Aging itself does not cause injury. Everyone loses skills and muscle strength with enough age. Older people are at greater risk of injury because they tend to fall more due to aging muscles, declining eyesight, or side effects of medications. Only the fear of falling can affect an older person who is no longer as active as before.
Nothing good can come of a fall if you’re a senior. Older people and their caregivers are interested in fall prevention because the risks are so great. Although you can’t prevent all falls, there are many things you can do to reduce your risk of a fall. If you can recognize a dangerous condition and prevent or correct it with your manager, you may have prevented a fall.
Make sure your beloved elder can see well enough to move around unfamiliar places. If his superior is independent (aren’t they all?) and is afraid to tell him that he can’t see well, she may not be honest about how well he can see. If you suspect that your superior’s vision is failing, you can ask him questions to determine if his suspicions are true. Ask them if they can tell you the time on a clock across the room. Or if they can see something going on outside.
Another common cause of falls is medication. Be sure to assess your older adult’s current medical condition for signs of weakness, dizziness, or illness. Review medications with them and see your doctor to learn which medications may cause dizziness or affect your balance. This allows you to change the time of day medications are taken or keep activities to a minimum if your senior must take medications with unwanted side effects.
Falls are the third leading cause of unintentional death for the entire US population. But falls are the NUMBER ONE cause of death for people age 71 and older. Statistics show that when someone over the age of 65 has a minor fall and no one is around, they most likely won’t tell anyone. The reasons can vary, from not wanting loved ones to worry about them or fear of losing their independence.
The good news is that a little exercise and diet go a long way. Most types of physical activities are good exercises, like walking or just moving your arms up and down. You can move your arms sitting or standing, with or without dumbbells. It depends on your current activity level as to which exercises will help your senior the most. Stabilizing yourself with a chair helps with many exercises because it makes your senior feel like he has a safety net to keep him from falling during an exercise.
Knowing why your elderly loved one has fallen means you can find out why your elderly loved one is likely to fall and take steps to help. When you understand the reasons why an older person might fall, you will be able to recognize dangerous situations and take precautionary measures to prevent them. Understanding what caused a fall can better prepare you to prevent a fall in the future. If your senior is having trouble with a new medication prescription, adding lighting to help your senior see better won’t do much good. Learn the “WHY” first, and then make the necessary adjustments to help your older adult prevent falls.
Remember, older people count on your help, their trusted ally to help them avoid falls.