How to Reduce the Risks of Falling

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Keeping family members safe and healthy from injuries are our biggest concerns whether we live near or far from them. Among our older loved ones, the leading cause of injury is falling. Each year, one in three adults ages 65 or older suffers a fall, and one out of five falls result in a serious injury, such as a broken bone. In addition, the risk of falling increases with each decade we live. Reducing the risk of falls is possible if you take these necessary precautions to help yourself and your loved one:

Exercise

Exercise is one of the best activities for you or your loved one to perform regularly. Exercise, especially strength training, will stabilize and fortify leg muscles, in turn, reducing the risk of falling. Balance exercises, such as yoga or tai chi, can also help you or your loved one practice being on foot. The Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Home Health Aids (HHAs) at Granny NANNIES can assist you or your loved one with these range-of-motion and balance exercises to improve muscle tone, strength and endurance. In addition, if a stumble or trip does occur, the exercises will help prepare them to catch themselves or react and recover to the stumble safely.

Assistive Devices

Most falls happen due to loss of balance. An assistive device, such as a cane or walker, can help you or your loved one move around without losing balance. In addition, you can install handrails on staircases and grab bars in the shower and tub for even greater mobility and balance when fulfilling everyday tasks. The CNAs and HHAs at Granny NANNIES are also available to aid patients while walking or getting up from a chair.

Monitor Medications

Many medications can cause dizziness or drowsiness, side effects that can easily lead to a fall. A doctor or pharmacist should review all medications you or your loved one are taking to see if the drug interactions or side effects would be detrimental to their physical well-being. Granny NANNIES’ CNAs and HHAs can help seniors under their care with monitoring and taking prescription medications on time, as well as driving them to and from doctor’s appointments.

Improve Visibility

Poor or unclear vision can lead to more than just a few bumps or bruises and make it difficult to move through the home safely. Elderly adults should have regular appointments with an eye doctor or vision specialist to see if vision has worsened. That way, they can receive glasses, contacts or updated prescriptions to ensure they see surroundings clearly.

Lighting is also a factor of visibility in the home. Keep the home brightly lit to avoid stumbling over objects that aren’t easily seen. Using night-lights, easy-to-reach lamps and flashlights can also provide convenient lighting in dark spaces. Make sure there are clear paths to light switches that aren’t near the entrance of a room, or use remote control devices, such as an app on the phone, to power lighting in the room.

Remove Hazards

The majority of falls happen at home. By making you or your loved one’s home as harmless and easy to maneuver as possible, you’re greatly reducing the risk of a fall. Objects like cords, wires, boxes, shoes and rugs are all tripping hazards. In general, clutter is a big risk for you or your loved one. Take a walk through the home to analyze and identify objects that should be moved, altered or removed. To mitigate risks even further, consider using double-sided tape to keep rugs from slipping and buying non-slip mats for the bathroom and kitchen. The caretakers at Granny NANNIES would not only watch over you or your loved one, but they would also take care of housekeeping and clear pathways to safeguard against accidents.

Get Help with Fall Prevention

The CNAs and HHAs at Granny NANNIES are available every step of the way to help you or your loved one with fall prevention. They are there for as little or as much time as you need to assist with exercise, safety, supervision, medication monitoring and much more. Our caregivers focus on reducing the risk of injury and the frequency of falls to encourage safe, independent at-home living.

The importance of safety for you or your loved one is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. Granny NANNIES has been providing specialized home care services for the elderly since 1990. Services include respite care relief, fall prevention care and stroke recovery care, among others, and can be personalized to meet any home care requirements. Located in 35 cities across 10 states, the Home Health Aides and Certified Nursing Assistants at Granny NANNIES are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You and your loved one will be treated with the highest level of respect and dignity by CNAs and HHAs that have been through credential, national criminal background and reference checks and display the kindness and compassion needed to care for others. For quality, trustworthy, reliable and affordable senior care, call 800-316-2669.