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Great Fall Prevention Tips For Senior Citizens

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If a person is lucky enough, they get to enjoy their golden years surrounded by the people they love. When you finally reach the age where you are classified as a senior citizen, you will have some pretty important decisions to make. One of the main things you need to consider when reaching this milestone is whether you want to age in place or enter a retirement community. 

If you have chosen to age in place, you need to be mindful of the ever-present risk of slip and fall accidents. Every year, over 3 million senior citizens are treated in emergency rooms across the United States for fall-related injuries. This is why you need to work on mitigating the risk posed by slip and fall accidents. 

Here are some great fall prevention tips for senior citizens. 

Fall Prevention Starts With a Healthy Body

If you want to improve things like flexibility and balance, you need to realize the importance of exercising. When engaging in physical activities designed to strengthen your body every day, your ligaments, tendons and joints will have a higher level of flexibility. Routine exercise is also a great way to improve your reflexes. 

With these enhanced reflexes, you will be more likely to catch yourself in the event of a fall. Exercising also allows you to strengthen your bones and will reduce the risk of osteoporosis. 

Don’t Forget to Monitor Your Medications

Did you realize that taking a number of different medications increases your risk of falling? Some medications also have side effects that include dizziness, weakness and confusion. If you are currently on multiple medications, then you need to monitor how you feel. If you notice that you are experiencing extreme dizziness or confusion when taking a particular medicine, you need to speak with your doctor. They might be able to prescribe a different medication that doesn’t produce these side effects. 

Find and Remove Hazards In Your Home

The older you get, the harder it will be to see the hazards around you. If you already struggle with vision issues, then your main goal should be to remove as many hazards in your home as you can. Allowing a friend or family member to inspect your home is a great way to pinpoint where hazards are. 

Piles of clutter and small rugs are among the most common hazards you need to keep an eye out for. By reducing the number of hazards in your home, you can reduce the chance of a slip and fall accident occurring. 

Invest in Bathroom Safety Upgrades

Residential bathrooms are among the most common places for slip and fall accidents to occur. This is why you need to realize the importance of investing in things like bars in your shower and a slip-resistant bath mat. With these safety upgrades, you can reduce the chances that a fall will occur in your bathroom. 

As you can see, avoiding slip and fall accidents is not an easy task. However, if you implement the tips in this article, you can prevent falls from occurring.

How To Make The Home of a Visually Impaired Senior Citizen Safer

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Keeping a senior loved one safe and happy is the concern of millions of Americans. If you have taken charge of making the home of your senior loved one safer, you need to consider a few factors when devising a plan. The more you know about the ailments a senior citizen has, the easier it will be to figure out how to make their home safer and more functional. 

Nearly 34% of the elderly people in the United States have a vision-reducing eye disease. People that have difficulty seeing are at a higher risk of falling in their homes. Vision problems can also pose other dangers that can put a senior citizen at risk of injury. 

Work On Removing Trip and Fall Hazards

Aging in place is a goal of many senior citizens in the United States. If your elderly loved one is adamant about aging in place, you need to do all you can to help them out. When trying to make a home safer for a visually impaired senior, start by removing any trip hazards in the home. The injuries that arise from slipping and falling can put a senior citizen in the hospital. 

When trying to reduce the trip and fall hazards in a visually impaired senior citizen’s home, focus on doing things like:

  • Remove cords from walkways and secure them to the floor
  • Push desks and chairs closer to the walls of the home
  • Invest in taller end tables and coffee tables
  • Secure area rugs with carpet taps
  • Remove and replace worn carpeting

By making these changes, you can lower the risk of a trip and fall accident occurring in the home of a visually impaired senior citizen. If you want to ensure your senior loved one can get help in the event of a slip and fall accident, providing them with a medical alert system is a good idea. 

Lighting Modifications Are Important

Having diminished vision will require a senior citizen to have plenty of light in their home. Leaving the rooms in a vision-impaired elderly person’s home dim can be very dangerous. This is why investing in things like overhead lamps and nightlights is important. 

You also need to think about trading out the incandescent bulbs in a senior citizen’s home for LED bulbs. These bulbs provide more light and are more energy-efficient. 

Rearranging the Furniture

Another important thing you need to focus on when trying to make the home of a vision-impaired elderly person safer is the furniture. By removing furniture from the walkways of a senior’s home, you can drastically reduce the chances of slip and fall accidents occurring. You also need to think about putting furniture near windows that can provide natural light. This natural light can help to illuminate a vision-impaired senior’s surroundings and will make it easier for them to navigate the interior portion of their homes. 

While making the home of a vision-impaired senior citizen safe is a lot of work, it is definitely worth the effort you invest. 

How To Prevent Falls In Your Home

How To Prevent Falls In Your Home

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Falls in the home can happen at any age, but the chances of serious injury resulting from a fall increase as we age. Six out of every ten falls occur in the home, which makes taking action to prevent falls vital to our wellbeing and the safety of family and friends. Often we tend to move about in our homes without considering the hidden dangers that exist that could cause a fall, but there are changes you can make to your space that will help you avoid accidents and ensure your safety.

Stairways And Hallways

Many stairways have a single-hand railing on one side; however, adding handrails to both sides of the stairs is recommended to prevent falls. Handrailing should be examined regularly to ensure it is tightly fastened and anchored. Use the bars every time you go up and down the stairs, even if you are carrying something in one hand, and ensure that what you are holding doesn’t block your view of the stairs.

Keep your stairways and hallways free from clutter, such as shoes, clothes, and other items. If you have carpets or stair runners, make sure they are firmly affixed to the floor so they won’t slip. While small area rugs are not advised, the use of no-slip strips can help you keep them in place on wooden and tile flooring.

Bathrooms

Installing a hand railing by your shower or tub and next to the toilet will give you something to grip while maneuvering in the bathrooms. Rugs that have rubber no-slip backing are best in these areas, never place towels on the floor to step on as they are prone to cause slipping.

Keep your bathroom well lit at all times; a night light can safely guide you in the middle of the night. Ensure your toiletries and towels are at arm’s length and easy to access; you may choose to use a small shelf or basket system instead of taller above the sink options.

Other Living Spaces

Consider how you move around your home and make sure your paths are free from clutter, cords, and furnishing. Arranging your furniture and everyday objects so that they accommodate an unobstructed pathway around your home is advised, especially for elderly homeowners. Less is more when ensuring your interior spaces areeasily maneuverable, keep clutter and small objects to a minimum.

Quick Fixes To Prevent Falls

Using grabbing sticks can help you reach the items you need that are stored in high spaces. Many people fall due to overreaching or climbing on step stools, so lowering your most needed items to an easier-to-reach height can help prevent a fall. If you live alone or are elderly, consider using an emergency alert system that can call relatives and emergency operators in the event of a fall.