Elder Care: Falls, a postscript
A touchy subject regarding falls is restraining the elderly patient.
Nursing homes and rehab centers are not permitted to restrain a resident, either physically or with medication. Those facilities are not permitted to use side rails on a bed. To mitigate the effect of falling out of bed they rely on:
Lowering the bed so that it is only a few inches above the floor. A mat is placed on the floor so the patient only falls a few inches.
Placing mats around the bed.
Using an alarm system. One type is placed on the bed and goes off when the
patient gets up. Another type goes on the floor and is activated when they
step on it.
If the patient is in a wheel chair an alarm device will be activated if they try to
stand up and try to walk.
Hospitals, (at least in New York) are permitted to use restraints. The most common type is called a Posey jacket. It fits around the patient’s chest and is secured to the side of the bed. There are also wrist and leg restraints. If you want to buy one for home care use you need a doctor’s prescription.
It is my experience that they are very reluctant to issue one. I have been told that some elderly patients get tangled up in the restraints or that sometimes they wind up hanging by their foot upside down.
Ironically, the Centers For Disease Control report that restraints do not reduce the incidents of falling, if anything it makes it worse. That’s because being confined in such a way weakens the muscles making a fall all the more likely.
36 Responses to “Elder Care: Falls, a postscript”
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I’ve wrestled with what to do about protecting my elderly relative from falling. There is no real good solution, except for lowering the bed. Thanks for the resources though. I hope they can help.
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Sincerely,
Tom Krahel
tom@HomeCareSurvival.com
631 988 3695
I’d like to say that you always offer valid information and I have been an fascinated reader of your site for quite some time. I wanted to say thankyou really
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Thanks for your good words. Many adult children are providing unpaid care for their elderly parent(s). Hopefully, my information helps those children provide the care in a more loving way with less stress on them.
Sincerely,
Tom
tom@HomeCareSurvival.com
Could you write another article about this subject because this article was a bit hard to understand?
Sure will. Falls are a HUGH issue with the elderly and are caused by a variety of reasons. What would you like me to focus on specifically?
Tom Krahel
631 988 3695
tom@HomeCareSurvival.com
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It is one of my goals to update my blog more often. What issues would you like me to address?
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Tom
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