Mom is sleeping up against the headboard with her feet dangling off the side. Has anyone had this problem?

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Mom is sleeping up against the headboard with her feet dangling off the side. Has anyone had this problem?

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I put Mom in bed the correct way, it doesn't take long before she is sideways (up against the headboard) in the bed with her feet, sometimes her knees dangling off the side. She almost always sleeps on her stomach so her dangling her knees off the side has to be painful. I am constantly adjusting her, she seems not to understand how to sleep in a bed. Has any one else experienced this? I am thinking she is afraid of falling off but she really doesn't move much, to my knowledge she has only fallen off once and that was a long time ago. I am wondering if I should shove the bed up against the wall, she is sleeping in a double bed. Thanks for your input. She has Alzheimer's/Dementia.

Alzheimer's & Dementia

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I wonder if you tried placing a body pillow on either side of her she would feel more secure?

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I agree with cwillie about the pillows. That should keep Mom from moving about.

I remember having to sleep surrounded by pillows when I had broke my shoulder. In the morning, I was will within the boundaries of the pillows :)

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Thanks for the suggestion, but Mom would either throw the pillows to the floor or place them on a chair or outside her bedroom door. She hates pillows. I "tuck" her in every night or when she is taking a nap, thinking that will keep her still, that doesn't work.

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Another idea, flannel sheets and flannel pj's... it's like sleeping on Velcro and not easy to even turn over in bed..... been there, done that one winter for myself to keep warm, never again :)

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Thanks FF, that is what Mom is sleeping in/on.

I think I will try putting the bed up against a wall and see what happens. I need to start spring cleaning so I'll do her room early and move the bed. I'll let you know if it works.

Great suggestions!

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My father does this also. Is it a side effect from medication or is it muscle memory?

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That sure doesn't sound comfortable! But does she complain of sleeping poorly? Do her legs ache when she gets up? Is she pressing her head against the headboard? Is that sore or causing pain? I would think that if it is uncomfortable enough she would unconsciously, in her sleep, adjust her position for comfort. I guess I'm wondering if this is really a problem for her, or mainly for you. I know it would definitely bother me to see it and I can relate to trying to fix it, but I just don't know how important it is. I think I would ask them at the clinic where her dementia is being treated.

Be aware that changing the furniture around can sometimes upset those with dementia. A change in routine, such as getting into bed on a different side, can be very confusing. This doesn't always happen, but be prepared for the reaction when you push the bed up to the wall.

Let us know how this works out. We learn from each other!

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I suppose you could try putting side rails on one or both sides of the bed, just the half rails designed to assist when standing. But given her night-time manoeuvres you would need to be certain you got the kind that are securely attached to the box spring.

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My mom did this when she had a UTI and was on an antibiotics that adversely affected her. She kept falling out of bed but didn't know it. We moved a security camera into her room just to know when to go in to assist her back into bed. She was doing what you describe.

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I have a question. Is she working her way into that position? Or is she getting out of bed, perhaps to go to the toilet, and then having trouble getting back onto the bed? We had a discussion recently about how thick matresses are and how difficult it is to get back onto the bed properly. Do you have a camera/baby monitor that you could observe her during the night? My mom also threw off positioning pillows until the last few months when she was bed-bound. Even then she would manage to remove some of them.

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My Mom's later stages of dementia is like that of an infant, we just try to figure out things because they can't tell us. She does not complain except saying her knees are stiff when I get her up or manually turn her around the correct way. She has no idea of her position in bed.

This has been going on for months, it's not new. It is not a UTI as I test her frequently (I have learned that from being on this website, thanks). We spent 16 hours (15 of those hours were in the waiting room) in the ER a few weeks ago as Mom was complaining about her side hurting. She had a CAT scan and ultra scan also tested for UTI and blood work and everything was normal. As I thought, it was a gallbladder attack and is on meds to dissolve the stones. She no longer complains about any pain.

She is not pressing her head against the headboard (although she is facing it), she is holding on to the headboard as if she were a convict holding onto the bars of their jail cell, most times. I was thinking of changing headboards or give her a bed without one at all.

I don't think she will care if the furniture is moved as she never knows where her bedroom is (I need to show her every time) and she always says "this is a lovely room." She has owned this house for 31 years and the bed is my Great-Grandma's that is over 100 years old that she has used for 30 years. It has both a headboard and foot board, both are pretty high so side rails probably won't work.

I have a security camera in the room, that's how I know she is moving when taking her naps. I keep her up as much as I can during the day but she does nap a few times a day. She fell out of bed once about a year ago but this thing happened about 3 months ago.

Again, thank you again for all of the suggestions and things to think about. I truly appreciate it.

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You have a headboard with bars she can hold on to? My mom will cling to her side rail because she is afraid of falling, never mind that her body is in the middle of the bed and since she can't really move on her own there is zero chance she could fall.

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So is she gettin up in the night? If she is, she might be using the bars of the headboard to pull herself back into bed.

It might be time to get a different bed for her. We rented a hospital bed until hospice brought in their own. I would suggest getting a full electric, no crank.

My Mom was the same way as yours. Only her knees hurt (arthritis) and every night she would say do you have a bed I can sleep in? Or can I borrow a nightgown? I forgot to bring one. So so sad what the brain can do.

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Cwillie. I think that fear of falling must be pretty common with dementia. We dealt with that too and it got worse as time went on.

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I thought I should add, the doctor's office has a program, under Medicare that is no charge to us, in that I can call his office at any time and talk to the nurse in the office. When I have a problem with Mom I can call her for advice or she can contact doctor to find out what to do. They have never heard of this problem, they told me to try different things to see if they work as that is what we do for dementia in later stages.

We have been on this program for a few months and it has been very helpful.

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You can try putting pool noodles under her fitted sheet to keep her in place.

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Mom does get up at night to wander around, although she doesn't do it too much now, she used to do it most nights about a year ago. She doesn't go to the bathroom on her own, she needs to be prompted to go in most cases.

She gets into bed, with my help, the correct way, she moves herself around to get into that position.

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Great suggestion Mom2Mom! I'll try that! If that doesn't work, perhaps I'll buy a larger sheet set and place body pillows (other people's suggestion) under the sheets using the sheet garters to hold sheet in place.

Thank you so much everyone!

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The wheels in my head are turning and I think it will work. I'll tack (sew) a body pillow pillowcase to the bottom sheet on one side of bed so that the pillow can come out when washing and getting Mom in/out of bed. If I use safety pins, she will remove them. I'll let you know if it works!

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What great suggestions!
Check to see if Mom is sleeping too warm and is avoiding the covers, or wandering because she gets overheated at night.
Adjust thermostat lower at night to get the best sleep.

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Could mom be having a problem with vertigo? Perhaps feeling that the bed is moving? It almost sounds as if she is trying to "ground" herself while sleeping. If you think this might be a possibility, check her meds for possible side effects of dizziness and with her doctor for possible ear or sinus problems.

I might add that my mom sleeps on top of her covers, under an afghan, and in one position all night long. She is unable to tell me why she doesn't get "into" bed but seems to find security of some kind in sleeping on top. Her constant sleeping in one spot in one position--on her back--is puzzling but I think is her effort to know exactly where she is at night. Night lights have not changed her sleeping patterns, though...

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Apart from the demenia does Mom have heart or lung diseases. it is possible that she becomes breathless when lying in bed so gets into a more upright position. Does she sleep in a recliner for naps during the day and remain in position. If she does it could be a solution to move the recliner to her bedroom and see if that helps

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I was going to suggest placing the bed up against the wall. It almost sounds like she is going up to the headboard as a type of security so she does not fall out of bed.
The other option might be one or two of the short side rails that can be used as a support to help her get in and out of bed but they also provide a small barrier that she would feel and may provide some reassurance to her that she will not fall out of bed.

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I combined two different ideas from the posts. Cwillie and FF suggested a body pillow (which I said Mom would throw in the floor because she doesn't like pillows) and Mom2mom suggested pool noodles for the edge. I found something that works.

Mom's bed was a Jenny Lind style bed that was over 100 years old and so, it was high off the ground. She had slept in this bed for over 30 years. I took down her bed, replacing it with just her double size mattress and box spring with just a plain frame, no headboard or foot board.

Since Mom doesn't use her top sheet (she always takes it off and folds it then places it in her rocking chair in her room) I sewed a piece of it to about 1/4 of her bottom sheet then took velcro and sewed it to the edge of her bottom sheet allowing a body pillow to fit inside. This allows me to take out the body pillow when she gets up and is good for washing the sheet and she can't throw it on the floor. I knew if she could take apart the velcro she would thus I sewed top sheet against her.

If I used side rails that fit in between the mattress and box spring, she would find away to take them out.

It works like a charm! She now sleeps the "right" way all the time. I am thinking the body pillow along the side of the bed tells her mind to align her body that way, or maybe she thinks someone is sleeping with her although she has always slept by herself, who knows.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. This has saved my Mom her feet and knee joints!

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I suggest you get a bed rail because the way she is sleeping right now sounds like a huge fall risk.

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I have a similar problem with my mom. She keeps getting up at night to pace back and forth to the bathroom or on an occasion she will actually use the toilet :) Anyway, she gets into bed many different ways. Some of those ways look really uncomfortable. Some of the other ways usually lands her on the floor because she is right on the edge of the bed. She has a queen size bed. Bed rails would not work, so I lowered the bed by buying the shortest legs I could get. So that way when she slides to the floor she doesn't get hurt, or at least she hasn't gotten hurt yet, knock on wood. No matter how many times I adjust her or redirect her in how to get in bed, it doesn't work. She can't remember, dementia right? lol So I use cameras and I have a couple of different aides now, so everyone is aware to keep eyes on the camera. Sometimes there just isn't any answer, frustrating I know. I would agree with some above who mentioned moving the furniture around might be confusing. Definitely worth a try, but take notice of any confusion that may cause. Good luck. Keep us posted. Take care of yourself!

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You should look into whether your mom has any injuries that she doesn't want to sleep on. I know the arthritis in my mom's right knee causes her to always sleep on her left side. You should have her checked for sprains and soft tissue injuries, as well as small fractures.

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Thank you, Momdoesn'tknowme, for answering the suggestions. My Dad forgot how to get out of bed, at one point, though he knew real well how to get in. Queen size bed, so he had a lot of room to lay on. then toward the end he would get on the bed sideways but only partially bracing his one foot against the wall and leaving the other on the floor. Once in this position, it was almost impossible to get him unwedged!!! He has passed on now and this was not something he did but a time or two. Thanks again for getting back to us. I am so glad it worked. And yes, your Mom's knees thank you too!!

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All good suggestions but must agree that JeanneGibbs offers a good question, "Who is this really bothering?" As she also mentions sleep concerns are a valid question for a health professional, one to address. My brother with ALZ is sleeping more these days as the disease has progressed. His sleep patterns are disturbed, sleeping anytime and anywhere. Like most daily living skills there has been a struggle to encourage a normal time and place for bedtime, partially due to catnapping during the day, even if his environment offers engagement and stimulation. I may find him standing or leaning on the wall asleep or on the floor with his blanket and pillows; hard to witness. He may chose sitting on the couch or bed in lieu of laying down; a little easier to see. During my bed checks I dare not attempt to gently awaken him to encourage a more comfortable sleep, does anyone really like to be awakened? I confirm he's ok and accept this, his choice and decision, which he is not ready to relinquish. I have found bed pillows and couch cushions all over the place. Don't even want to think about his reaction to being tucked in, side pillows or bedrails! As caregivers we must learn to accept what we can do, realizing there are limitations and what works for one may not for us. Use your judgement and trust your decisions, most important yourself. God Bless

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My husband does the same thing. I believe he is getting up to toilet then can't get back into bed correctly. He throws off pillows and clothing. Not sure why. He has guard rails on the bed but they don't help. I just reposition when I can and leave him when I can't.

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Mom is sleeping up against the headboard with her feet dangling off the side. Has anyone had this problem?

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