Elder Safety: Preventing Falls

How to protect the elderly from accidents in the home. Reduce slip and fall injuries. Medical alert devices that can save a life.

Many accidents that injure and kill elderly people are easily prevented.  Every day senior citizens are injured by slips and falls that could have been prevented.

If your aging loved one falls, it can result in serious injuries.  Any older person living alone must have a reliable medical alert alarm service in the event of such an accident but it is much more important to take steps to prevent accidents in the first place.

Here’s what you can do to help reduce falling accidents.

Exercise.

No, we are not suggesting that grandma start pumping iron.  Very low impact exercises will help improve balance and coordination.  Stretching exercises are extremely important and can be done at home.  By improving core body strength,  a senior citizen can drastically reduce their chances of becoming a victim of a slip and fall.  As always, is sure to consult with your physician before beginning any type of exercise program.

Simple Home Improvements for Senior Homes

Many slip and fall accidents occur in the home.  Here are a few simple things you can do today to make your home safer for an older family member:

  • Walk around the house and remove any type of objects that could trip someone. Install hooks and shelves to encourage people to place objects like books, shoes, and other everyday items off the floor.
  • Shoe review.  Make sure shoes non-slip soles. Shoes should also fit properly and help support weaker joints.
  • Lighten up. Too many senior citizens are injured trying to move around a dark house.  Install nightlights and motion detector lights.
  • Throw rugs are particularly dangerous.  Remove them or anchor them securely.
  • Avoid overreaching.  Keep objects within reach.  Lots of seniors are injured when they attempt to get something off a high shelf.
  • Safety bars.  Install grab bars in the bathroom by the toilet and showers.
  • Put non-slip max in the shower bath in any other area that may become slippery.

Medical Check-Up

Check for impairments and vision and hearing.  As we get older our senses tends to dull making us more vulnerable to accidents.  Try to encourage the habit of always using prescribed hearing aids and eyeglasses.  Some medicines when combined with other prescriptions can make mom or dad drowsy and dizzy.  Be aware of the potential side effects.

Helping your elderly loved one live safely at home requires intelligent action combined with passionate compassionate communication skills.  Older folks do not like to be treated like babies so be sure to treat them with the respect they deserve.

Sometimes falls happen despite your efforts.  To help protect your elderly loved one, invest in a quality medical alert emergency alert service.  There are a number of providers on the market who can offer monitoring services for senior citizens who live alone.

The medical alert bracelet or pendant which can instantly connect your older loved one with an emergency dispatch service provides peace of mind to all family members.  Look for a service that has a rate reputation and offers features such as full protection.

Full detection is important because sometimes the victim of a fall will become unconscious and unable to summon a period a full detector senses when the monitoring for device is suddenly jolted.  When the emergency dispatch service the tax a potential fall they will contact the person wearing the pendant to see if they need help.

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