Tuesday, September 19, 2006

OH NO!!!

Marsha and I arrived at Mom's late morning and found out that Mom fell this morning. Someone had left her call button draped across her bed table and it was pushed away from the bed. Mom needed to call for the aide and thought she could maybe reach it. The bed rail had been left down (after having informed the director upon Mom moving in that I wanted the rail up at all times). She is finally on an air bed, which inflates and decreases at different areas all over the bed, to help ease the pressure on her bed sores. This type of mattress is very slick which resulted in her slipping out of bed onto the hard floor. Her arm got caught in the rail and she is bruised from that but otherwise, praise the Lord, she is just sore. Tomorrow she will really feel the effects of the fall, at least, that's been our experience in the past. When we arrived Mom told us how "all of a sudden the room was filled with people, from the administrator and the director of nursing down through the ranks to several aides. It was amazing how fast everyone acted!"

We've been going through her room here at home and cleaning out some "stuff," as well as getting her king size bed out of the room. We are making room for the hospital bed once she comes home. She still wonders if she will ever make it home and we keep assuring her that we are fully expecting her to recover enough to do so. Regardless, early December she will be home, one way or another.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh Man!!!

I cannot express the disappointment and the anger I have for the nursing personnel (because surely they are the most frequent visitors to the room).
You never leave the patients room without reassessing where the call light is and making sure bed rails are up if apropos.

I'm so sorry Claire. So very sorry.
I wish I could fix this for you.
♥Pam

Pilot Mom said...

Thanks, Pam. You have no idea how often I have wished you were her own personal nurse!!

Anonymous said...

Sigh :( Good thing nothing broke, though.

Oh, these "accidents" make me so mad! My brother-in-law was once severly injured while at hospital. He is an invalid (muscular dystrophy) with epilepsy, and he was left unattended in the bathroom, without the safety belts - and the toilet seat is higher than the standard! He fell, broke his teeth, got a severe concussion and hurt his arm badly. Once, during his rehab center period, he broke his thumb (it got stuck between his wheelchair and the wheel), and other time he came home with a terrible rash (which took him into hospital where he then fell). SIGH!!!

Hoping, praying, that she doesn't get too sore :(

Wendy Ann Edwina D'Cunha e Pereira said...

Your poor mum!!! As it is the bed sore must be so painful, and on top of that the fall!!! & hospitals are so careless. I'm sure they should be experienced enough to know what should be kept within reach,and to check if the bedrail is up or not. I guess after a while they just cosider it a job. They get so detached, and unfeeling.

HeyJules said...

Well, let's not forget to praise God in all this that she's just sore and bruised. It could have been much, much worse.

Mountain Mama said...

I'm so glad she was not hurt worse.
I know the nurses are supposed to always double check to make sure everything is in order. I would imagine that someone really got chewed out for this.
God bless your mother. I hope the bed sores will heal soon and she will be able to enjoy Christmas in your home surrounded by the ones she loves so well.
God bless you for being such a caring daughter.

Anonymous said...

::sigh:: Oh how this reminds me of taking care of mom.... The same things occurred.

It is a difficult road.

I'm so sorry your mom fell, but am so glad it wasn't any worse.

God bless all of you guys.

Refreshment in Refuge said...

I do hope she is better now. I just hate these kinds of things. I've got you on my prayer list!