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Help with using the bathroom

I am new to this discussion board and I'm hoping to get some help and ideas.
I am living with my 89 year mom who has moderate Alzheimer's/dementia. She is not very stable when she walks and uses a walker all the time. She has a bathroom in her room but I put in a commode a few feet from her bed for use during the night and morning. She sleeps between 12 and 14 hours a day so she uses the commode at least twice during the night/morning.
Unfortunately, she has fallen 3 times in the past month when trying to get to the commode. Fortunately, she did not sustain any major injuries but we can no longer take any chances. Someone must help her use the commode every time. I purchased a baby monitor which she keeps on her night stand, so I can hear and see her during the night if she needs to use the bathroom. However, she does not always remember to let me know that she needs to get out of bed. I have also purchased a bed alarm system which I haven't yet received.
Right now, I wake her up around 2:00 a.m. to use the bathroom. In addition to her regular caregiver who works from noon till 5:00, I have brought in another caregiver from 7:00 a.m. -noon. She wakes my mother up at 7:00 and then again at 10:00 to use the bathroom. While this approach seems to be working, my mom is even more exhausted when she finally gets up around noon or 1:00. I hate disrupting her sleep but I cannot think of any other options.
I would grealy appreciate any suggestions or ideas that might be helpful for my situation. Thank you

  1. Hi , while you're waiting for feedback from the community, I thought I'd share a couple of ideas. If the commode is close to the wall, you could try grab bars for the wall, they do have some with suction cups (they are pretty sturdy, I have them in my shower), and also something called a lift assist, it looks kind of like a hand truck, but has stabilizing legs on the back side instead of wheels. If you positioned that in front of her and the commode perpendicular to the bed and the lift, she would have the support in front of her and just turn 90 degrees to sit on the commode. She could then use the commode handles to lift back up, grab the lift, turn 90 degrees to be facing the lift and sit on the bed.

    I hope that helps! - Warmly, Donna (Team Member)

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