So many factors can increase your senior’s fall risk even more than she might realize. Understanding those factors can help you and your senior to put plans in place to reduce the risk of senior falls.

Losing Balance and Flexibility

Both balance and flexibility are important to avoid a fall. Balance issues keep your elderly family member from being able to tell where she is in space, causing her to stand upright when she walks. Lack of flexibility means that your senior’s joints aren’t able to respond and move in the ways they need to in order to help her to stay upright.

Losing Stamina

Your senior needs stamina in order to avoid a fall because it’s a necessary part of being able to stand and to walk. If she’s running out of endurance too soon, that can compromise her ability to have safe mobility. Issues with stamina are common after a period of being sedentary, whether that’s because of an illness, an injury, or simply inactivity.

Losing Muscle Tone

When your senior loses muscle tone, she no longer has the strength that she needs in order to walk safely and to avoid a fall. The problem with losing muscle tone is that it can happen quickly and very subtly. Your elderly family member may find that just a short time of not being as active as she used to be can cause her to experience significant muscle tone.

Losing Vision

Your senior’s vision helps her to be able to see obstacles and to be able to keep her balance. When she’s not able to see well, she may not be able to trust the input her brain is receiving from her eyes. That can cause her to second guess herself and her actions, which can lead to a fall.

Being Afraid to Walk or Fall

Fear is another huge factor when it comes to fall risk. Your senior may become scared that she will fall or afraid to walk, even around her own home. That can then become such a powerful fear that your elderly family member starts to experience loss of stamina, balance, and muscle tone, therefore increasing her risk of falling.

Having elder care providers available regularly can help your senior to deal with many of these challenges and can help her to improve her overall mobility, avoiding senior falls, as well.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Mullica Hill, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. at 1-800-493-5660

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Home care providers can be the first line of defense in preventing dangerous falls by doing the things described below.

Keeping the Home Free of Clutter
When your aging relative’s home is filled with clutter, like stacks of magazines, shoes left lying in walkways, or items left on the stairs, their chances of falling are increased. Clutter is a serious risk factor for falling because the older adult could trip over it. Clear walkways are free from trip hazards. Home care providers can assist with removing clutter by picking up the house during their visits.

Providing Transportation
You might be wondering how driving your aging relative places could help them to prevent a fall. Well, seeing a doctor for a fall assessment is an important first step in keeping older adults from falling. A doctor can discuss medication changes to prevent dizziness or balance problems, ways to strengthen muscles, and things the senior can do to improve their balance. However, if they cannot get to the appointment, the doctor cannot help them. A home care provider can drive your older family member to the appointment.

Keeping the Home Brightly Lit
When a senior cannot see well, they are more likely to trip over things or misjudge doorways or stairs. Part of helping them to see better at home is to keep the house brightly lit. That means making sure lightbulbs are promptly changed when they blow out. Unfortunately, reaching bulbs in ceiling fixtures can be too difficult for some seniors and even be dangerous since it may involve climbing on a step ladder or chair. A home care provider can change burned out bulbs as soon as they notice them, keeping the house brighter and making it easier for the senior to see.

Help Walking
Sometimes the best way to prevent an older adult from falling is simply to take their arm and offer them some extra support. However, when seniors are alone, there’s no one available to help them walk safely around the house or outside. A home care provider can be the person that helps them move from room to room, get in and out of the bath or shower, and even go for walks around the neighborhood.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Voorhees, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Attentive Care Inc. 1-800-493-5660

Sources
Mayoclinic.org
Everydayhealth.com
Cdc.gov

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