She has been to the ER, hospitalized and then weeks in rehab twice in past 3 months. She has fractured her spine and lacerated her scalp. Having to ask for help every time she needs to go from Point A to Point B is a new requirement for her. She falls, even when she tries to use a walker or wheelchair. Any suggestions?
Not so with the AL. The Head RN had it written that Mom was to use her walker at all times. Many a time when I went to visit she was not using it. Mom had neuropathy in her ankles and feet. She fell 4x in 4 months and sent to the hospital each time. TG no broken bones. She was not suppose to pivot.
I found Mom was much safer in the LTC than the AL. The facility found a geri chair that the seat reclined backwards making it hard to stand up. It had cushions on both sides of her head so if she dozed off her head would not slump over. The back could recline to make dozing more comfortable. She could skoot around in it too. I loved that chair.
Best bet is to minimize the damage from falls with padding and cushioning.
Your mother probably can't remember to use her call button to request help with mobilising, and for all sorts of legally-binding reasons (some excellent and some of them just irritating bureaucratic cloud-cuckoo tosh) it is unlikely that her facility would be able or prepared to introduce any measures to prevent her moving around freely. When I say "remember" it isn't even a case of memory, which is why signs and post-it notes don't help either. On standing, it does not enter a person's head that she needs support with it. She feels the need to get up. She doesn't pause for thought or read the cheerful little sign or notice the big bright button on her table. She gets up. Down she goes. In that moment, using the call button has simply not occurred to her.
Some of our clients have Vibro wrist alarms which detect impacts or sudden changes in position and go off automatically. This does ensure that help is summoned even if the person can't use a falls alarm independently; but for one thing they often drive users and caregivers round the bend because they can be equally sensitive to movements such as taking your cardigan off or turning over too energetically in bed, and for another they, like all falls alarms, are only wise after the event. The unicorn alarm is the one that tells us *before* the person wants to get up and move around.
What is the facility suggesting to help her?
Good luck, major falls and breaks are one of my main nightmares!
My Mom would forget she could no longer stand up without falling. The facility tried a wheelchair but Mom would think she saw something on the carpet and tumble out of the wheelchair reaching down. The facility tried using a seatbelt, but my Mom was the master of unclicking those belts.
Eventually the facility tried a rolling recliner, and placed a pillow under my Mom's knees, and it would have taken my Mom quite a while to wrestle that pillow out from under her knees.
And yes, Mom would fall out of bed numerous times. Since facilities are not allowed to have the safety bars up on the beds, the facility needed to place fall mats on both sides of the bed. Mom got bruised. Eventually the Staff had to stuff pillows all around my Mom, but then Mom wasn't able to turn over or on her side because there wasn't enough room.
We would like to hear your ideas, as calling an Attorney wouldn't help in this situation.
A lawyer will be no help until AFTER she sustains an injury.
The only helpful solution I've seen is to place certain residents in sight of the nurses station, where at least some personnel are nearby much of the time. Some wheelchairs have a tray attached to the arms. This makes it difficult to get out of the chair and an attempt to exit makes enough noise to alert anyone nearby. It's not an ideal solution, though. And soft restraints are usually not allowed because of the dangers they present.
The idea of a seat that inclines slightly toward the rear is probably good. It could be difficult for residents to get out of. But most anyone who tries hard enough to leave their bed or chair, will likely succeed eventually! And some are desperate enough to "go home" that they will work hard to do so. Some families who can afford it employ a "sitter" for nighttime hours.
Sorry I cannot supply a practical and totally safe approach to the problem.