ALzheimer’s Fall prevention

Learning everything you can about Alzheimer’s fall prevention is the first step to keeping your family member with Alzheimer’s Disease safe.

According to the CDC;

• One out of five falls causes a severe injury, such as broken bones or a head injury,
• Each year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.
• Over 800,000 patients are hospitalized yearly because of a fall injury, most often due to a head injury or hip fracture.
• Each year at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures.
• More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling.

People with this disease are at a higher risk of falling. As the disease progresses, the higher their risk becomes. It often becomes difficult for them to coordinate their movements.

They will begin to have difficulty walking. Their sense of balance will deteriorate. They will have difficulty maneuvering around furniture or other obstacles.

Their ability to judge distance will deteriorate, making it difficult for them to judge where the seat may be. I have seen people misjudge a chair and sit right on the floor. Transferring from bed to a chair or standing up from a chair will become more difficult as time goes on.

The inability to recognize changes in the floor, such as a rug, step, or even the shift from a hard floor to a carpet, can cause them to trip and end up in the emergency room.

Many things can be done in the home to help prevent falls. I have previously worked in Long Term Care for many years. One of my job requirements was to devise different ways to keep people from falling. I will share these ideas with you.

The first thing you should do is a home safety check.

Look at your house through the eyes of an outsider. Use the home safety checklist to check every room in your house.

Is there furniture that moves when leaned on? 

Are all walkways clear? 

Is there adequate lighting? 

Are all rugs removed? 

Is there anything on the floor they could trip over? 

Do you have pets running around? 

All of these things contribute to an increased risk of falls.

Once you have eliminated all the household fall risk contributors, you need to look at your family member. Do they have non-skid shoes? Tennis shoes are a good choice, or rubber-soled house slippers. Never let them wander around with just socks on. Socks will slide on wood or linoleum floors. Make sure that pant legs or nightgowns are short enough to allow them to walk without getting caught in their feet.

If your family member has reached the stage where they can no longer walk on their own, yet they still try to get up and walk, there are measures you can take to help keep them safe. Several different types of alarms will alert you when they try to get up without help.

Make sure items they may need are within arm’s reach. Sometimes sitting them at a table with things to keep them occupied will help instead of a chair in front of a television. For some people, a recliner in a laid-back position will keep them from trying to get up.

Many Alzheimer’s falls happen during the night. The path to the bathroom should be well-lit. Leave the bathroom door open with a light on. This way, they will be able to see where they are going. This also helps them see the toilet and know where they are trying to get to. Putting the bed against the wall can help. One less side to fall from.

Do your dining room chairs have arms on them? A chair with arms helps prevent sliding off the side of the chair and is easier for them to stand from. 

With Alzheimer’s in the house, you always have to think about the “What if”?

There are pull string alarms that clip to their clothes and onto the furniture. When they stand up the alarm separates and will sound. These are useful for someone who may sit in several different places. They are easy to reposition. 

During the day I prefer the chair pressure sensor mat alarm. It is a pad that goes on the chair and when they start to stand it alarms. As soon as their bottom lifts up it will alarm, some people will immediately sit back down. There is an alarm just like this one for the bed also. They are very sensitive. As soon as someone tries to get up out of bed it will alarm.

At night I prefer a motion sensor alarm. It works best when sat low in the room and aimed across the floor in front of the bed. If they swing their feet over the bed or start to walk in the room, the alarm will sound letting you know they are out of bed. This one works well for those with Alzheimers who are still able to walk around an you just want to know when they are out of bed. 

Another type of alarm used at night is the pressure sensor alarm for the bed. It is just like the chair alarm only larger. It is very sensitive and can alarm when someone is just shifting their position in bed. This alarm is best used for someone who doesn’t get out of bed on their own anymore, but you are worried they may get to close to the bed and roll out.