Elder Care - Top 5 Tips For Preventing Falls
When you consider the statistics pertaining to falls amongst the elderly, (Nearly 350,000 people over the age of 65 fall and break a hip each year.
On top of that, close to 10,000 seniors die every year from injuries sustained in falls.
) you quickly realize how important it is to do your absolute best in helping prevent your elder from falling in the first place.
Fortunately, there are a number of things that can be done, such as installing safety devices in the home and making minor repairs.
Most are pretty easy to accomplish and are generally very effective in helping prevent falls.
The following 5 tips are excellent ways to help prevent your elder from falling: 1.
Don't allow your elder to become sedentary.
When an elder becomes inactive, their muscles become even weaker.
Most would think that by walking less, the opportunity of falling would be less.
Makes sense, no? Nope.
It really doesn't because the more sedentary a person is, the more likely they will fall when they do walk around.
2.
Whenever your elder gets up from a lying or sitting position, ensure they stand still for a couple of minutes.
By doing this, your elder's blood pressure will have the opportunity to adjust to the change in their position and will greatly reduce the chances of your elder becoming dizzy.
3.
Check your elder's feet on a regular basis.
Toenails that curl around the toes can greatly impact your elder's ability to walk correctly, greatly increasing the chance of a fall.
The bottom line is that well cared for feet will grip the floor better and reduce the potential of a fall.
4.
Lighting Be sure that you employ plenty of lighting in the areas that your elder will be walking - including at night.
Install automatic night lights that have sensors that turn the lights on when someone is in close proximity.
Lamps with sensors that automatically come on when an area starts to darken are also a great idea.
5.
Be sure to keep the night time temperature above 65.
If your elder has spent hours in a cold bedroom, this could cause their body temperature to drop.
When this happens, it could lead to dizziness when they get up, leading to a fall.
While there are many, many things that can and should be done within the home to help prevent your elder from falling, these 5 tips are a great place to start in helping reduce the likelihood of your elder taking a nasty spill.
On top of that, close to 10,000 seniors die every year from injuries sustained in falls.
) you quickly realize how important it is to do your absolute best in helping prevent your elder from falling in the first place.
Fortunately, there are a number of things that can be done, such as installing safety devices in the home and making minor repairs.
Most are pretty easy to accomplish and are generally very effective in helping prevent falls.
The following 5 tips are excellent ways to help prevent your elder from falling: 1.
Don't allow your elder to become sedentary.
When an elder becomes inactive, their muscles become even weaker.
Most would think that by walking less, the opportunity of falling would be less.
Makes sense, no? Nope.
It really doesn't because the more sedentary a person is, the more likely they will fall when they do walk around.
2.
Whenever your elder gets up from a lying or sitting position, ensure they stand still for a couple of minutes.
By doing this, your elder's blood pressure will have the opportunity to adjust to the change in their position and will greatly reduce the chances of your elder becoming dizzy.
3.
Check your elder's feet on a regular basis.
Toenails that curl around the toes can greatly impact your elder's ability to walk correctly, greatly increasing the chance of a fall.
The bottom line is that well cared for feet will grip the floor better and reduce the potential of a fall.
4.
Lighting Be sure that you employ plenty of lighting in the areas that your elder will be walking - including at night.
Install automatic night lights that have sensors that turn the lights on when someone is in close proximity.
Lamps with sensors that automatically come on when an area starts to darken are also a great idea.
5.
Be sure to keep the night time temperature above 65.
If your elder has spent hours in a cold bedroom, this could cause their body temperature to drop.
When this happens, it could lead to dizziness when they get up, leading to a fall.
While there are many, many things that can and should be done within the home to help prevent your elder from falling, these 5 tips are a great place to start in helping reduce the likelihood of your elder taking a nasty spill.
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