Senior Fall Prevention

By Joanne A.

When we were young “watch your step” often meant we were about to get into trouble if we didn’t make an attitude adjustment.

As an older adult the phrase takes on the more literal meaning of watch where you are going or you may trip and fall. And falls are one of the biggest causes of serious injuries in older adults. You’ve probably heard that a thousand times, but does it go in one ear and out the other?

Like it or not, we’re just not as physically fit as we were in our younger years. Our bones are more brittle and our flexibility is a little more stiff. So when we fall we often break bones and sometimes it is a hip that means an extended hospital stay and a lengthy recovery.

We forget that most of us over 50 wear glasses because we just don’t see as well. Medications too can be the root cause of many falls. Forty per cent of all seniors take at least five drugs a day. And the side effects can raise or lower your blood pressure and make you feel drowsy or dizzy.

As we age, we’re prone to developing chronic conditions such as Parkinson’s or arthritis that impede our mobility. Those unlucky enough to suffer from Alzheimer’s are subject to difficulty with movement. Numbness in our feet is another culprit because with neuropathy we often can’t feel the ground.

Accidents are waiting for us apart from what’s happening to our bodies. Poor lighting together with poorer vision increases the chances of us falling. So turn the lights on. Make sure loose carpets have non-slip under padding. And add rails and grab bars on stairs and in bathrooms to give you added balance and stability in places where falls are most common and often the most serious.

Those are some of the changes we can make to our surroundings but what personal cautionary steps can we take? Well, for one we can pick up our feet and do our best to stop shuffling. It can avoid a lot of missteps. We can also use available aids that give us balance such as a cane, Nordic walking sticks or a walker.

Another thing, have you ever turned suddenly to look at something while still moving forward and thrown yourself off balance? It’s a common event because we’re used to doing it. But it’s a habit we should break if we want to avoid falling. Instead turn your whole body around, and safely look at what you want to see.

Other activities to avoid are walking backwards or talking to someone over your shoulder. Avoiding falls just means we have to be more aware and more deliberate in our movements.

Falls can also be avoided by removing clutter from floors, like shopping bags or shoes at the front door. Shower floors and bathtubs need proper mats or permanent non-slip treatment. Soap and shampoo can be as bad as banana peels. Even closets can prevent falls by being organized to minimize the need for bending down.

Speaking of bending down, when you’re in the garden weeding, planting or tidying up, make sure you have a long handled tool to act as a staff to hang onto. If you reach too far without a support aid, you can find yourself flat on your face, with no one around to help you up.

Laundry: if you have to carry it up or down stairs to the washing machine, think twice about bundling it up in your arms. Items can fall out of the bundle and trip you up especially on stairs. So put the laundry in a lightweight container to get it up and down to the laundry room. It’s just much safer. And you can fold your laundry at its final destination.

Even as we have to be careful how we move, the need to move is even more important. Daily physical activity such as walking, swimming, and yoga all help with balance and stability.

Another thing, we should all wear supportive, low-heeled shoes. Fluffy slippers comfortably worn down at the heels are an invitation for a fall.

Have your eyes checked. The right eyeglasses are important not just to help prevent falls but also so you can read the small print labels on your prescriptions and medicines.

They say, “pride goes before a fall”, so we must take care to recognize our new needs, furnish our surroundings to meet them, modify our behaviour accordingly and just watch our step. Our pride will survive.

Here are some informative websites on Fall Prevention for Seniors.