As you age, fall avoidance becomes increasingly vital to think about. As you age, falls become more often due to physical changes, health concerns, and occasionally the drugs used to treat those conditions. Actually, one of the main causes of injuries among senior citizens is falls. Nevertheless, you don’t have to live your life in dread of falling. Instead, think about these six easy fall safety techniques.
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1. Schedule a consultation with your physician.
Schedule a visit with your healthcare practitioner beforehand. Your healthcare practitioner may wish to discuss fall prevention techniques and assess your risk by going over the following topics with you:
Your prescription drugs. List all of the vitamins and prescription and over-the-counter drugs you use, or bring them with you to the appointment. Your physician can check your prescriptions for interactions and adverse effects that could raise your risk of falling. Your doctor may think about weaning you off of drugs that impair cognition or cause fatigue, such as antihistamines, sedatives, and some forms of antidepressants, in order to prevent falls.
Any prior tumbles. Jot down all the information, such as where, when, and how you fell. Prepare to talk about the times you nearly fell and someone grabbed you or you managed to cling onto anything in time. Information like this might assist your healthcare professional in determining certain fall prevention techniques.
Your medical circumstances. There are several eye and ear conditions that might make you more likely to fall. Prepare a brief explanation of your medical history and your level of comfort when walking. For example, would you describe any symptoms of vertigo, joint discomfort, dyspnea, or numbness in your legs and feet? Your physician may also assess your muscular strength, balance, and gait, or way of walking.
2. Continue traveling
Taken together, physical exercise and fall prevention can be beneficial. With the approval of your physician, take into account exercises like walking, swimming, or tai chi, which is a mild kind of exercise with slow, flowing dance-like motions. These exercises increase flexibility, strength, balance, coordination, and decrease the chance of falls.
Inform your healthcare practitioner if you stay away from physical exercise out of concern that it will increase your risk of falling. Your doctor could suggest closely watched workout regimens or provide a physical therapy referral for you. Your physical therapist can design a personalized workout regimen to enhance your muscular strength, flexibility, and balance.
3. Put on appropriate footwear
If you’re planning to prevent falls, think about switching up your footwear. Shoes with slippery soles, high heels, and floppy slippers might cause you to trip, fall, and slip. Strolling in your pajamas is also an option. Wear sturdy, flat shoes with nonskid bottoms that fit correctly instead. Wearing sensible shoes might help lessen joint discomfort.
4. Eliminate dangers at home
Examine your house for any areas that can present a fall risk. To increase the safety of your house:
Clear the pathways of any boxes, newspapers, phone cords, and electrical cords.
Plant stands, coffee tables, and magazine racks should be moved out of busy places.
Remove loose rugs from your house or secure them with tacks, double-faced tape, or a backing that resists slippage.
As soon as possible, fix any loose wooden planks and carpets.
Keep food, dishes, clothes, and other essentials close to hand.
Clean up spilled food, grease, or liquids right away.
Put non-slip mats in the shower or bathtub. To sit while taking a shower, use a bath seat.
5. Add some lighting to your living area
Maintain good lighting around your house to prevent trips over dimly lit areas. Moreover:
Install night lights in the corridors, bathroom, and bedroom.
If you need to get out of bed in the middle of the night, keep a lamp handy.
Provide easy access to light switches that are not located close to room entrances. Think about switching to lit or glow-in-the-dark switches in place of standard switches.
Before ascending or descending stairs, turn on the lights.
Keep flashlights in locations that are simple to locate in case of power disruptions.
