Living Assistance Experts Explain the Dangers Of Falls & How To Prevent Them

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, senior citizens are more likely to fall and get injured as they get older. Because falls are so common in seniors, it’s important for caretakers and loved ones to have as much information as possible to help prevent these accidents from happening in the first place. If you or a loved one is getting older, please take a look at some of the dangers of falls and how to prevent them, put together by living assistance experts.

How come seniors fall down more often?

Why is it that seniors fall down more than people in their 30s or 40s? There’s not just one answer - seniors fall for a variety of reasons. Poor eyesight is one of the most common reasons that seniors fall, and it’s no secret that your eyesight tends to get worse as you age. Some of the other most common reasons seniors fall are medications that cause fatigue, surgery and a lack of physical activity.

Pay close attention to the bathroom

According to the CDC, more than 230,000 people were sent to the ER in 2008 for injuries that occurred in the bathroom. And 4 out of every 5 of these cases were due to a fall. Slippery bathtubs, floors, and showers can all contribute to an increase risk of falling. Installing hand grips, bathmats, and ensuring that your bathroom is as safe as possible will help lower your risk of getting injured in a bathroom fall, according to living assistance experts.

What can I do to help?

If you are in charge of taking care of someone who is at a high risk of injuring themselves in a fall, there are many things you can do to help prevent this from happening. By setting up a personalized fall prevention plan, you are setting you or your loved one up for a better chance at staying healthy late in life, according to living assistance experts. Here are some of the main things you can do to help prevent falls

• Create a list of your loved one’s biggest health risks and determine what role they could play in a fall-related injury
• If possible, try to reduce these health risks in any way possible
• Walk through your loved one’s home and keep an eye out for any hard-to-see items that could cause a fall.
• Assess the lighting situation in your loved one’s home and determine whether or not the lighting is poor enough to increase a risk of a fall. LED bulbs are great for seniors who are losing their sight, say living assistance experts.
• Talk with your loved one’s doctor about any medication they are taking. If any of their medication is known to cause fatigue or dizziness, you’ll need to be especially careful about injuries that come from a fall.