Fall Prevention is Critical to Senior Safety
There has been a great deal of awareness in recent years about how crucial it is for seniors and aging adults to safeguard against falls.
CDC reports state that more than one third of people in the US over the age of 65 fall each year.
For people in this age bracket, falls are the leading cause of deaths resulting from injuries and of nonfatal hospital visits resulting from injuries.
Proper education and prevention can help reign in these numbers and prevent countless needless injuries and deaths each year.
Clean it Up What can you do to prevent falls in the home of your loved ones? Start by learning the basics.
Household clutter is one of the most common culprits when it comes to trips and falls.
As people age they are less able to tackle many of the common cleaning problems they were once able to regularly tend to.
Some options you might wish to consider include arranging with friends and family to come in and clean once a week or hire a cleaning service to come in once a week to handle deep cleaning and remove clutter and debris from the home.
Move it Out If your parents are like many elderly people they have a home filled with memories.
It's great to hold on to important memories but it's also a good time to start scaling back and removing items, particularly large of bulky furniture items, that might free up floor space in order to create more clear paths for walking.
Eliminate things that aren't necessary (or too sentimental to remove) from the home.
The fewer things in the home, the fewer obstacles to maneuver around.
Light the Way It may be time to change light fixtures, clean up old light coverings, invest in night lights, and switch to brighter bulbs.
Light is important as people age and have more vision problems.
More importantly, better lighting allows people to see obstacles that might be less easily recognized otherwise.
It might not seem like that big of a difference but when combined with other changes, seeing things in a new light might be the difference in a life changing fall and preventing that fall.
Get Rid of the Soap Old fashioned bars of soap can be deadly in the shower.
Slips in the shower often go undiscovered for long periods of time and can be easily prevented.
One way of doing this is by getting rid of soap bars.
Instead of those old slippery bars of soap it is easy to install a dispenser for liquid soap to use in the shower.
These dispensers can also be used for shampoo and conditioner in order to free up limited space in the shower and to reduce the amount of items that can fall and cause massive slippery obstacles to overcome during the course of a shower.
Simple little changes can net huge results when it comes to protecting the people you love.
These changes do not necessarily require a huge investment of money but can greatly improve the quality and length of life for your loved ones.
CDC reports state that more than one third of people in the US over the age of 65 fall each year.
For people in this age bracket, falls are the leading cause of deaths resulting from injuries and of nonfatal hospital visits resulting from injuries.
Proper education and prevention can help reign in these numbers and prevent countless needless injuries and deaths each year.
Clean it Up What can you do to prevent falls in the home of your loved ones? Start by learning the basics.
Household clutter is one of the most common culprits when it comes to trips and falls.
As people age they are less able to tackle many of the common cleaning problems they were once able to regularly tend to.
Some options you might wish to consider include arranging with friends and family to come in and clean once a week or hire a cleaning service to come in once a week to handle deep cleaning and remove clutter and debris from the home.
Move it Out If your parents are like many elderly people they have a home filled with memories.
It's great to hold on to important memories but it's also a good time to start scaling back and removing items, particularly large of bulky furniture items, that might free up floor space in order to create more clear paths for walking.
Eliminate things that aren't necessary (or too sentimental to remove) from the home.
The fewer things in the home, the fewer obstacles to maneuver around.
Light the Way It may be time to change light fixtures, clean up old light coverings, invest in night lights, and switch to brighter bulbs.
Light is important as people age and have more vision problems.
More importantly, better lighting allows people to see obstacles that might be less easily recognized otherwise.
It might not seem like that big of a difference but when combined with other changes, seeing things in a new light might be the difference in a life changing fall and preventing that fall.
Get Rid of the Soap Old fashioned bars of soap can be deadly in the shower.
Slips in the shower often go undiscovered for long periods of time and can be easily prevented.
One way of doing this is by getting rid of soap bars.
Instead of those old slippery bars of soap it is easy to install a dispenser for liquid soap to use in the shower.
These dispensers can also be used for shampoo and conditioner in order to free up limited space in the shower and to reduce the amount of items that can fall and cause massive slippery obstacles to overcome during the course of a shower.
Simple little changes can net huge results when it comes to protecting the people you love.
These changes do not necessarily require a huge investment of money but can greatly improve the quality and length of life for your loved ones.
