The moment my aunt's assisted living nurse gave it to me straight about fall risks

I was visiting my 82-year-old aunt in her facility outside Kansas City last spring. The head nurse pulled me aside and said 'your aunt is going to fall again unless you get rid of that rug in her room.' I had bought that braided rug for her birthday because it felt homey. But she was right - my aunt tripped on it twice in the next week. I took it home and replaced it with rubber-backed mats instead. Has anyone else had a staff member give you advice that felt harsh but turned out to be spot-on?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_jenkins662d ago

@laura_black probably tripped on hers too before switching, am I right?

laura_black2d ago

Heard the same thing from my mom's physical therapist about her bathroom mat. Thought I was being helpful with a nice fluffy one but it was basically a slip and slide waiting to happen. Swapped it for a low profile mat with that grippy rubber backing and it made a huge difference.

fisher.thomas2d ago

Ngl, is a rug really that serious though? I get the nurse was trying to help, but people fall for all kinds of reasons, not just because of a braided rug on the floor. Seems like a lot of pressure to put on one birthday gift when the real issue might be balance or poor lighting.