Prevent the Fall, Prevents the Call
Every twenty seconds another senior adult dies from a fall in the USA.
Emergency rooms treat fall victims at a national rate of 1 every eleven seconds.
Prevent the Fall, Prevents the Call
Every twenty seconds another senior adult dies from a fall in the USA.
Emergency rooms treat fall victims at a national rate of 1 every eleven seconds.
Fall Prevention does
not have a Season,
it has a Mindset.
• Are the rugs firmly attached to the floor?
• Are the floors free of tripping hazards? (clutter, pet toys, power cords)
• Do all the lamps and ceiling lights work?
• Is the lighting adequate to see the entire room?
• What about outdoor lighting?
• Is the outdoor lighting adequate to see at lease 10 feet from the building?
Falling is scary, especially as we age. The good news is you can and should arrange your home to reduce the threat and impact from falling.
If you have fallen, it’s important to report it to your doctor and take the necessary steps to prevent future falls.
95%
of hip fractures are caused by falling
2.8mm
seniors are treated in the E.R. for fall injuries
300k+
older people are hospitalized for hip fractures
1st Step
Report
Report tripping hazards in the community such as broken sidewalks, trash, tree roots, loose handrails, and other unexpected changes in walkways that a senior with poor eyesight may miss.
2nd Step
Stop, Look, Listen.
Stop, look and listen to your loved ones who may lack awareness of their personal fall risk due to medication side effects, muscle weakness, poor vision and other health factors where their primary care physician should be notified.
3rd Step
Assess
Engage a home safety consultant to assess the daily fall risks.
Notes from the Author
Why Do Falls Happen?
My mother has the “invincibility gene” and she passed it on to me. She lives one thousand miles away. She just informed me that she severely stretched the tendons in her ankles by using a ladder. To be honest my father had the same gene. I remember my mother calling to complain about him climbing up a two-story ladder to fix the gutters or push snow off the roof.
I have a friend whose father strapped a chainsaw to a rope around his waist, carried it up a ladder and onto the roof. He proceeded to cut his three-car garage in half. My friend got a frantic call from her mother, watching from the kitchen window, while he performed this amazing feat. Good news, no bodily injuries. The garage is a different story.
The “invincibility gene” is an issue of independence, judgement, and denial. Medications frequently warn of the risk of dizziness which can be provoked by moments of imbalance. Bifocals can impair sight in times of quick movements. Falls frequently occur when someone is alone or unsupervised. Most of us will not accept our physical limitations longer than we should raising our risk of injury. Falls can be physically painful and financially costly.
Here are five practical suggestions to reduce falls for those who continue to exercise their “invincibility gene”:
Rearrange the kitchen cabinets and closets moving needed items down too easy to reach locations.
Install gripper strips or skid pads on porches and steps that tend to be slippery when wet.
Securely mount railings preferably on both side of the staircase.
Anticipate bathroom falls by installing grab bars in the bathtub and gripper strips on the tub and shower floor make the wet surfaces more manageable. Bathroom rugs should stick firmly to the floor.
Organize the living area. Throw rugs and clutter represent land mines for senior adults, especially in the dark or with poor eyesight. Secure the rugs with carpet tape. Move the clutter up off the floor.
Monica Stynchula – CEO / REUNIONCare, Inc.
