Lots of people experience falls for no reason at all, and that can be the case for your senior, too. But the odds are that if she does experience a fall there is a reason for that to have happened. When you understand the main reasons that older adults experience a fall, you can plan ahead to make that situation less applicable to your senior’s life.
Household Hazards
Hazards around your elderly family member’s home, like poor lighting or slippery flooring, are a major source of falls for seniors. In some cases, not being able to keep up with household maintenance or even routine cleaning can also contribute to fall risk. If that’s something your senior is dealing with, you need to act quickly to address those hazards for her.
Injury, Illness, or Surgery
If your elderly family member is already injured or sick, she may find that contributes to feeling unsteady on her feet. After surgery your elderly family member may also be more at risk of falling. It’s important to keep up with her health and her ability to be mobile so that you can help her to put solutions in place before she experiences a fall.
Failing Vision
When your aging family member isn’t able to see well, that affects her ability to avoid obstacles and other situations that might lead to a fall. If the vision issues she’s experiencing can be corrected with eyeglasses, then it’s important that she sees her eye doctor regularly to have her vision checked. Other vision issues, like low vision, can’t be corrected. In those cases, it’s important that you have ways for your aging family member to stay safe in her home.
Physical Decline
As your aging family member grows older she may simply find that she’s not as mobile or as physically active as she used to be. If that’s the case, she may be more at risk of falling. Improving her physical strength can also help her to improve her balance and her mobility. It might be a good idea to talk with her doctor about how you can help her to do just that.
What Can You Do to Help Your Senior?
But what else can you do to help your senior avoid a fall? When you know what she’s up against, you’re able to put solutions in place. In-home care providers can assist with so many of those solutions. Home care providers can make it easier for your senior to have a neat and tidy home, for instance. They can also help with mobility concerns, transportation, and making your senior’s life easier. Working with in-home care providers can also help you to learn more about what your senior needs from you in order to better avoid a fall.
The biggest part of fall prevention involves making sure that you understand what might cause your elderly family member to take a tumble. Talk with her doctor about fall risk factors for your senior and make sure that you do all that you can to help prevent a fall.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING IN-HOME CARE IN LOS GATOS, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY (408) 317-4969.
