Fear of falling not only affects your elderly loved one, it affects all of those who care about him. If your senior is still living independently in his home, and especially if he is living alone, family members and caregivers might find themselves afraid that he’ll fall and hurt himself and not be able to get the help he needs.
While not every senior falls, many do, and suffer serious health consequences because of that fall. Taking steps to help prevent a fall by assessing your loved one’s risk and then taking action to address those risk factors can go a long way to reducing his risk of falling when he is home alone.
Top Health Conditions that May Lead to Falling for Seniors
While anyone can fall at any time due to a misstep or tripping over an obstacle, some health conditions do increase your loved one’s risk of falling.
- Conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or vertigo can affect your loved one’s ability to retain balance or have a smooth gait.
- Cognitive conditions that can confuse your loved one or send false information to his brain about spatial distance or location. Dementia, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease can all increase the risk of a fall.
- Reduced senses such as sight and hearing can increase the risk of falling.
- Incontinence which may make your loved one rush to the bathroom without considering where his feet are landing can lead to tripping over something he didn’t see.
- Muscle loss that results in a loss of balance or ability to adjust to a sudden change in the flooring.
Use Senior Fall Risk Management to Help Make his Home Safer
If you and your loved one are concerned about his risk of falling, having a senior fall risk management team come out to his place of residence is a great way to have his home reviewed for possible safety issues and come up with solutions to help him make his home a safer place to live. A senior fall risk management team may look into several areas of the home to determine if they need upgrades or changes so that your loved one can reduce his risk of falling.
Some areas the senior fall risk management team will examine include:
- Reviewing pathways around the home – including hallways and rooms. The key is to make sure all pathways are clear of any tripping hazards, including items being stored on the floor, cords that may cross the floor, and any loose rugs that can easily slide out from underfoot.
- Examining lighting around the home. Your loved one is more likely to trip over something he doesn’t see so good lighting is important to keep him safe. This includes both the interior and exterior of where he lives including his porch, garage, and any outdoor sidewalk areas.
- Recommending supportive devices. Your loved one might need something to grab onto just in case he loses his balance. In the bathroom, this can often include installing grab bars in the shower or by the toilet. It will also include installing railings in staircases if he doesn’t have them.
There’s no way to completely guarantee your loved one will never fall, but by making his home a safer place to live, you can reduce his risk.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior fall risk management in Cambridge, MA, please contact the caring staff at PlatinumCare + today. Call (617) 237-0867.
PlatinumCare + was born out of the desire and passion to provide the very best home health care possible in Brookline, Dover, Newton, Needham, Watertown, Weston, Cambridge, Lincoln, Sudbury, Belmont, Boston MA, and surrounding areas.
All with decades of experience, Tim in IT Operations, Support, and Management, Brenda in Client Relations, Healthcare Services & Sales Management, and Anne in Healthcare as a Nurse Practitioner combined their skills to form what is now PlatinumCare +.
As immigrants to the US, all came from backgrounds where Healthcare for aging parents was a responsibility of the immediate family and the entire community. Aging, sick, or terminal community members were cared for physically, emotionally, and financially by family, friends, including strangers! This community approach, Healthcare with a difference, delivered with the utmost love, care, sacrifice, and passion, forms the basis of how PlatinumCare + grounds itself.
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