Falls can cause serious injuries among seniors, including broken hips and head trauma. The majority of elderly emergency room visits result from fall-related injuries, which makes it important to know how to prevent your senior loved one from losing his or her balance. Here are some tips for senior fall prevention.
Encourage Exercise & Balance Training
Your loved one’s risk of falling can increase if he or she is inactive, as weak bones and muscles typically lead to poor coordination. Seniors looking to reduce their risk of falls should stay active and receive balance training from their doctors or physical therapists.
Exercises such as calf raises, squats, and even walking can build muscle mass and stronger bones to prevent falls. Balance training, which can be done virtually anywhere, can show your loved one the right way to get up out of a chair or the best way to pick up something off the floor.
If your loved one needs help maintaining a regular exercise routine or assistance with general mobility, consider hiring a professional caregiver. Aging in place can present a few unique challenges for older adults. Some only require part-time assistance with exercise or meal preparation, while others are living with serious illnesses and benefit more significantly from receiving live-in care. Clearwater, FL, Home Care Assistance are leaders in the elderly in-home care industry for good reason. We tailor our care plans based on each senior’s individual needs, our caregivers continue to receive updated training in senior care as new developments arise, and we also offer comprehensive care for seniors with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s.
Watch for Changes in Vision
It’s also important for your loved one to stay on top of any changes in vision. If your parent’s eyesight has changed, it could easily affect depth perception. Impaired vision and problems with depth perception can make the easiest tasks, such as walking or reaching for objects that seem very close, more difficult, leading to a fall. Treating this may be as simple as getting new glasses, or it may require more extensive measures, such as laser surgery.
Hiring a professional caregiver is one of the many ways you can reduce a senior’s risk of falls. If your senior loved one needs help managing an illness or assistance with daily tasks, make sure you choose a top-rated provider of elder care. Home Care Assistance is here to help your loved one live a happier and healthier life in the golden years. From the mentally stimulating activities in our Cognitive Therapeutics Method to our friendly Care Managers who are available to answer your questions 24 hours a day, we offer a wide array of high-quality at-home care services.
Be Aware of Medication Side Effects
Your loved one may be taking prescribed medications for a wide variety of ailments. Many of these medications have side effects, including dizziness or drowsiness. If your loved one becomes dizzy or drowsy, this can cause instability, and he or she could end up seriously hurt after a fall. Talking about the medications your loved one is taking and how they affect him or her is an important step in fall prevention. Your parent may need to only take the medications when someone else is available to monitor his or her physical activity.
If your elderly loved one is living with a serious medical condition and needs help managing the tasks of daily living, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a Clearwater homecare services agency you can trust. Our caregivers are available 24/7, there are no hidden fees in our contracts, and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our in-home care services. Schedule a free in-home consultation by giving us a call today at (727) 330-7862.