One of the worse things that can happen to the elderly is falling. You may think that falling can only cause minimal damage if you fall from a short height. However, even the slightest fall may cause you injuries once you hit your sixties. According to statistics, one out of five falls causes severe damage, such as broken bones or head injuries.
Each year, over three million older people are treated to medical institutions because of fall injuries. Most of these injuries are head injuries and hip fractures. Three hundred thousand people hospitalized from falls are due to hip fractures. Most hip fractures are caused by falling sideways, and falls are the most common cause of traumatic injuries.
Some falls do not cause injuries. However, the chance of getting injuries out of a fall is one out of five. Falls can cause broken bones, like wrist, arm, ankle, and hip fractures. If an older person falls and hits their head, they should immediately consult a medical professional because there might be a risk of brain injuries.
Even if a person is not injured, there is a considerable chance that that person will be afraid of falling, which causes them to cut down on everyday activities. When a person becomes less active, there is a significant increase that the person might fall again because the leg of the person becomes weaker. Older people are not that active compared to young ones.
There are several reasons why there is a bigger chance that older people might fall. One reason for this occurrence is lower body weakness. Whether you like it or not, the human body slowly deteriorates as you age. Another reason why people tend to fall is because of the deficiency of Vitamin D in the body.
Suppose you suffered from another injury or have difficulty with walking or balancing. The use of medicines such as tranquilizers, sedatives, or antidepressants can get you tired, which increases the chance of falling. Because of old age, your vision may not be as good as when you are young, which means that you might trip.
A combination of risk factors causes most falls. The more risk factors a person has, the higher their chances of falling. To decrease the chance of falling, you should cut down the possible causes of falling for a safer environment at home. The excellent news is that falling can be prevented, and you can avoid it by consulting a doctor.
You can ask your doctor or healthcare provider to evaluate the risk of your elderly loved ones falling and what you can do to prevent them. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines to see if any might make you dizzy or sleepy. This should include prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication.
Taking Vitamin D supplements can also help prevent falls from happening. Exercises that make the legs stronger is also essential for older people. Having eyeglasses also improve the vision of the elderly. If you have bifocal or progressive lenses, you may want to get a pair of glasses with only your distance prescription for outdoor activities.
To make your home safer, you can get rid of things you could trip over, add grab bars inside and outside your tub or shower, and next to the toilet. Put railings on both sides of the stairs and make sure your home has lots of light by adding more or brighter light bulbs. There are more reasons why older people fall.
If you want to know why older people always fall, you can read this infographic from Euro-American Connections & Homecare.
