Mom fell last night

Yesterday, I spent most of the day with my Mom and took her to a dentist because of a problem tooth.  Mom recently moved to the Ahlzeimers/dimentia unit at the facility she has been living in for 1 1/2 years.  The adjustment has been difficult and Mom seems more confused but she has been out of her room much more, talking with other residents and overall doing very well.

Last night at 9:30 p.m. I got a call from the CMT at the facility where Mom lives and she explained that after getting Mom ready for bed, giving her a back masage they left the room as she started to fall asleep.  Several minutes later the caretakers heard a loud crash and ran into Mom's room.  She had fallen and was laying at the foot of her bed and incoherent.  They are not allowed to move her without contacting the family because of the possibity of head/neck injury.  Luckily, I live within a few blocks and went immediately.  Mom did not appear to have any broken bones as her legs and arms were moving.  I ran my hand along her head to see if I felt any noticeable lumps and she winced as I touched the side of her head.  The nurse had checked her vitals and said all seemed good.  I called her primary doctor for guidance.

This wonderful doctor has treated my Mom for over 30 years and has known me for the last 5 years as I have cared for my Mom.  He calmly talked with me about Mom's rapid progression with her disease and reassured me that the move to the secured unit is exactly where my Mom needed to be.  He told me that it may be more merciful to get my Mom back in bed if she is not in pain (which she wasn't) because calling an ambulance and taking her to the emergency would be hours of waiting, hours of tests and he felt that there was a limited amount they could do if my Mom in fact had a head injury.  He reassured me that he would be in close contact with the nursing staff at the facility and he would have them check her every hour throughout the night.  In the next day or so we will determine what is/isn't appropriate to help Mom.  The doctor told me to go home, get my rest and know that I have done everything I can to help my Mom. 

We slowly got Mom back into her bed and she started to babble.  I put her cat next to her and waited a while until I felt she was peaceful before going home.

I called the facility as soon as I woke up this morning and was told that Mom is still sleeping peacefully. 

Please keep my Mom in your prayers.

Jan