When we come into the world our parents adapt their house to make it more child friendly. All the nice stuff they’ve bought gets put out of reach. Then a few years roll past and the tables turn a little and you start to worry about them, and if they have a fall. Often, we see people after they’ve had a fall and they hurt something and want some help to get a great recovery. Today’s blog contains some tips you can use to help yourself or an elderly parent or friend avoid falls and stay safe and independent for years longer without being afraid of falls.
Regular opticians appointments– Vison plays a huge part in balance; your eyes pick out straight lines and your brain processes these to help maintain your balance. I’m sure you’ve tried balancing with your eyes closed before and realised it was super difficult. So, vision is an important part of our balance system. It’s important elderly people make their eye checkups to help with their balance and to spot any hazards.
Have a home that’s safe to live in– Certain areas of the house can slowly become hazard spots as you get older. People often have a few near misses as they just about manage before eventually they have a fall. And it’s great to chat about these before they’re a huge issue. There are some easy modifications that can help make a home a ton safer:
- Handrails for both sides of stairways
- Putting grab rails in the bathroom
- Removing clutter on the floor, and using only non-slip floor matts
- Using a shower stool
- Placing a raised toilet seat over an existing toilet
- Organising the kitchen to place high-use items within reach
Exercise often– Regular exercise helps keep you strong and agile. We know from studies as you get older if you keep your leg strength up, you’re way less likely to fall, and also less likely to get injured if you do fall. The reason for this is simple, as even if you trip over something unexpected if you’ve got good leg strength it tends to be a controlled fall and much less likely to result in an injury. If someone’s avoiding exercise as they’re afraid they’ll fall, its best they get a custom exercise program from a physio aimed at improving balance, flexibility, and muscle strength.
Understand medications– If someone’s tablets are making them dizzy, their health care provider can adjust these to make them steadier on their feet.
Drink water (or tea if you prefer) – If you’re dehydrated this can make you feel dizzy and weak, and it can even make people a bit more confused and more likely to fall. Tea is more hydrating than dehydrating, so you don’t need to panic if your elderly parent or friend only drinks tea.
Appropriate clothing and footwear– Uncomfortable footwear will affect how someone walks and make them more likely to have a trip. Trousers like PJ’s that are a bit too long can also be an easy thing to trip over.
There’s lots of tips you can use straight away to help someone you love to avoid a fall. If you know someone who has fallen more than once within the past year, it’s recommended that they see a physio to prevent future falls. We can do balance assessments here at the clinic and provided exercises to improve balance, agility, and leg strength to reduce the risk of future falls and keep them safe.
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