My mother-in-law is in assisted living and is needing someone in her room 24/7 to prevent her from trying to get out of her bed or chair. She recently broke her leg as the result of a fall (trying to move around unassisted. Are there any types of senior care communities where she could be monitored more closely without the expense of paying for a caregiver being there around the clock?
My mother is in a nursing home and she, too, can't remember that her legs cannot bear her weight. She is a two-person transfer with a transfer machine. They don't technically restrain her, but they do take some precautions. She probably could figure out how to get up from her wheelchair, but it would take a while. They always have a table in front of her that would make it more difficult. She spends very little time in her room. They place her in public areas where staff is always in and out and walking by. The place is small enough that all staff recognize the residents who shouldn't be standing. The hope is that by the time she got the brakes off, pushed away from the table, struggled with the foot rests, someone would ask her what she needs. It has been working so far.
(I'm not talking about a row of bored residents sitting around the nurses station half-awake. Sometimes she sits in the airy sunny dining room, drinking coffee and reading magazines. Often there will be another resident at her table and they might chat or just sit in companionable silence, each reading or doing some puzzles. Or she'll sit outside the nursing staff office with a bedside table in front of her sorting a basket of socks and listening to her generation's music.)
Mom also goes to most of the activities, and those are periods where she is "safe" from trying to walk.
They do more frequent bed checks on her during the night shift, and also place a cushioned mat on the floor, just in case. Her bed is in a very low position.
Falling is an ever-present risk, but reasonable precautions can minimize the risk.