Dad keeps falling out of bed.

[Ozgirl76]

My mum is caring for my dad at home, he has terminal cancer. He is very very frail and weak and he has a bed downstairs. He has fallen out of this bed twice now (about a week apart). My mum is upstairs.
What have other people done in this situation? They have a ring camera but my mum says it goes off constantly because it activates every time he moves and she gets no sleep.
I feel like it’s time to pay a nurse to do the night shift just in case it happens again, and to give my mum peace of mind that she can sleep and know she’ll get a full night.
She seems a little reluctant and I wondered if there was a half way measure that anyone has found?

How about getting a hospital bed for him or just getting some bed sides so he can not fall out?

Might not be effective but would a pool noodle or bolster under the bottom sheet help?

sorry op that sounds tough xxx

A bed guard?
Phone next to him so he can ring your mum if it happens?
An alarm?

I wondered about that but he gets up in the night for the loo and mum thinks he won’t be strong enough to put them down (he won’t).

Yes I wonder if something like that would work.

You can get separate bed rails that tuck under the mattress and pull up. However, they only really work for "accidental" falling out. If your father is deliberately trying to get out of bed and is able to put them down himself then they won't help.

He does get out of bed in the night and he needs to be able to do that in a way that is safe but I’m far from convinced that there IS a safe way for him to do it.
The alarm idea is why they use the ring camera but I think it’s just going off too much - he basically needs to be able to alert her ONLY if he falls, not every time he turns over in bed.

Do you know how/why he is falling out of bed? Does he get up during night for toileting? Is he confused at all? These are all important questions before you can find an answer. If he is just a restless sleeper but has full capacity, no confusion and does not need to get out of bed all night, you could ask for cot sides. Even if in normal bed you can get ones that slide under mattress like you might have on a toddler bed. If he needs to get up, this will be in his way. If he is confused he may try and climb over this so may not be safe.
If he is trying to get up and is slipping at that point, he might need a bed rail that he can hold onto.
You can get hospital beds that can be put right down low at night with a mat next to them so someone does not fall any height of they roll out of bed.
So, you need to establish why first.

Does he roll out of bed during his sleep or is he falling as he tries to get out for the toilet?

If he’s getting up for a wee, would a male bed pan be an option?

Yes he’s falling because he’s getting tangled in the cover when he gets up for the loo. He’s not confused as such, but he is fatigued and not totally “with it” especially at night.

Yes I will ask about that. I can’t think he’ll be thrilled but better than falling.

Then he uses a bottle for a wee.
He has a commode in the room for the rest and rings for assistance if he needs to use it.

Has the Occupational Therapist done an assessment ?

I’m not sure - they had someone round on Friday who has ordered some things like bars to make it easier to get up from the toilet and a narrow walking frame. Not sure if that was an OT or not.

These may help OP https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/help-for-carers

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/housing-options/adapting-home/disabled-facilities-grants-to-adapt-your-home/

He needs an urinal bottle. It is a special shaped bottle with a lid, easy to use without getting up. Discreet and easy to rinse and wash.
A lot simpler than adapting a bed

Not sure if that was an OT or not.

OP please make sure that you know who is visiting their home.

This sort of camera could be useful. It could be put in the hall, to respect your DF's privacy but will monitor visitors.

https://www.techandsenior.com/best-indoor-cameras-for-elderly-monitoring/

We got an inflatable bolster for our young child who falls out of bed loads, it slips under the sheet and has worked really well. Only issue is it might be too long for him to get out of bed easily? But you might find something similar.

https://amzn.eu/d/0275iNIq

Yes definitely and can be ordered through OT or bought from a pharmacy.

Before MIL went into care she fell out of bed often. The discharge team at the hospital said no to bed rails as they can cause more problems. They did lower her bed at home and put a thick mat beside the bed so that any falling had less catastrophic results.
She had dementia and was bedbound. But forgot she was bedbound and tried to get up to do the hoovering, feed her (52/54 year old) babies etc. 😔

Ok so give them a phone and tell them about this too.

If it is because he's getting out of bed himself then PLEASE do not put bars or pool noodle or such on the bed. It increases his risk of injury because of the increased height. Bed rails should only be used by people who are either a) immobile or b) lucid enough to know they can't get out of bed.

You can get pressure mats that sit under the bed sheet, the alarm will sound if the pressure is lifted off the mat. Alternatively, a pressure mat on the floor, sounds the alarm when he stands or falls on to the mat.

A urine bottle is a good option, but depends if he'll use it or not.

Occupational therapist assessment?

As a quick fix (as:advised by my dad's carer), roll up a bath towel into a short fat sausage shape and place it under the mattress on the side your dad sleeps on. This will raise that side of the mattress and should stop him from rolling out.

My mum had dementia and had to sleep in a hospital bed downstairs for the last years while my dad still slept upstairs, They had a mat by the bed on the floor that activated a ringer in dad's room, if mum touched it, either by falling on to it or by getting out of bed deliberately. I think this might work for your parents. Obviously it wouldn't stop him falling, but would alert your mum if he had fallen or was out of bed.