The usual picture of a night fall is a woman who gets up, walks to the bathroom, and goes down on the way. Sometimes the trouble has moved. She makes the walk without a problem, then falls at the toilet, either sitting down or getting back up. The route can look fine on paper and still be the wrong problem to solve.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Signs the fall is at the seat
Watch for these, mostly in the bathroom and mostly after she has already walked there steadily. She reaches for the sink, the towel bar or the door frame as she lowers or lifts herself. She sits down heavier than she used to, with a drop at the end. She pauses with both hands on her knees before she stands. You hear a thump from inside the bathroom, not from the hall. Bruises show up on the hip or the outside of the thigh, not on the shins or arms.
Check it for a week
Keep a simple log for seven nights. Write one line per trip: the time, the stop where she reached or grabbed, whether she sat down or stood up, and whether she mentioned feeling light-headed or unsteady. If the pattern shows up at the seat more than once, you have your answer. If the trouble is at the bed edge or in the hall, you have a different problem, and the other guides on this desk cover those.
Do not guess the cause from the log. Take it to the physician. Clinical questions, such as why her legs or head feel off when she stands, belong with the doctor, and so do any questions about her medicines. Bring the log so the visit starts with facts.
Call sooner if
If she loses consciousness, has trouble speaking, or cannot get up after a fall, call emergency services first and the physician after. If she feels faint each time she stands, call the physician that day rather than waiting for the next scheduled visit.
Write down what changed
When you have the log, write three lines: what she does at the seat that she did not do before, where she grabs, and what the doctor said to watch for. Keep that page with the route card so the next person who sits with her knows the seat is part of the route. How we write this desk explains how we handle clinical questions.