As children become adults, their parents are also becoming senior citizens. Soon, many adult parents will begin watching over their elderly parents. With that in mind, it’s important to be prepared for such an important time in your life. As people age, they often become more susceptible to falling down. Considering that, it’s helpful to remain aware of how to prevent senior citizens falls from happening. Here are four helpful tips for preventing senior citizens from falling.
- Place Safety Bars in a Senior’s Bathroom
It’s important to know which rooms are commonly associated with senior citizen falls. Considering that, bathrooms are often rooms where senior citizen falls take place. This is because much of a home’s water usage takes place in this room. Therefore, bathroom floors are often slippery surfaces. You can prevent many of these types of falls from taking place by installing safety bars in a senior citizen’s bathroom. These bars help ensure that seniors have something to grab while suffering from dizziness. In addition, these bars are also helpful for seniors who have difficulties getting in or out of the bathtub. - Install a Wheelchair Lift for Homes with Stairs
Stairs are another potentially dangerous areas for seniors. In fact, research from the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that over one million Americans obtain injuries from stairs each year. Unfortunately, many of those who end up falling on stairs are seniors. Many seniors also move with the help of wheelchairs, making navigating stars impossible. With that in mind, many seniors are able to navigate stairs much easier than normal with the help of wheelchair lifts. These machines keep seniors secured while they move up or down stairs in a home. This prevents any chance of a senior trying to navigate stairs on their own. - Ensure Seniors Don’t Miss Doctor’s Appointments
Primary care physicians will be able to listen to and understand what’s going on in your senior’s life. Research shows that dizziness is the second most common complaint from patients in doctor’s offices. In fact, almost 70% of the nation’s population will experience dizziness at some point in their lives. Dizziness is often a major cause of falls that happen to senior citizens. Regardless of what’s bothering a senior citizen, ensuring they keep appointments with primary care physicians prevents small problems from spiraling out of control. - Inspect the Safety of a Senior’s Home
Research shows that almost 31 million injuries take place throughout the United States each year. Unfortunately, many of these injuries take place after seniors fall down at home. In many cases, senior citizens prefer to live on their own. If a senior citizen is living on their own, it’s a good idea to inspect the safety of their home. Sadly, many seniors are unable to perform basic home maintenance tasks. This could mean anything from replacing light bulbs to mowing their lawns. Finding and fixing these problems will help ensure that senior citizens avoid falling hazards.
To summarize, there are several preventative measures that help reduce the likelihood of seniors falling down. After senior citizens fall, this often means immediate visits to primary care physicians must take place. Therefore, many people want to avoid making emergency trips to family doctors in their area. Fortunately, you can achieve this goal by following the previously mentioned tips. In turn, the senior citizen in your life will remain safe by avoiding major fall risks. This allows you to live without constantly worrying about a senior citizen in your life getting hurt.