A fall at home can leave San Antonio families shaken, especially when the person who fell is living with dementia and cannot clearly say what hurts. Use the sections below for immediate safety steps, signs that emergency care is needed, and ways to put extra in-home support in place quickly.
Immediate Safety Steps After a Fall
The first things to do after a fall are to stay calm, keep your loved one still until you know they are not badly hurt, and call 911 if they cannot get up, hit their head, or you are unsure it is safe to move them.
Do not try to pull the person to their feet right away. Someone living with dementia may be frightened, unable to follow several instructions at once, or unable to tell you they are in pain.
Stay beside them and take these safety steps:
- Speak slowly. Say your name and that they are safe.
- Look for heavy bleeding, a limb that looks out of place, or signs they struck their head. Do not press on injuries.
- If they cannot get up on their own, or you have any doubt, do not move them. Call 911.
- If they are alert, not in severe pain, and can follow a simple direction, you may help them rise slowly to a sturdy chair. Stop and call 911 if they cry out, feel dizzy, or cannot bear weight.
- Write down the time of the fall, what they were doing, and any change in speech, walking, or alertness so you can share it with emergency staff.
- Do not give food, drink, or extra medication while you are waiting for 911.
These steps are for safety only. They are not a medical evaluation. When in doubt, call 911.
When to Seek Emergency Care
Seek emergency care right away if the person is unresponsive, hit their head, cannot stand, is bleeding heavily, has severe pain, or seems newly or more confused after the fall.
Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you notice any of the following:
- They do not respond to your voice.
- They hit their head, even if they want to "just sit down."
- They cannot bear weight, or a hip, wrist, or other joint looks out of place.
- There is heavy bleeding you cannot slow with gentle pressure on a cloth.
- They vomit, have a seizure, or their speech or face looks different than usual.
- Confusion, agitation, or sleepiness is worse than their typical dementia baseline.
- They live alone or far from other adults, and you cannot safely help them off the floor.
A person with dementia may not remember the fall or may downplay pain. Treat a change from their usual self as a reason to get them checked, not as proof that nothing is wrong.
If they are treated in a hospital and then sent home, hospital discharge care can add extra hands for walking, meals, and following written after-visit instructions.
How to Arrange Fast In-Home Support in San Antonio
You can arrange fast in-home support in San Antonio by requesting extra supervision, help with bathing and dressing, and dementia-capable routines so your loved one is not left alone after a fall.
A fall often shows that one unpaid caregiver cannot cover nights, transfers, and wandering risk alone. Start with the hours you need most, then adjust. For a wider view of local options, use the San Antonio dementia care guide.
Service types that often fit a post-fall situation include:
- Personal care for bathing, dressing, toileting, and steady help standing up.
- Companion care for supervision, meals, and a calm presence so the person is not isolated.
- Memory care at home when confusion, wandering, or sundowning makes a standard visit not enough.
- 24-hour live-in care when they cannot be left unsupervised overnight after a fall.
- Respite care so a spouse or adult child can sleep, go to work, or recover from the scare.
Ask for the earliest start time a caregiver is available. Share how the fall happened, whether a hospital visit is planned or already done, and whether the person lives alone.