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Mom now in Rehab at an ALF after smashing her head and fracturing her public bone. She's not walking well at all.
It's one of the facilities where there are levels, i.e., people pay a lot of money to buy into the place, pay a lot of money to live there while they are well. Then as they get older, there is a rehab facility, memory care, nursing home, hospice.

So, like I said, she's in the REHAB facility where they transferred her from hospital last night. I was looking around the place, I noted that the bed didn't have a rail. I'm thinking, gees, if she gets out of bed tonight, she's just going to fall on the floor.

Talked w/head nurse about this, who told me there's a law stating rails can't be higher than such and such; then she tells me that when people fall out of bed, they get written up! At night, people are stationed between the rooms to stop wanderers, which is all good and well, but my mother isn't even going to get to wander! She's just going to fall, plop, the minute that leg hits the ground!

Is this normal for this type of facility? In MA, rehab has hospital beds with rails! Down here, it looks more like a hotel room!

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Yes, it is normal now NOT to use bedrails. Too many patients have gotten hurt worse getting tangled up in the rails. Hospitals do have bedrails, but the nurses won't raise them without an MD order, which is seldom given.
After my knee was replaced, only the upper rails were up and I used them to get out of bed.
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Lildog, what Pam wrote is true. The rails are allowed anymore in many places, apparently because there have been some serious accidents. I don't know what the answer is when someone may forget they can't walk. Do they have something soft beside the bed so that maybe a fall will not injure her? The only other solution I can think of is to have someone with her all the time. I know that would be difficult to do.
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Awh gee... I am so sorry lildog. Seems just so ridiculous to write up an elder who fell out of bed, especially with her injuries. Makes more sense to attempt to prevent another injury? Sigh.

This is exactly why I chose and still do choose to keep mom at home. I would be petrified leaving her basically on her own. Personally, I think it's harder not knowing what's going on in those places than living with it here at home.

I feel for you and your mother. Let's all pray she heals quickly and is able to come home where even though it's crazy hard on you, you know she's in good hands.
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Is her bed alarmed so that there is an alert of she attempts to get up?
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Do you have a choice of rehab facilities? My uncle moved my aunt when he was dissatisfied with the facility that they put my aunt into, but it may not be practical if you're having insurance or medicare/medicaid pay. So far, my Mother gets anything she wants with Medicare and Blue Cross, but we haven't had to deal with rehab. When she is in the hospital, I have to stay 24/7 with her because of the same kind of worries. The bed rail thing is illegal the staff told me because it is considered "false imprisonment? under the law. I don't know if that's just Georgia or if it's everywhere. The hospitals have bed alarms if they sit up on the side of the bed I think the alarm goes off. It may not go off until they get up. At any rate, I've been spending all day and night there, but a hospital stay is not long like rehab. I don't know what to tell you about that except that I don't like the "written up" thing. That's a little backward. It should be them that gets written up if they let someone fall..
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My mom is in assisted living. Same thing, it's against the law to have bed rails. One would think there are more injuries from falling out of bed than getting tangled up in them. But that's govt for ya.
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There is no alarm on the bed. There was one in the hospital.

She is classified as 'rehab' but this is a facility where there are five layers, i.e., rehab, memory care, nursing home, hospice. Hmmm...that's four layers. Whatever.

Just got report yesterday that her dementia is starting to be noticed by the staff (duh) .... speech therapist called (they all get into the action) and told me she doesn't seem to talk (another duh) ...I realize I should realize people don't know her like I do, but it's annoying the way computerization was supposed to make everything so much better and it seems the answers that go into the original computer turn out to be wrong and there is no way anyone can or is willing to fix it because everything is off site! Yet another issue!

And as I wrote on another subject, I got a lawyer. Things seem to be 'better' now, i.e., she's being watched more diligently which probably isn't 'fair' but someone has to advocate for her and I'm it!

Also was able to get reports that were previously off limits. Attorney said always carry your HCP on you when visiting. That way if anyone gives you a hard time, you produce it and voila! It works.

Got reasons and reports. She's going to see Orthopedist Tuesday. She goes to them so transportation can get into the act. (I'm sorry, I'm a bit down today).

Let's just say I have a feeling she is never coming home. She did win a Bingo Coin. Was excited about that. I went home depressed after hearing her talk to my daughter on the phone. While she sounded 'good. nothing she said was true or correct. And she still sees my son in the hallway and has conversations with him. He's 1300 miles away.

I've come to the conclusion there is nothing anyone can do about age. And it's true, the fall will get you each and every time.
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@Exhausted -the nurse told me that regulations are no rails, then when someone falls out of bed, the get written up by Medicare as deficient because someone fell.

Go figure. :) I'm going to take a nap.
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My mother comes and goes. She was really off for a week and came back, but not quite all the way. One of the nurses said it seems that with each episode the recovery is just a little less complete. Keep your hopes up. My mother is not perfect, but she can eat, shower and converse (nevermind what she converses about lol..) at 103
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In other words, THE FACILITY gets written up, not the patient.
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i would ask them to install a bed alarm
The facility where my mom is has 1/2 checks on each resident at night. But my mom is stubborn won't use her call light and gets up by herself. The alarm has helped with that.
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LittleDog2 - so how's mom doing? She should be at the point in "rehab" where she has been evaluated as to her progress (& the continuation of Medicare to pay for her stay). Going home? Or staying at one of the levels of care at the facility?
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Bed rails are also considered a "restraint" and aren't allowed for that reason.
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In the units my mom has lived in, the beds are very low to the floor. VERY LOW. If someone rolls out, they don't have far to go.
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Sandwich, interesting on bed height. Does the facility have different bed heights? It seems that some of the residents would have as hard of a time getting downmto a lower bed and then again standing up from it. Maybe it is a new approach on restraint?
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There are beds at different heights. I think it depends on what your status is, how much assistance you need to get up/down/transfer, and the risk of falling out of bed. The low bed is pretty great for my mom since she's quite short and has short legs. I can't imagine a 6 foot tall person trying to get up & down from it!
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full bed rails are illegal in our state too but what is legal is a bed assist rail, it looks like an upside down letter "U" and it mounts under the mattress so you can use it to help you get up from the bed by bracing your weight on it plus its higher than the bed so it works great to prevent fails from beds if you position it right.
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@ igloo - she 'is'. She took a nasty blow to the head and because her pubic bone is fractured, she's not doing all that well in PT. CNA told me she 'walks' with walker but with wheel chair assist.

I believe she is going to remain in 'rehab' for the one hundred days allowed and at some point will be transferred to memory care and she will than apply for Medicaid.

My parents spent their lives saving the $30,000 they had a few years ago, now it's gone. But that's okay, that's what it's for. People are now living too long, period. The Health Care System hasn't kept up as well as they should have.

In 2000 when I was studying bereavement and elderly care issues, this was the thing of the future. Well, the future is here. Apparently, there are less geriatricians because there is no money. I've read that in 2013 only 300 graduated. I was appalled at that number because it was the profession of the future, i.e., with so many baby boomer's coming along, this was it.

So, the farce goes on. Those in health care still have to milk the system.

I believe we have too many procedures that have enabled us to live at most 5-10 years longer. And to what end? Dementia and other illnesses that affect our brains.

It's sad. It's hard on all generations. Let's face it, the Walton's don't exist anymore.
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I just re read my comment. I should have said "1/2 hour bed checks" I was typing too fast.
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