Fall Prevention: Simple And Effective Home Strategies To Follow To Prevent Fall
Falling is a normal part of early childhood, but even a minor fall can be devastating as we age. For elderly people, falls can result in significant injuries, disability, and even mortality. The good news is that most falls can be averted by taking necessary proactive measures such as modifying your home setting, beginning with an exercise regimen, and scheduling regular checkups with your healthcare provider.
Why Do We Fall?
The risk of falling rises as you age, statistics reveal that about 36 million falls occur each year in adults over the age of 65. Especially, elderly people who are weak or have other comorbid conditions are at higher risk for falls. One of the major risk factors for falls in older adults is the history of a previous fall. Moreover, anything that reduces your strength and mobility, impacts your balance or alters your ability to walk and stand upright may increase your risk of falling.
Home Strategies in Fall Prevention
We spend most of our time at home and we keep moving about without giving much attention to our safety. But you know, half of the falls are from our home environment since we don’t recognize the things that cause our trips and falls. Even a slightest change in our home set up can reduce falls to a great extent.
What can I do
These small changes can bring back your confidence in carrying out your daily activities without much fear of falls.
- Try to remove any material from the floor that causes you to trip or slip. To do this you just need to be organized. Avoid leaving items on hallways and staircase that can cause you to trip easily. Remove any item that is on the floor which prevents you from walking easily. Arrange your sofas and beds in a way that allows free movement.
- Ensure proper flooring. Lowering high steps in your doorways or making them even can prevent you from tripping. Make sure you have anti-skid carpets in your doorways, especially near bathroom doors.
- Avoid walking on wet floors and ensure there are no water spills in your walking area.
Tiled flooring can be slippery when you are wearing a sock so try to avoid walking on a sock. A Leaky faucet, water cans or tubes, even a leaky water bottle can cause a fall and all these need to be fixed immediately.
- Uneven floorings or even some types of floor covering can make walking difficult and cause a fall. So be mindful of the type of floors and ensure proper support.
- Ensure adequate lighting in walkways especially at night. Poor lighting can cause tripping especially if you have poor eyesight. On the other hand, a bright light might also affect your ability to see clearly because of its glaring effect. So, a good lighting set up is necessary that does not cause any discomfort to your eyes. The most important areas to have good lighting include your Bathroom, bedroom and staircase.
- Do not use furniture which has got wheels or move when you try to sit or take a nap. Use tables, chairs and bed that provides you with good stability and is firm on the ground. Also do not go for beds or sofas that are too low to sit or lie down as getting up might be difficult.
- Store items and things in places that are easy to reach and not at a higher level that requires using a stool. It is always better to store things at low levels or in places comfortable to reach.
- Wear comfortable shoes that prevent you from tripping. Prefer rubber soles over others.
- It is essential to get regular eye follow-ups to prevent falls happening owing to poor vision.
A note from Balanced Gait and PT
Home modifications are simple and easy to make but yet some modifications require the advice of an expert. Our Fall prevention programs are innovative and evidence based. Consult our team of healthcare experts to know more about fall prevention programs and improve your overall quality of life.
References
1.https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/preventing-falls/home-safety/prevent-falls-by-identifying-hazards-at-home/
- https://www.ncoa.org/article/home-modification-tools-and-tips-to-help-prevent-falls/
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000052.htm