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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Alzheimer's / November 2004How To Restrict Movement
Mom is 87 and for three years has had to use a wheelchair due to a fall and increased fraility. She's able to get up and into the chair with help and is able to use the bathroom. The problem is that she forgets that she can't walk on her own anymore and tries to get up. She won't ask for help even if I'm sitting in the same room and the minute I leave the room she'll try to get up. It's gotten to the point that I can't leave her alone for more than a couple of minutes. I have an audio and also a tv monitor that I keep in my bedroom just in case she tries to get up at night.....I haven't had an uninterrupted night's sleep in God knows how long. A friend gave me a device they use in the nursing home where she works because they can't use restraints anymore. You attach it to their clothing and then to the chair or bed and if they try to get up it pulls the pin out and makes a very loud piercing noise. It is way too loud and after just one afternon I had a horrible headache and gave it back. Any ideas how to get Mom to stop trying to get up (she'll fall and get hurt) without creating more of a problem? I've tried signs, telling her over and over, and even tried to fix a mirror so I could see her around a corner but for an old lady she can really move fast when she wants to :) Thanx for any ideas. SQ > Mom is 87 and for three years has had to use a wheelchair due to a fall > and increased fraility. She's able to get up and into the chair with [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > SQ Susie, you will either have to haveher placed in a home, or get live in help. There comes a point when it isnt physically possible for a single person to look after an Az sufferer 24 hours a day.  SignatureTumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com Suzie, I put side rails on my moms bed and she can't get out without my help. >Suzie, > I put side rails on my moms bed and she can't get out without my >help. That's going to depend on the patient's level of ability and determination. Others have mentioned that side rails can be more dangerous for those who try to climb over them. >>Suzie, >> I put side rails on my moms bed and she can't get out without my [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >Others have mentioned that side rails can be more dangerous >for those who try to climb over them. Oh, how true that is! My mom, at 77, regularly climbs right over the fence between the side yard and the driveway instead of walking around to the gate - and that is about 20 feet away from where she climbs. She is quite spunky and determined. I can't imagine her being held back by bed rails. -steve >>>Suzie, >>> I put side rails on my moms bed and she can't get out without my [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > determined. I can't imagine her being held back by bed rails. > -steve True. Although my mother in law's sense of balance left somewhere along the line, she remained extremely flexible. As an example, when we got a puppy (to replace her old dog that had to be put to sleep), she would climb over the baby gate into the kitchen with ease, whereas I had to open the gate to go through. She would quite effortlessly bend down to pick up some little fragment off the floor. SignatureRegards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox") >That's going to depend on the patient's level of ability and >determination. >Others have mentioned that side rails can be more dangerous >for those who try to climb over them. > > When my Mom started getting up through the night and trying to get out of the house I started looking for options and came across a vail bed. You need a Dr.'s script, which I had no problem getting. I was told Medicare might cover all or some of it. I never got a chance to find out though because Mom declined very quickly. Here's a link http://www.vailbed.com/bedsystems.htm > Mom is 87 and for three years has had to use a wheelchair due to a fall > and increased fraility. She's able to get up and into the chair with [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > SQ Suzie, it is exactly that sort of thing which caused us to place my mother in law in a nursing home. It got to be nearly impossible for us when she couldn't walk without falling anymore. She would continue to try and go here or there on her own and always end up falling down if we weren't with her and holding her arm. In the nursing home they have a foam pillow sort of a thing they call a "lap buddy" which fits between the armrests of the wheelchair. It is easy for a normal standing individual to compress it and remove it from the wheelchair, but it is hard for the elderly person to get it out. So it is essentially a kind of a restraint for the person's own safety, since they could conceivably get it out but only when they are really determined. If you should manage to find one, it is suggested you place your mom on a toileting schedule so she isn't trying to get out by herself when she needs to go. SignatureRegards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox") Two ideas The first is a lap cushion that fits across a standard wheelchair and might keep her in the chair. http://www.caregiversworld.com/Products/Details.asp?product_group_id=134 Second is the standard geri-chairs, which are still in use, despite the fact they are a restraint device. Essentially, a very comfortable chair that can go into various positions, and has a laptray that keeps them in the chair. I've never seen an AD ward that didn't have a few of these (they get used to stop chronic pacers from literally walking their feet off). http://www.4liftchairs.com/Geri-Chairs.htm Mary G. Thank you all for your responses which gave me an idea. Since we primarily use the wheelchair to get her from place to place and most of the time while up she's in a regular chair, I'm going to look for one of those tables they use in hospitals that can be positioned across her and somehow find a way that she can't push it away. This would also provide a surface where she can 'play' with various objects....over and over again. SQ >That's going to depend on the patient's level of ability and >determination. >Others have mentioned that side rails can be more dangerous >for those who try to climb over them. > > When my Mom started getting up through the night and trying to get out of the house I started looking for options and came across a vail bed. You need a Dr.'s script, which I had no problem getting. I was told Medicare might cover all or some of it. I never got a chance to find out though because Mom declined very quickly. Here's a link, http://www.vailbed.com/bedsystems.htm |
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