Amidst the aging process, people can become more vulnerable to injury and less able to take care of themselves in emergencies. Safety is a significant concern for elderly people and the ones who care about them. It’s incumbent upon seniors, and those who make up their support systems, to eliminate any potential hazards that could increase the likelihood of serious injury or even death. Despite such precautions, however, dangerous situations may still arise that are beyond one’s control.
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Falls
Injuries sustained during a fall are the leading cause of accidental death among people over the age of 65. Approximately 40% of seniors in this age group fall at least once each year. Furthermore, because the elderly are more vulnerable to broken bones, dislocations, and bruising, their rate of serious damage suffered as a result of such falls is relatively high.
One good idea for dealing with this risk is to use some kind of emergency communication system that will allow an elderly person to call for help immediately should they fall and become injured. Life Alert is one such service, now famously associated with the phrase, “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” If an elderly person is falling frequently, it may be a sign that they need to move to a nursing home or to assisted living housing where they can be monitored more closely.
Preventing Falls
Several preventative measures can be taken to help reduce the likelihood of falls.
- Remove anything that could cause an elderly person to trip (loose rugs, electrical cords, etc.)
- Make sure safety bars are installed in the bathroom, and possibly elsewhere if it seems necessary
- Lower the dosages of any medications that cause dizziness as a side effect
- Teach the elderly person to use all equipment such as wheelchairs properly and safely
- Encourage seniors to practice exercises that help improve the sense of balance
- Eliminate any actions that might tend to cause dizziness or unsteadiness (proximity to a hot stove, getting up too quickly, etc.)
Any elderly person who has suffered from a fall should be taken to the doctor ASAP. Even if he or she has not sustained any serious injury, a doctor’s examination could uncover an underlying medical reason for the fall. For example, many seniors suffer from a condition called carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH). With CSH, a receptor located in the neck that helps regulate heart rate malfunctions, causing a slowing of that rate until insufficient blood and oxygen are being transmitted to the brain, which can cause fainting and/or falling.
Setting up a Safety Monitoring System
Because of the risk of falling or another kind of sudden onset health problem (heart attack, stroke, seizure), some kind of system must be set up so that you or other people you trust can check on an elderly person once or more each day. A daily phone call or visit should be an absolute minimum, and it’s a good idea to ask neighbors if they can watch out for anything out of the ordinary, such as the elderly person not picking up the newspaper off of the step, or lights being left on in the home at odd hours.
You should also encourage an elderly person to get to know his or her neighbors if possible so that he or she will not be afraid to ask for help if and when it might be needed. And of course, you will also want to get to know them, to be sure that they are indeed trustworthy.
A personal emergency communications system can be extremely valuable. It’s important to make sure that seniors understand how 911 works since this system was not in place when they were young and they may not have the automatic familiarity with it as other generations do.
Household Safety
Some basic items can make the home a safer place for elderly people. A list of these items includes:
- A step stool or ladder, which is better for climbing than a chair
- An extendable gripping device that allows an elderly person to pick things up without bending over
- Fixed rugs that do not slide when stepped on
- Good shoes with rubber soles that grip
- Brighter indoor and outdoor lights
- Cell phones are better than fixed lines, since an elderly person who has suffered an accident may not be able to reach a fixed phone
It’s a good idea to inspect the homes of seniors regularly, to make sure they are not doing something that could pose some kind of safety risk.
Fires and Other Disasters
Wildfire, flood, tornado, earthquake, mudslide – depending on your geographical location, any of these could potentially pose a safety risk to anyone, and the elderly of course may be especially vulnerable to such natural disasters. House fires or electrical power failures are somewhat more common calamities that seniors should be prepared to deal with as well.
- Make sure they have flashlights with batteries available in convenient locations
- Discourage the use of candles, which can pose a fire risk
- Provide a battery-powered radio, and make sure the batteries are fresh
- Buy extra hearing aid batteries and keep them close by
- Check all smoke alarms regularly and change batteries as necessary
- Don’t let seniors overload electrical outlets
- Make arrangements for someone to check in with an elderly person immediately if there is a natural disaster warning
- Teach seniors how to use fire extinguishers
- Have extra medical supplies on hand in a senior’s home – i.e. wheelchair batteries, oxygen tanks, first aid supplies, etc.
Caring and Communication
Ultimately, the most important thing you can do to help keep your loved ones safe, no matter their age, is simply to take the time to call, visit and make sure that you always know what is going on in their lives. Caring and communication are the keys; if you care about someone, then you aren’t going to just send them off to a retirement community or assisted living housing project somewhere and let others worry about them so you don’t have to. The best way to ensure your elderly parents, grandparents, or family friends are safe and being looked out for is to take responsibility and do it yourself, with a lot of pleasure and love.
Elderly home bathroom design checklist?
- 1. Grab bars & handrails
- 2. An elevated toilet
- 3. A lower sink
- 4. A curbless walk-in shower stall, with optional seat
- 5. A Detachable and height-adjustable shower head
- 6. An anti-scald water device
- 7. A clearly labeled shower handle
What are the fall prevention tips for elderly people?
Several preventative measures can be taken to help reduce the likelihood of falls.
• Remove anything that could cause an elderly person to trip (loose rugs, electrical cords, etc.)
• Make sure safety bars are installed in the bathroom, and possibly elsewhere if it seems necessary
• Lower the dosages of any medications that cause dizziness as a side effect
• Teach the elderly person to use all equipment such as wheelchairs properly and safely
• Encourage seniors to practice exercises that help improve the sense of balance
• Eliminate any actions that might tend to cause dizziness or unsteadiness (proximity to a hot stove, getting up too quickly, etc.)
Any elderly person who has suffered from a fall should be taken to the doctor ASAP. Even if he or she has not sustained any serious injury, a doctor’s examination could uncover an underlying medical reason for the fall. For example, many seniors suffer from a condition called carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH). With CSH, a receptor located in the neck that helps regulate heart rate malfunctions, causing a slowing of that rate until insufficient blood and oxygen are being transmitted to the brain, which can cause fainting and/or falling.
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