If you are reading this article about preventing falls, it makes sense that you
- Have made it to your own retirement or
- You sustained an injury limiting your mobility or
- You have an elderly family member with a few issues
My insight comes from a past history of nursing, my own knee replacement, and my elderly parents who lived and passed receiving in home health care.
Tips For Preventing Falls
Starting with Mom and Dad, and a very exceptional home care nurse, I learned a few good tips to prevent falling. Some are common sense that we get after tripping ourselves!
- First and foremost, create a “Fall Plan.”
- Pick up area rugs, especially those in the path of a loved one using a walker, crutches or wearing a fracture boot. Even a wheelchair can get stuck on a throw rug.
- Avoid clutter and get rid of most newspapers and magazines to avoid a mishap that poor eyesight doesn’t see coming.
- Prevent cords from hanging out into walkways. Move lamps to the closest outlet. If a cord does stick out, use tape it down with colored duct.
- Install grab bars in bath and toilet areas. It’s a must. My poor mother came to visit me in Delray Beach and struggled for hours to get up off the toilet. A simple raised toilet with handles would have saved her night… Sorry Mom…
- Apply non-skid strips to wet areas, both inside and outside of the shower. If you have a pool or spa area, then install them there too. And lose those flip flops. Older worn out flip flops tend to become very slippery when wet.
- Replace difficult to use shower and sink faucets and handles.
- Insure adequate lighting for nightly trips to the bathroom when lighting is dim. There are amazing LED nightlights that can light up the floors.
What to do in the Event of a Fall?
In the event that you, or a loved one living at home alone, or handicapped, has a fall, communication is vital. Do you have a call assist button or a smart watch to contact someone? I wear a smart watch, which enables me to call for assistance. And then there is Alexa and other smart speakers that listen for your every beck and call! Just watch what you are saying! Alexa has been known to cause some unintentional texts and emails!
Technology has arrived for us Seniors! We just might need a little help getting us started! Call us for a chat Home Care One (561-272-1025), or visit our website, homecareone.com, for more ideas on living at home safe.
By Coleen Persico
Aging Caregiver
Home Care One
9045 La Fontanta Blvd, Ste 216
Boca Raton, FL. 561-272-1025
