned with, to always use the walker.

falls at night (your father was on the floor 5 am) usually mean he tried to go to the bathroom.
many men can use a cup (or some sort of plastic container) to urinate. safer. a cup placed close to bed. he can stay seated on bed and use the cup.