{"id":6956,"date":"2015-11-10T21:43:17","date_gmt":"2015-11-10T21:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/changes-in-mental-status\/"},"modified":"2015-11-10T21:43:17","modified_gmt":"2015-11-10T21:43:17","slug":"changes-in-mental-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/preferhome.com\/locations\/blog\/changes-in-mental-status\/","title":{"rendered":"Caring for Father at Home: Changes in Mental Status Calls for a Safe Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog, is another in the Caring for Mother and Father at Home<\/a> series of my sister Cindy\u2019s insights as she cared for our father in his later years. Cindy noticed that Dad\u2019s mental status could change dramatically and she had to learn to set up a safe environment for his care. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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One day I was assisting Dad from his bed to his lift chair. This was something that I did routinely as it helped with the change in his position and also helped him relax as he sat in his favorite chair. I took a break from caregiving for a moment and while my attention was drawn away, Dad bent over the side of the chair and somehow found the cord for the chair control. He pulled on it until he had it in his hands and then pressed the button that caused the chair to stand him upright. When I came back in the room he had fallen on the floor and though luckily unhurt, was very angry at what had happened. \u00a0There was no way I could get him off the floor by myself. \u00a0I had to call 9-1-1 to get them to assist me in putting him back to bed. \u00a0I asked him why he would put the chair upright when he knew he might fall over and he said he wanted to see if his legs had started to work again. \u00a0He was lucky to not have fractured his hip bone which is a common injury among the elderly.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n