Mom has been falling, looks like losing her balance when getting up off the floor. She has ppa with dementia. She walks fine but spends a lot of her time crawling on the floor. No new meds and she usually does amazing getting up. I'm afraid of her breaking a hip now. What does nursing home staff do in this case? She will stay here with me till the end. Any suggestions welcome
In the meantime, clear out all the obstacles, rearrange the furniture so that there are soft things for her to fall on if/when she loses her balance.
Also have grab bars installed by a carpenter (not a handyman) diretly into the studs along her routes so she can hold onto them.
I'm puzzled about her crawling on the floor if she's able to walk fine.
I think I would research the meds to check for side effects which might be a contributing factor for the furniture moving and crawling on the floor. The latter seems almost like a reversion to an infant like level, which may be part of the dementia.
I've never experienced furniture moving so I have no clues as to that. There are a lot of posters here who are dealing with dementia so hopefully they have more insight.
Does she live with you? If so, you could consider using a gait belt. I've seen them used successfully for transferring in a SNF and used one when my father was rehabbing from hip fractures, but never really liked them. They're so short that one has to walk very close to the person, so close that it was hard for me to walk that close and that slowly.
In addition, it always reminded me of a circus trainer with a monkey on a leash. I just never liked the concept of taking someone out with a belt wrapped around the waist, as if I was walking a dog.
All you can do is put precautions in place.
* Stand up slowly from a seated position
* Ensure that the path to the bathroom is clear with nothing for her to stumble over.
* Have a healthcare professional instruct her in the correct way to use a walker. If she continues to just carry it get her a rollator. It's too heavy for her to pick up.
* Stop her from moving furniture!? Why is shy moving furniture? If it's in her way get it out of her way so she doesn't fall over it.
If your mom refuses assistance brace yourself for the inevitable fall and hope that she doesn't break her hip. Once that happens her life will be able Physical Therapy, home health nurses, and limited range of motion.
An ounce of prevention.....
Is a wheelchair with restraining seat belt next? I just questioned what do they do in a nursing home to protect this kind of a pt.?