Falls & Fall Prevention in the Elderly and Disabled

Everyone falls from time to time. But injury from falls and slips in the elderly or disabled cannot always be avoided, but the risks can be reduced. Before we look at what to do if someone does fall, let's look at what the causes are for people to fall over. People are at higher risk of falling over if they have had a fall in the last 12 months if they have balance or ear problems if they are scared of falling over and sometimes with mental health problems. Medicines can also increase the risks, as they may have side effects like sight problems, balance, make you feel dizzy or lightheaded. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise you on possible side effects of medicines and the best medicines to take, also problems with taking one medicine or another medicine.
Other problems can occur with medicines that you need to take them at certain times. So, if you take them at the wrong time, you might find side effects, which could affect your balance. Always make sure your doctor reviews your medicines every six months to make sure that you are getting the right prescription. Ensuring that you eat regularly and healthily can also help, because as your sugar levels drop, this can cause dizziness. Your doctor's surgery can put you in touch with people who can help within diet if you need help. Make sure you wear your glasses, also your hearing aids and make sure your home is well lit. As where you are going you need to be able to see dangers clearly. You can get free eye tests and also hearing tests. There are some opticians, that will even come and test your eyes in your own home.
If you have pets, make sure the pets are safe and their toys are out of the way and keep them tidy. A dog can leave dribble or urine on the floor, and this could cause a slip hazard. Your footwear is very important to reduce slipping and falling. Make sure your footwear is in good condition, and the soles are not broken. Shoes should fit correctly and have good grips and effective fasteners to keep them in place. If your shoes are not done up, or they are loose, this can easily trip you over. Avoid wearing socks. If you are just wearing socks you can very easily slip over, stub your toes and can cause problems. So sometimes being barefoot can actually be better than just wearing socks on their own.
Clothing can also cause problems, as badly fitting clothes that are too long or dressing gowns can be too long, and they can cause you to trip up as well. Loose clothing can also get caught on door handles, which will pull you over. Loose rugs, mats or maybe damaged carpets can trip you over as can cables or anything else lying on the floor.
Take care when going to the toilet, particularly at night, make sure you turn the lights on, use handles and keep yourself safe. If you are using mobility aids, make sure they are in good working order, and they have been adjusted in size for you. Walking sticks, crutches and frames must be maintained and have good rubbers on the end, where they come into contact with the ground. The rubber should be checked daily as the stick can sometimes cut through the rubber. So, what you end up doing is when you are using your stick is you are pushing down on metal on the floor, which can cause you to fall over. Your doctor or hospital can advise where to get help to get the sticks maintained.
If you do fall, the first thing you need to do is try and relax and not panic. Relax and think what you need to do rather than quickly try and get up, as it is often when people quickly get up they can fall over again. Attempt to get onto your hands and your knees and crawl to a piece of furniture that you can use to actually pull yourself up. If you are unable to get up, then you need to contact help, maybe by shouting for help, using an emergency pendant, bells or a phone to try and get someone to come and help you. Try to keep yourself as warm as possible and if you can, keep yourself hydrated. Maybe pull some cushions onto the floor to help give you a little bit more support. If you do pass urine on the floor, try and move away from it and then maybe put something down onto it to just to absorb up the liquid.
A lot of what we have covered is common sense, but if you do not take care, you can easily fall over. Make sure you tell someone if you fall or feel dizzy at times as you can get more help or maybe adjustments to your medication to help make you feel a lot better and stay safer.