Dad fell on his head..is this normal? Im scared

I woke up im the middle of the night and saw my dad lying on his back in the bathroom. I immediately helped him back ti his bed. Apparantly he fell slipped in the bathroom and fell. I am in shock. This is the first time he fell. What should i do?? He is having balance problems and cant sit up straight is having problems getting up etc. Should i take him to hospital and have xrays??

[doglington]

Yes. This is very familiar with PSP

Some say to go to casualty with any fall but I would have been there all the time.

Did he lose conciousness ?

Could he have broken anything ?

I found the trauma of hospital didn't help if it wasn't needed. There will be plenty of times when there is no choice.

The fall unsettles them and he will be " wobbly " for a time any way.

It is important that you find ways of being with him when he goes to the bathroom. Bathrooms, stairs etc were our worst falls but they happened everywhere.

Good luck.

Jean x

[Hidden in reply to doglington]

Thank you. Yes he is very wobbly. How long will he be wobbly for? I wonder if parkinson patients fall backwards too? :(( i wonder if dad is psp but he doesnt seem to have problems with his eye focus...dad is having severe balance problems today ..i havent seen him so weak and imbalanced. He cant stand properly...he is imbalanced....im really upset..dad means too much for me and i wish i could find a med that would help him. Doctor said he should take madapar. I started madapar again...i hope it works...but would madapar work if dad is psp and not parkinson??

[daffodil48 in reply to Hidden]

my husband doesn't have the eye movement problems yet either. He is about 4 years in. I posted an article a while back that states that lack of eye movement problems does NOT mean person does not have PSP. Some people do not get it until later in the disease and a few none at all.

[Hidden in reply to daffodil48]

Thank you

[cameoboy11 in reply to Hidden]

I have CBD and had madopar but didnt make any difference. Jo x

[Hidden in reply to cameoboy11]

Thank you. I hope for tbe best. I wonder what the difference between cbd and psp is...nurologist here gets slightly annoyed when i ask him alot but i cant trust his diagnosis

[Caro2132]

Mike falls a lot, maybe twice a month, but when I asked our doctor what to do, he said the check list is: is he conscious ? Is he disoriented? If bleeding can you stop the bleeding? Is anything broken ? If no to all those, then it’s not serious enough for the emergency room. We’ve been once to emergency for a deep cut over the eyebrow which needed five stitches, and once to urgent care. But I also know that if you cannot get a person up after a fall you can call 911 (here in USA) and request ‘fall assist’.

We have put grab bars in the bathroom to help since that is the most likely place for falling. You could consider installing a couple to help your dad.

It’s very unnerving when they fall, but I have found the check list helps me. Good luck !

[Hidden in reply to Caro2132]

Thank you so much for this. It hurts alot to see dad on the floor. Does madapar help psp? Does madapar help prevent falls??

[Christine47]

Our experience may give you some guidance. I found that a subdural hematoma that may develop as a result of hitting the head may resolve itself. My husband's first fall where he hit his head almost seemed like he had a mild TIA. I iced it, had him rest, etc etc. The second a couple of months later probably doubled the damage done by the first. And the symptoms were very pronounced, though neither falls seemed hard and onto carpeted floor. I iced it and took him to emergency. They waited to see if it was going to resolve itself. It did not and he ended up with brain surgery. He now wears a bump cap (purchased on Amazon) and wears it as long as he is up, being self-convinced of the error of his ways, so to speak. It has been a life saver...really.

[Hidden in reply to Christine47]

Thank you so much for this

[Christine47 in reply to Hidden]

I should have mentioned...I think the wound bleeding is a good thing, since the pressure is being relieved. I really agree with Ron's comment.

[Dadshelper]

Dad had several falls, some we did nothing but others needed an ER trip. I agree with what others have stated.. Check for disoriention, bleeding, if any bump how big and what does it look like. Unfortunately as long as he can move under his own power it's hard to prevent every fall. I've had dad fall while I was standing just a few feet away, I couldn't react fast enough. Install a few grab bars where you think they'll do most good, move things out of the way etc.

Ron

[Hidden in reply to Dadshelper]

Thank you

[Motts]

The first time I fell backwards was in the middle of the night on my way to the bathroom. My husband did not hear the thud - I was sprawled out in the hallway and did not call for him. I hate to be troublesome so I did not tell him the next morning. He is well aware of my falls now . . . we have handrails in the bathroom and a toilet that is a bit taller than the regular ones. I think the bump cap is an excellent idea.

When my mom was in the nursing home they put an alarm of some kind to let the staff know she was up and about . . . about to fall. It never stopped her from trying to get up on her own and I worried about her but also admired her tenacity. Best Wishes to you Steff and to your dad. Sending Hugs - Granni B

[Hidden in reply to Motts]

Thank you so much for this. Is falling a symptom of psp and not parkinson then?

[Motts in reply to Hidden]

I do not have an answer for that one but I am certain you will get some good feed back from this group of caring people. I am so glad that I found this site. I think you will be too. Falls are a part of PSP. There are many other reasons for falling too. Please take good care of yourself while you care for your dad. If it is PSP his issues will change from day to day - it will feel like you are constantly trying to catch up with whatever is going on. Do your Best and let the rest go . . .

[Hidden in reply to Motts]

Thank you very much, thanks

[Hidden in reply to Motts]

Thank you

[candid88]

Mum had falls before being diagnosed. After diagnosis and learning what PSP was all about. We never let her walk alone. Period. She had falls which required ER visits. After diagnosis, she never had a fall again, she was walking with rollator. Then came the time when she was wheelchair bound. But in short, never, ever leave them alone, unless they are in bed. But even then there is the issue of the PSP patient gets out of bed in the night to use the restroom and you're asleep. It's a devil of a disease and I wish you and yours the best in trying to mitigate the symptoms.

[Hidden in reply to candid88]

Thank you so much