Prevent Injuries By Falling Down More Safely

According to estimates, one in four older Americans falls every year, which is the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for people aged 65 years and older. Sadly, falling is part of being human which can result in hip fractures, head injuries, and broken bones. Moreover, falls can cause a senior person to become fearful or depressed which may hinder their activity. Falling down becomes a serious hazard as we age. So, if you have an aging parent or grandparent, helping them to lower their risk of falling can prove to be highly beneficial for them. A good thing about falls is that most of them can be prevented.

It’s advisable to consider an assisted living facility for your senior loved one if he/she is suffering from memory or mobility issues. Anthem Senior Living is an award-winning assisted living facility in the Phoenix region in AZ that offers senior living care in areas like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, wound care, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.

Common factors that can lead to a fall:

1. Change in vision can make tripping hazards and obstacles harder to see.
2. We tend to lose some coordination, flexibility and balance as we age making it easier to fall.
3. Medications increases the risk for falls as prescriptions and over-the-counter medications of some types can cause dizziness, dehydration, etc.
4. Most older adults have at least one chronic condition, such as diabetes, stroke, etc. which can result in lost function, depression, pain, inactivity thus increasing the risk of falling.

Here are a few ways that can help you land more safely if/when you fall:

1. To help reduce the risk of falling, remove potential fall hazards, such as mats and area rugs. Repair loose bricks or tiles, move furniture out of walkways, wear comfortable footwear. Your living space should be laid out in ways that are easy to maneuver that can help your senior loved one avoid falls, and also help them stay healthy and independent as long as possible.
2. How much ever you try to prevent falls, there’s no way to completely avoid falling but knowing how to fall when you do can bear fruitful results. When you start to fall, instead of freezing up with your hands in front of you, try to keep your knees and elbows bent which may reduce your risk of a broken bone.
3. There are no two ways that as we age, our eyesight just isn’t what it used to be meaning one is more susceptible to tripping on unseen objects especially during nighttime. Make sure you update your prescription lenses in an effort to avoid falls.
4. Be careful with your head. When falling forward, turn your face to the side whereas if you fall backward, rounding your back and tucking your chin can lower the risk of your head bouncing against the ground.
5. Try to fall on your muscles, such as buttocks, back or thigh which may decrease your chances of breaking a bone.

It is important that you do a walk-through safety assessment of your loved one’s home. For example, increase lighting throughout the house, grab bars should be installed in the tub/shower and near the washroom (using a shower chair and hand-held shower are additional safety measures), there should be two secure rails on all stairs.

You can get more such ideas on ways you can make the home safer by going through the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) home assessment checklist available in multiple languages.