My husband is exhibiting weakness in the legs, such as difficulty getting up from chairs. I fear that it won't be long before he falls. What can I do in the mean time to prevent him from falling and to prepare for when he does fall? Advice anyone? He has Alzheimer's.
Convert your home as much as you can but know that nothing is 100% effective and if your husband falls it's not because you're not doing a good enough job at keeping him safe. His falling will never be your fault or an indicator of how well you take care of him. Falls are fairly inevitable. We can't protect our elderly loved ones from every single thing.
If you don't already have them, add grab bars in the bathroom and along walls where he needs to pass if there isn't any furniture he can hold onto. Eliminate throw rugs and other trip hazards on the floor. If you can, position furniture so that he can hold onto or fall on it if he loses his balance.
Does he use a walker? After falls and successive leg fractures, we added insulation to my father's walker. If he falls on it and on the legs, the insulation will at least protect him somewhat.
Switch from standing to seated showers by using a transfer bench that extends out over the tub. The person sits down, scoots toward the wall of the bathroom while lifting legs up over and into the tub. You might also have to use a walker over the toilet, or get one of the raised seats.
Carefully view the exterior of the house as well. Are there railings to hold onto while exiting and re-entering?
Get a medic alert that is position sensitive. If he falls when you're not around, the company monitoring it will call him and if he doesn't answer will follow protocol you establish to either call you or EMS. Get a lockbox and put a key to the doors in it so you can give the combination to EMS if you happen to be out of the house when he falls (and you learn by contacting him), or if the medic alert monitoring company notifies you of a fall.
If he falls, I'd call 911.