Mom is 96 and is a right side leaner she has fallen 5 times in 90 days out the bed that’s as low as it can go to the floor. She’s gone to the ER twice with a scare on her forehead but no broken bones (yet).
The Nursing Home says they can’t put up bed rails I’ve asked about cushions bedside on the floor to ease the fall but they said they can’t do that either because it’s against the law. Each time she falls there no way of knowing how long she’s been lying on the cold floor. She’s always be high tolerance for pain and she can’t tell them if she’s hurt.
My fear is that they don’t see any thing wrong external but there will be something internal if she keeps falling on that hard cold floor.
Any suggestions on what they can do?
I guess allowing them to leave the bed doesn't restrict their movements/freedom? But safety is ignored? Perhaps with bedrails up, a patient would climb over it, and that would be a greater fall...I never got a clear answer from the nurses.
However, at one place I was able to get the bed lowered to the floor and they provided a padded mat. His issue was getting up constantly (Parkinsons with dementia). I wonder why your hospital objects to a pad next to the bed?
During one hospitalization (for a week), he fell twice getting out of bed without calling for assistance (he wouldn't know how anyway). In one case he hit his head and needed an MRI (no damage fortunately); in the other case, he severely bruised his hip area, had excruciating pain, and it took months to resolve because of calcifications in the bruised muscle. The hospital had to have a sitter with him all night; and I sat with him during the day to keep him safe.