my dh is always falling, he thinks he can still walk and get out of bed by himself but he just falls to the floor, he also falls off the bed, finally, a bed to protect him, i never heard of an alz. bed but they put him in one haven`t seen it yet i understand it is lower to the floor and has floor pads on it for when he falls, about time, he fell on Sat. and Sun. night, got a bloody nose and a small cut on his forhead, guess they decided he may really hurt himself so hence (THE BED)
Oh Marygail, I am sorry. Every time my DH goes into a medical facility they put a red band on his arm, this means he is a "fall Risk". The floor pads sound great.
OMG--DH has had 'near' falls for the last 2 weeks. And, then if he gets down, he can't get up easily. He's really getting stooped over. He had the most wonderful body. Just perfect. Lovely skin, great tan, well toned....This makes me sad. I've been giving him multiple vitimans for a long time plus 600 mg of calcium every day. I hope he doesn't get osteoporosis. He dad had that and did break a hip.
Mawzy me DH is stooped from the waist at a 2 o'clock position +. He has spinal stenosis in addition to Parkenism/AD/VD. So far he hasn't had a balance problem except times when we tried to make a med change.
Since marygail's husband is not at home, the facility staff have the equipment, but for those of you who many need a little ingenuity:
When it was time for Joel to go from the crib to a bed, this crazy, overprotective mother did not want him falling out of bed onto the hardwood floor. Soooooo, I positioned his bed up against a wall, which only left one side to worry about. I put the crib mattress on the floor next to the open side of the bed. When he fell out of bed the first few times, he landed on a soft mattress, and there is where I found him in the morning, sound asleep. It only happened for the first week or so until he got used to the bed. You can do the same thing for your spouses if they are prone to falling out of bed. You can use an old mattress if you have one, or one of those blow-up mattresses.
Joan I did that with my daughter too, only she was still in her crib and was trying to climb out. She managed to fall on her head in the only spot between the wall and the porta-crib mattress I had on the floor. She was under 2 years old, but we went out and bought her a real bed that weekend. I did use my neighbor's railings for a week and then she was fine.
I wonder if railings, the kind you buy for a small child who is moving into a bed would work?
Falling and inability to follow directions are two of the major reasons we had to place my DW in a NF, they have a red dot on her nameplate in the hall, I assume that means fall risk as well. When they get to this stage they seem to forget that can't stand or walk. It sounds like your DH and my DW are fraternal twins. She absoluely hates having her bed lowered, but it did keep from standing up by herself. She was falling at home at least once a day and sometimes twice a day. She refused to use the walker or wheelchair. She has been in the NF for about two weeks now and has only fallen once. At least she is safe there.
I used a baby slip under the mattress rail for my Mom before we got the hospital bed. Since she didn't turn over in bed it worked fine until later when she was more confused and tried every which way to climb over the rail or scoot to the bottom of the bed.
When dh was placed in the hosp they placed him in a soma bed. Maybe some of you have seen them. They look like a netted cage! After my initial reaction (horrors), I realized it protected the workers and dh from injury. After they got his behavior under control, they stepped him down to a low bed. It is actually a regular hosp bed that can be lowered to the ground. On each side, they place mats and put an alarm under him and attached to him. If he fell off the bed, they would hear the alarm but he would not be hurt. WHen he transferred to the nh, they initially placed him in a regular bed but he appeared to have some sort of a stroke and they decided to move him back to the low bed. He is safe and does not seem to mind. When he was home with me. I bought a short rail from the medical supply store and placed it from shoulder height to mid bed. THis kept him from falling out (which he had done before the rail). Hope this helps.
MaryCommentTime43 minutes ago edit delete Okay, guys...I don't know if this is a one-time thing, or if it might be re-occurring, so I need advice from those who have been there. Last night, for the first time, my husband fell out of bed and I had to help him up. He couldn't get up by himself. He had sat up in bed (which he does several times a night) and fallen back asleep while still sitting, and fell over and off. He has always caught himself and awakened in the past. And the fact that he was too weak to get up alone bothers me too. We have a king-sized bed, and no room for a hospital bed. I don't know if a rail could fit on the bed, or if he would topple over it since he fell while sitting up, not laying down.
I can't stop him from sitting up. I think his sleep apnea and COPD make him uncomfortable during the night and he sits up for relief. I've tried many different prescribed drugs from the doctorS, but those meant to make him sleep, wake him up! We gave up on that issue.
marshCommentTime20 minutes ago edit delete Last week my wife fell out of bed three times. Fortunately did not hurt herself, but I had to help her get back in. I put a side rail on and that has solved the problem. The side rail has 2 bars that slide under the mattress. It only goes 1/2 way down the bed, so she can still get out to go to the bathroom, etc. I don't know where to get the rails since the one I took was one my daughter had left with us for her boys when they were younger.
redbud73086*CommentTime15 minutes ago edit delete I went through that too with Claude. He fell out of bed several times, and I had to call 911 as I couldn't help him up.
We also have a king size bed and I moved the bed so his side was against the wall. If he rolled over, he'd hit the wall. He didn't like crawling over me to get out of bed, but got used to it after awhile. I would wake up everytime he moved anyway so it didn't bother me.
Joang, I don't know any details about it, but several of my friends/spouses have some sort of apparatus they wear to sleep for sleep apnea. Perhaps a sleep study for DH to see if they could help him? Or, perhaps not if he wouldn't stand for it.
Oops, just realized I addressed my comment to joang and it should have been to redbud73086.
Not surprised DH would not do sleep study, mine probably would refuse.
I think Claude had sleep apnea and I know he wouldn't have stood for sleep study. I had one a couple of years ago and I hated being hooked up to all those wires.
Weejun, I think you are referring to the CPAP Machine. I don't have one, but have friends that do. It is some kind of a mask that you put over your face when you sleep. It is supposed to regulate your breathing somehow.
My sleep study showed that I have no REM sleep. I was told that REM sleep is the kind that helps restore the body. Guess that is part of the reason, along with the meds I take, that I'm just as tired when I get up as when I went to bed) -:(
DH has been falling more often over the last 4-6 months. Our primary dr. gave us a referral for physical therapy. They used their fancy testing machine and determined what I already knew-he has some problems that will cause falling.
PT determined that his vestibular and visual systems aren't working well (that's 2 out of 3, the other is legs/feet/support). His eyes are not tracking (moving with his head) as fast as they should. The message is not connecting in the head as it should. So, we tried a few things, which probably won't help much if at all with brain damage. Like eye exercises, like lower body exercises. Then we tried balance exercises, walking with PT person, etc.
I was able to get across his limitation in instructions and reinforced to PT that falls may make it harder to place him (if necc.) or keep him home (if I want to). They brought out walkers for him to try and since he refuses that, tried some canes, etc. Anyway, finally told him we would give him what he needed since he wouldn't/couldn't see the need. They are checking reimbursement (Medicare/Supplemen).
So, Thur. night he fell in the bathroom and broke his wrist. He insists a walker would not have helped. Trip to ER in ambulance, not too much waiting, xrays, etc. He has a splint on now and will have a cast put on the wrist on Mon. Add pain meds to someone with cognitive problems and balance problems (to say nothing of the exhaustion of the ER trip) and it is not a pretty picture. Lots of weakness, shaky legs, etc.
Unfortunately, although I had talked about getting a transport chair “just in case”, I hadn’t gotten it yet. Did you know that many chain drugstores sell them? Picked one up with no problem and it works great. And, even though he has needed the wheelchair a lot the last few days, he still sees no need for a walker.
He’s fallen out of bed a lot the last few nights, and I let him sleep there last night as he was too sleepy to help me get him up. Do you know when you break a wrist it is usually from put a hand out to try and stop the fall? And, therefore it is your primary hand?
Some interesting things I’ve learned this week:
I picked up some meds at the drive thru window at the chain pharmacy and asked for something from the store, since DH wasn’t up to getting out. They charged it with the meds and I met someone at the front of the store who delivered it to my car.
Our bed is pretty high and it is especially hard for DH to get into with splint and limitations of AD. Son suggested I take the box spring and mattress off the hollywoood (metal base) frame and put it on the floor.
Lastly, if DH continues to fall (which I expect) and refuses/won’t/can’t use something like a walker, I can’t continue to take care of him at home, even though the anger is well managed and the cognitive decline is still moderate! He’s not much bigger than me (in weight or height), and I am fairly healthy, but the combination of limited understanding of directions, weight and wanting to get up and around when he isn’t able is impossible.
Ask at the hospital where he gets his wrist set if someone can prescribe a hospital bed; medicare will pay for it. Raises up and down and has bars on both sides. I don't know how old you are but I do know that I had trouble sleeping on a futon on the floor ten years ago, when I was in my early 60s. I would doubt that either of you could do that, esp. with your husband's wrist out of commission.
briegull, We are both 58, and yes, the low on the floor stuff isn't real workable, but the mattress set we have is only about 4 years old and very tall, so I think it will work out ok.
Great idea about the hospital bed. I can also suggest PT recommend it. Unfortunately, our primary dr. just left the area. There are others in the group and we will probably deal with one of them for now, but I don't know how well they will deal with the dementia, and they are at the other end of town. I am finding the drs. in our area are stretched pretty thin and are hiring. It also means they some (like the geriatric group I would like to try) are not taking new patients. Actually this group our primary dr. was in has just hired 2 new drs.
There are so many losses with this nasty disease, and I know everyone here deals with the blow those little things give us. I had already decided twin beds would improve my sleep, and I don't see any loss going from the king to a twin set at this point. A hospital bed, at this point, would certainly have some advantages, but to acknowledge that it might be time for that is a bit of a blow.
not necessarily. My husband loved it before the dementia was evident (he'd had a bad episode of infection about 10 years ago) and he hangs his clothes for the morning on the side. We both like having rooms of our own to sleep in, and have for all of those 10 years.
Yes, I can certainly see a lot of advantages to the hospital bed, but for me, even though it would help and is now necessary, it is a sign of the reality of the disease. Funny, he doesn't mind the wheelchair these last few days, but the idea of the walker he will not accept. (I know it's not his decision, but suspect it won't be used if he refuses it now). I can't figure out why it is such a no for him. All I can figure is it is something an old person would use. He doesn't have any history of family using one that I know of.
The separate bed and/or room isn't a problem for me. I am definitely in caregiver mode, not spouse. We moved about a year and a half ago to a new state to be with one of our sons (a grad student) and I tried to look at houses with a caregiving need, not a spouse. Unfortunately, DH couldn't realize that and we were trying to buy a house that would give our son some privacy and enough space. Now that he falls so much, but still gets up, I have been trying to monitor him after he goes to bed. The landline phone we have has multiple extensions and they have a room monitor so I can turn the phone on in the living room and listen in to the bedroom, but he is adamant about listening to the radio. There is another room that I can move into and keep him in the master. It is just the monitoring that concerns me.
I know the feeling, Pat. Mine seldom gets out of bed (and hasn't fallen) but I keep all his clothes behind a closed closet door - he'd be putting them on in the middle of the night, but out of sight out of mine.
Mine hates his walker. I think if his leg weren't so unwilling to bend, he'd be willing to use or at least try out one of those spiffy walkers with a seat and brakes! Maybe you can find a pic of one in the AARP mag or someplace else and lure him in!
briegull, yes, the pt did bring out one of the fancy rollator walkers in a bright (non-medical) color. He seemed to think that was better than a regular walker, but not by much. In reading about the walker use, one article mentioned that most of the time that elderly people(the only people that seemed to be studied for falls) are picked up by ambulance for a fall, there is usually an unused walker in the corner of the room. The pt did understand and agree that with dementia, the sooner they learn to use a walker that the more likely they will able to be use it later on.
Pat, I bought a baby monitor TV so I could keep my eye on my mom. You will have to keep a night light on in the room. I put the monitor on my night stand, and I could just look over to the side and make sure she was ok. Having the radio on makes it more difficult to hear but at least you can see and it is worth it. As is the hospital bed. I don't have a hospital bed for my husband yet, but he does have a twin craftmatic adjustable bed and it is pretty low to the floor.
I really believe you are all mind readers. Just today, I was scoping out the baby monitor with a screen. I am in the living room, watching tv, conversing with my son, and I cannot tell if he is in bed asleep, or on the floor. When he broke his wrist, I was closer to the bedroom and he made enough of a sound, that I knew I had to check. My only grandchild is now pulling to stand and crawling at a fast speed, as they all do at a certain age. He is eating solids and plays with a sippee cup. As he develops more skill, my husband seem to get closer to his age as he loses skills. I know Joan has done a blog on the age regression concepts, and it is amazing to see and hear about my DIL lowering the crib mattress level to match his abilities as I am talking about lowering the mattress to match DH's loss of abilities.
Sam's club had an advertisement the other week for a security camera, designed for businesses, with multiple monitors, record and playback and the ability for some monitors to be used in the dark. Pricey of course, but seemed so useful in our cases.
Another fun evening. In the 1 hr. 15 min. DH has been in bed, I found him on the floor once, with his feet in the pillowcase (also on floor), and pillow still in the case. He woke enough to help me get him into bed. I just went to check him and found his splint on the bed without his wrist in it! Looks like it slid off and/or he slid it off. I guess the ace bandage was a little loose. I was able to put it back on without his even waking up. He'd better not be telling me shortly he need more pain meds.
PatB, with a Graco baby monitor bought at Toys Are Us, we're able to hear my DW breathing or moving about in the bed, and it came with two "receivers" -- my son keeps one back in his room and I keep one with me. It has a range of a hundred feet or so -- enough for me to go anywhere in the house or porches with it, and even out to the nearby barn/garage. The nearest thing to a problem with the setup is relatively short battery life for the receivers (like an hour or two), so we normally have them sitting on their charging cradles unless we're moving about.
I've considered getting a hospital bed for my DW, but the fly in the ointment is that once I've removed my hearing aids for the night, I'm as deaf as a rock, and the only way DW can get my attention for potty runs is by poking me.
DH spent the night being very busy. I have no idea what he was "dreaming" about, but he fell out of bed a few times, tried to get up a few times and landed on the floor, tried to take his splint off again (yea, duct tape). I got no sleep. Early this morning he decided it was time to get up and I tried to "convince " him he should stay in bed. A big thump sound as he bounced off the wall onto the floor. He ended up with a cut above his eye. Another trip to the ER and a little "glue" and he is back to "normal". I can't get over how much the first fall and broken wrist have resulted in decline. His internal clock is now off about 12 hours and he has trouble walking unaided, and even then only a step or two. I did ask the ER dr. this morning to do a urine test, and he did, and it was negative. I knew you all would be asking. We go to get the cast on in about an hour. His fingers look a little swollen on that side. I'm sure falling on that splint and taking it off certainly are good.
pat how terrible your nite went so badly. once the cast is one he wont be able to pick that off and he can heal. you need to get him a sleeping aide while with the dr to allow him to rest and you as well. no sleep is a bad sign you will get worn out fast. divvi
Mine still hurts something awful! From the elbow to the wrist - from the elbow to the shoulder. - In case anyone wondered. It's been 4 weeks since I fell, and I can't understand why it still hurts so much.
DH did not get a cast this morning but instead got a recommendation for surgury. They did replace his splint and I mentioned they should child proof it. Even if we went with a cast it would require sedation to set it. Pat
nancy i think we both bruised the nerves something terrible. i am getting relief with hot water jets in bath. and advil gel caps. divvi it takes time and not using it for stuff. i carried a ladder with mine thinkin git was ok, now its back to square one! ouch
Nancy, I know when I fractured my elbow is took a full 6 weeks for the pain to stop completely. My wrist hurt so bad I thought it was fractured too, but the ortho said that was the pain from the elbow fracture. I had to do exercises so I wouldn't lose any mobility in my elbow--wore a brace on my wrist but was told to move the elbow.
I am reminded of my elbow all day...when I reach, pull, tug, lift, breathe and/or potty. I am re-writing the old song: The toe bone is connected to the foot bone, the footbone is connected to the ankle bone, etc. etc. - My version will say that everything is connected to the "elbow bone".. haha.
ohhh Pat.. be careful with the surgery. Yes, sedation to set it, but complete knock-out? Be prepared for a BIG drop in cognition... search back in the files for "anesthesia" .. Is the doctor aware of that?
briegull, Thanks for the reminder. I did talk to the dr. about the anesthesia and he understood my concern. The problem his that the break is complete and bones are overlapping. Setting it may not keep it from moving again. And, since he falls so much lately, that is a big concern. The accident itself has definitely caused a drop in cognition it itself, and I know the anesthesia wil minimally cause a drop for a while, if not permanently. As the dr. said, I am already dealing with a "disability" and the wrist could be another one to deal with if it isn't corrected well. I'm interested in any feedback.
I had my right thumb joint replaced due to osteoarthritis..and they just numbed my right arm. Felt like a big log for about 8 hours, but I did not go under general anesthesia.
Pat B-- ask about the block Nancy mentioned. That is a kind of local. As decribed to me some years ago, when I needed some wrist work, they would inject a nerve site under the arm (armpit) which would numbe the arm only, but deeply enough to do the job. Maybe they could do that and then just a light med to keep him calm and still during the procedure.
Sometimes our choices aren't between good and bad ---they're between bad and worse.
Carol, I couldn't wiggle my litle finger while that block was working. It was the oddest feeling I have ever had. After the surgery, I would have to lift my right arm with my left hand just to get out of bed. It did feel like a log was tacked onto my shoulder, heavy as lead, .. but, he moved the drape and let me look at my gaping wrist/hand just after he placed the round marble-like joint back in. Then, ..whoosh..went back into a light sleep. I could hear them, but couldn't open my eyes. Much safer, if you asked me.
Nancy, how long ago did you have this replacement? How is it now? Were you out of commission for awhile? I'm going to have to consider having it also. Thanks.