How to Prevent The elderly from having accidents at home

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By goodselfme
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It is easier to prevent accidents to the elderly than have an injury to deal with in their lives.

I worked with Seniors and wish to share some safety tips that will prevent accidents at home. Sometimes the elderly are unaware of all the dangers at home that can cause them injury, hospitalization or even death. Preventing and changing some things for safety will be a healthy environment.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Eliminate scatter rugs around the house, but especially on bare floors. Those occasional pieces of carpet sometimes get caught under a door, get bunched up and create an accidental fall.
Step 2

Give the senior some emergency device to have on their body at all times so they can press the button on that to summon help when they need assistance. If a fall does occur, that can bring help sooner than later. These are called different things in different states. I know one as Alert. It might be a bracelet, necklace or belt like device that is lightweight and waterproof so always stays on the person.
Step 3

Offer a senior help to change bed linens with them to prevent accidents in the home

Ask the person who lives alone when they would like help changing their bed linen or difficult tasks for them to do alone. You or someone can be a helper so those two person jobs don't have to be done by an elderly person by themselves. Quite often, the elderly get out of breath with exertion, get dizzy or become unable to have the stamina for the things they could have done 10 years ago with ease.
Step 4

Make sure the assistive devices go with the senior to appointments.

Encourage the use of assistive devices such as walkers, canes and wheel chairs. Telling them these are insurance policies sometimes explains the need for these more than other words do. Make sure you have a vehicle to transport the senior and their assistive device to appointments when you provide transportation to anywhere.
Step 5

Balanced nutrition might prevent some accidents.

Good health habits begin with proper nutrition. Often check to see if your elderly neighbor needs to go to the store for groceries or wants anything when you go shopping. Great eating habits will prevent some accidents in the home by keeping the body fed with a balanced diet. Inquire if they need help cooking their meals. There are meals on wheels that can eliminate use of the stove entirely for the person who cannot safely get around in the kitchen.
Step 6

Check to make sure the senior person has the essential needs close by where they spend many hours of the day. A box of tissues, their glasses, a glass of water and their pills. Ask them what items they need close by for conveniece and safety.
Step 7

Eye glasses should be cleaned everyday to keep the senior seeing clearly.

Preventing falls sometime is just not seeing well enough to keep standing. Seniors need glasses cleaned once a day and see their doctor for regular eye examinations. The health care provided should be seen for total health concerns or changes to prevent accidents before they occur.

Comments

SarahElizabeth said

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on 12/6/2009 Excellent information! Thanks for the excellent information. My grandmother lived with us for seven years, and we realized we needed to do some things differently after she had several falls. Thanks for sharing! 5*