Most families hear about a fall after it happens. The night trip usually gave a few signs first, and those signs are easier to act on because nobody is hurt yet. This piece covers what to watch for on the bed-to-toilet walk and how to write it down so the physician can use it.
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 that often come first
Watch for a pause at the edge of the bed before she stands. Watch for a hand that goes to the wall or the door frame where it did not before. Watch for steps that are shorter, longer, or taken with the feet closer together. Watch for a turn into the bathroom that is wider than the rest of the walk, or a sit-down that comes faster than she means it to. Each of these is a small change, and each one is easy to read as tiredness.
Notice when they happen. Note the hour, whether it was late in the night or early in the morning, whether she had a long day, and whether there has been a change in a medicine the physician ordered. You are looking for a pattern, not a verdict.
How to write it down
Use three columns: what you saw, which stop on the floor plan, and what she said about it. Keep the wording plain. 'Hand on the door frame at the hall stop, said the floor felt tilted' is a useful entry. 'She seems unsteady' is not, because it does not tell anyone where to look.
Bring the list to the physician before the next problem, not after another fall. The physician decides what the signs mean and what to check. Your job is to make the record clear enough that the order of events is easy to see.
When to stop waiting
A sign that turns into a fall with a head strike, a fall she cannot get up from, sudden confusion, or new weakness on one side is not a line for the list. Get urgent help right away and bring the list with you when you can.