What To Do If Your Senior Parent Falls In The Middle Of The Night

When seniors fall at home they often fall at night. Seniors who get up at night to get a drink or use the bathroom may be half-asleep or groggy, which can lead to falls. They also may have a tough time seeing because their eyes aren’t adjusted to the light. It can be scary when your senior parent falls, and often a family caregiver doesn’t know what to do if their senior parent falls in the middle of the night. If your senior parent has 24-hour home care providers there will be a care provider there who can make sure that your senior parent gets immediate medical help. It’s strongly recommended for seniors living alone to have 24-hour home care.

If your senior parent falls in the middle of the night these are some things you or their 24- home care aide should do:

Call For Emergency Help

If your senior parent has 24-hour home care this won’t be necessary because the care provider will call. But, if necessary, call EMS and get an emergency crew to come administer first aid on the spot. Always call EMS. Never assume that your senior parent has no injuries from the fall. They need to go to the emergency and be checked out.

It’s very common for seniors who fall to get hairline fractures that can only be seen by an X-ray or MRI. An emergency crew will know how to safely get your senior parent up and transport them to the emergency room.

Call Their Doctor

Call their doctor right away to let them know about the fall. The emergency room doctor will need to contact your senior parent’s doctor for confirmation of what medications your senior parent is taking and other information. Letting the doctor know what happened right away will make the coordination of care easier.

Get To The Emergency Room

Grab your senior parent’s information binder and go bag and get to the emergency room. Always bring the binder and go bag. The binder should have all the information you need in it like your senior parent’s medical records, a list of the medications they take, and insurance information. Their go bag should have things that they will need to be more comfortable like pajamas, slippers, headphones, a music player, and water and snacks.

Make sure that there is a phone charger in the bag as well as snacks and water for yourself. Depending on how busy the emergency room is, you could be there for a long time.

Advocate For Them

Your senior parent probably will be medicated and not able to advocate for themselves. You will need to advocate for them. Make sure that their needs are met in the emergency room and that they aren’t overlooked. Talk to the doctors and nurses. And make sure that your senior parent is made comfortable for the time that they are there.

If you or an aging loved one is considering 24-Hour Home Care Services in Marietta GA please get in touch with the caring staff at CaraVita Home Care today. (770) 643-1712