How do you handle repeated falls from getting out of bed?

My mother with dementia fell 55x due to forgetting she couldn't walk, many falls were from her bed. Hospice brought her a bolster pillow cover which STOPPED her from falling out of bed completely! I was shocked. If dad isn't on hospice, see if he qualifies. If not, see if the MC will allow a bolster on the hospital bed. Go to Amazon and look them up, there are many varities. Otherwise I know of nothing to prevent these falls and it's horrible, I know.

Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Medical-Universal-Mattress-Perimeter/dp/B00V86G39C/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1B26O8WI2MNT0&keywords=Fall+prevention+bolster&qid=1647061697&s=hpc&sprefix=fall+prevention+bolster%2Chpc%2C131&sr=1-5

Best of luck with a difficult situation

Falls are very common in the elderly population. Many die as a consequence of those falls. Among people with dementia, the falls are even more frequent and and more dangerous. Keeping the demented patients from falling is a monumental task, because they aren't aware of their physical limitations. It requires a one to one supervision and even a soft restraints to keep them in bed when close supervision is not possible.

Courage726, my Mom was a major fall risk because her brain told her she could stand/walk but in reality she couldn't.

To keep Mom in her bed at the Nursing Home, they tucked pillows all around her. No more cut and scraped up legs and feet trying to climb out. It worked but that caused major back aches as Mom could not turn from one side to another. Those hospital beds are so narrow.

When Mom was in her wheelchair, she kept tumbling out because she thought she saw something on the rug. The only way of stopping that was putting Mom in a recliner chair and place a pillow under her knees. Mom would work on pulling that pillow out for hours on end, but it kept her from falling.

Falling was now a fact of life in Mom's world, and the same with my Dad. On the plus side, Dad learned to use a rolling walker, where my Mom had refused to use one she said it "made her look old"..... she was in her late 90's. If only she wasn't so stubborn, it was a major fall with head trauma that eventually put her into a nursing home. Dad had his falls, 911 and ER trips, but the walker help slow down that routine.

Courage726: My late mother fell a few times, but never told me - until I had to move in with her from out of state. She went from using a cane to using a walker in less than one month, but often would ditch the walker, making her even more of a fall risk. Her reasoning "The walker makes me look old." Huh? She was 94 years old. Lower your mother's bed and add mats on the floor.

I'm sorry you are dealing with this. If he is at the stage where he feels compelled to get somewhere and can't remember that he can't just get up and go there is very little that can be done to prevent him from attempting to walk; you are lucky that they have a hi/lo bed available, IMO it is one of the best options to help prevent (severe) injury from falls. Falls prevention mattresses, overlays or bolsters as Lealonnie has advised add another layer of protection.

In our state, bed rails are considered "restraints" and there are strict policies when they are allowed in facilities.

Sounds like you have him at home since Medicare is paying for the bed?

While you might can't stop the habit, you might consider adding another layer of protection. You may want to google "bed alarms" because there are a lot of options... pads on the bed and pads on the floor. Here is one site I found... https://aginginplace.org/best-bed-alarms-for-elderly-fall-prevention/ but there a lot more! If you go this route, if his doctor writes a prescription, Medicare may pay.

If he is veteran and not already receiving services, be sure to enroll him in the medical care offered. We drug our feet for years because we have good insurance then we learned that you only have to have a checkup through the VA once a year to take advantage of many things Medicare won't pay for but the VA will provide. We have gotten several items of DME (Durable Medical Equipment) from them.

dear courage,
:)

hug!!

i hope lea’s idea of
bolster pillow cover,

works for your father!!

——
i have a question please courage.

is it correct he’s falling out because the bed rails are down during the night? why are the bed rails not kept up?

is it because that’s the policy in that MC?

i heard sometimes keeping the bed rails up has led to even worse accidents in facilities (people climbing over), so they keep them down.

This can be a very difficult problem. When my bro was in rehab a gentleman was put in his room as roommate who fell almost four times DAILY. He was a longterm person there, in another portion of the building and was much loved. Everyone called him Papa. They had the foamy carpets and everything. He never broke anything the month my bro was there, and yes, he fell off the narrow bed at night in his sleep. My brother was convinced he was placed in his room because he could watch over him and call for help.
I wish I had a better answer to this common problem. I would discuss with the M.D. were I you.

To those who are recommending bed rails, in our state bed rails are forbidden by regulation except in hospitals. My husband uses a short rail at home (called an "M rail") that he uses to help himself stand and get out of bed. When he was in a short-term rehab facility, we wanted him to have something similar and they eventually allowed it after both of us signed waivers. This rail was not something that was part of the bed but could be attached, and was no more than about 18 inches long but we had to jump through hoops to get it!

We’ve had huge problems with my brother in a nursing facility with falls. He has a glioblastoma and it’s wrecked the memory, reasoning, problem solving, etc part of his brain. He is in hospice care. He brain says he can walk but his legs can’t. He has the mats and the bed with the scooped upsides to make it a lot harder to fall out though he manages to through the small section to allows one to get out. It also lowers very close to the ground and he has the cushioned mats to reduce damage from a fall. This is new though—“hipsters” they have pads (almost look like football players pads) that protect hips from fractures. With being in hospice though he is given meds—Ativan and Depakote—to reduce agitation and seizure activity from the brain cancer that causes restlessness and agitation. In his case the agitation is also part of the dying process. These are very small amounts. Because the goal of hospice is comfort and safety the meds calm him. The restlessness is diminished a good deal but today he tried to get out again as I sat next to him. Rather than saying anything, as my legs were crossed I just pressed my foot against his leg til he got tired of the resistance and he gave up and stopped. Basically he’s been the king of falls. The nurses have kept him by the nursing station in a wheelchair so they can keep an eye on him. Look for a fall prevention beds. They come in different versions but basically there are side bolsters that prevent falls. In a pinch a long bolster pillow—almost like a body pillow—but harder can work too. A bigger bed won’t help.