How to Decrease Falls of the Elderly

As one ages, vision and agility diminish. A elderly person can't see as well as before and cannot move about as well as before. These two factors can predispose a person to falls. This article will help the caring loved one to identify potential risks for falls within the home of the elderly, and hopefully prevent injury. As always, my prayer for you and your loved ones is to remain healthy and safe, become wealthy, and grow wiser.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A pad and pencil to take notes of potential risks
• Some time to do a survey of the elder's home.

1. Take pad and pencil in hand and walk around yard, entrances, and usual paths of mobility. You are looking for potential threats to causing a fall. Make notes of potential hazards.
   a. Loose stepping stones
   b. An uneven step or mangled edge.
   c. Branches of bushes or trees slapping in the face or interfering with ease of movement to and from the car and entrance.
   d. Garden hoses stretched across pathways.
   e. Electrical or telephone wires dangling in the face, causing the elderly to dodge and lose balance.
   f. Pebbles causing the elderly to slip and lose balance.
   g. Uneven surfaces of pathways.
   (Attend to any deviations from the norm; correct these minor problems before these minor problems cause the greater potential problem: a broken hip, or worse.
2. Examine the porch safety issues relating to the following:
   a. Lose boards or handrails, or absence of handrails.
   b. Poor lightening, or no lightening.
   c. Mangled door mats; skidding door mats; cumbersome door mats.
   d. Porches piled with rubbish, making accessibility a challenge.
   e. Excessive number of steps with no hand rail.
   f. Shoes or other debris hindering ease of entrance.
   (Once any deviation has been identified, correct the problem. A handicapped ramp may be needed. The ramp should be on an incline of one inch for each foot of rise, four feet wide with 42 inch handrails. Check area building codes for specifications.)
3. Once on the inside, the following risks must be identified and corrected.
   a. Welcome mats, and mud catchers. Are these close to the floor, uncurled; secured to the floor.
   b. Entrance free of clutter, furniture, or shoes.
   c. A place, such as a small table, to place keys and regularly carried personal items.
   d. If the floor gets wet, does this floor covering remain safe to walk on.
   e. Is the light switch easily assessable with no risk to falling.
   f. Adequate lightening upon first entering to insure visibility.
   g. A convenient place to crash in case of exhaustion, or immediate need.
   (If any deviations have been noted, attend to each one immediately.)
4. Check the home's interior for the following risks for falls.
   a. Books, magazines, papers cluttering the floor, hallways, doorways.
   b. Electrical and extension cords zig-zagging across the floor.
   c. Shoes and other debris cluttering walk-ways.
   d. Excessive amount of furniture, making accessibility difficult.
   e. Insufficient lightening.
   f. Too much 'stuff.'
   g. Uneven surface areas. Deviations from one room to the other.
   h. Throw rugs
   g. Slippery floor coverings.
   h. Mangled carpet, torn or cracked tile, shredding or peeling lanolin.
   (If areas of need identified, take measures to have these corrected immediately.)

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes an accident is waiting to happen. If you have identified any of the areas of concern listed above, time will only prove this statement correct. You have heard the ole wise tale, "A stitch in time saves nine." This is true in preventing falls for the elderly.
• Most elderly who break a hip due to a fall never recover fully, but end up in a nursing home setting.
• Debilitating circumstances most often lead to other compromising conditions unrelated to fall injuries. It is a snow all effect. Once the elderly starts going down, it is a down hill struggle.
• Falls can be prevented. If you correct the dangers you have identified, you will be protecting your loved one from experiencing unwanted falls.