Senior Fall Prevention Made Easier
Falls are a huge source of injury for seniors. Helping your elderly family member to avoid a fall is going to also prevent other potential issues, like surgery or long-term ailments that just never get better. These ideas can help you to put together a comprehensive fall prevention plan that works for your elderly family member.
Check Her Home for Fall Risks
Home Care Palm Beach County, FL: Senior Fall Prevention
Assessing your senior’s home for fall risks and then correcting those issues can prevent falls far more reliably than you might think. Make sure that things are put away when you or your senior are done using them. Clear paths, especially of clutter and other tripping hazards, like electrical cords. And you might need to consider rearranging furniture that makes clearing a path difficult.
Focus on Medical Concerns
What health issues impact your senior’s fall risks? It might be a good idea to have that conversation with your elderly family member’s doctor. Also, be sure to schedule eye exams as often as her eye doctor recommends. If your elderly family member hasn’t done a medication review recently with her doctor, it might be time for that as well. Revisit your senior’s medical concerns regularly to ensure that she’s still on the right path.
Pay Attention to Exercise and to Diet
Your senior’s diet and her exercise plan also impact her fall risk. Talk to your aging family member’s doctor about whether exercise is okay for her and then set up a plan with her. As she becomes stronger, she’ll also improve her balance, which is essential for fall prevention. Eating a healthy diet ensures that your elderly family member has the energy that she needs to exercise and to enjoy her life.
Make Help Easier to Access
If your elderly family member needs additional assistance, make sure that help is easier to access and that she actually uses it. Whether the tools your senior uses are medical alert devices, supportive shoes, or a cane, she won’t get their help unless she does actually use them. This might also mean hiring a home care provider to offer additional assistance and to ensure your senior accesses the help available to her.
Preventing a fall is one of the highest priority tasks you can take care of for your elderly family member. Over time, the things that help her to avoid a fall might change, but it’s always going to be important.