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Linda, I'd like to respond to the falling issue with some advice learned from experience. Linda said:" Today Dad fell out of bed (no harm done thank heavens) but he couldn't get up by himself and he needed a lot of help. Luckily we were available to go and help my mother get him up, and as I said he had no injuries from his fall." When my Dad was ill (from lung cancer) and began having trouble walking from the bed to the bathroom safely, his doctor had a physical therapist go to the home to asess the situation. She recommended for him to use a walker to support him and help with balance. She also recommended a safety belt for him to put on when walking around the house for exercise so that whoever walked beside him had something to grab on to if he needed extra help. She also taught my father how to safely get up off of the floor unassisted. She did this as a precaution for times when Mom was alone with him and he fell. Mom could not pick him up alone. It would take two people to get him up, but she taught him to scoot over to a chair, grab hold of the chair to pull up with, step up with his good leg and lean forward onto the chair seat to distribute his weight forward until he could get his second foot under him to support his weight and to stand up by himself safely. She had him practice many times until he and my Mom were confident that he could do it himself...he was quite proud of himself! Occupational therapists can make home visits and asess your home for safety problems and solutions. Medicare should pay for these home visits if ordered by your doctor...tell him you need it. It was at this time that we got some equipment into the home to make it safer for him and to conserve his energy for more interesting things. We got him a shower seat and a bedside commode to decrease the times when he was walking and standing to reduce chance of injuries. These aides made it easier for Dad and for Mom. There are also bedside rails that can be purchased that are removable. They slide between the mattress and the boxsprings and prevent rolling off the bed by accident (it can also help you to pull yourself up into a sitting position). Hope this is helpful to you and others, Gail Vass