Slip & Fall Prevention Education
Falls Happen
Maybe you don’t need to worry about falls but perhaps you have a family member who does. And anyone can trip over an unexpected bump in the road.
So take a minute and think about your loved one.
Do they trip sometimes or a lot?
Do they have trouble stepping over curbs, stairs, do they look down a lot, do they feel anxious sometimes about falling?
Fear of falls can damage a person’s quality of life.
Here’s how to keep everyone on the up and up.
The 4 1/2 Keys to Fall Prevention
1. Do exercise to improve balance and strength
2. Review your medications with your doctor at your next checkup
1/2. Orthostatic Hypotension and falls
3. Get your vision and hearing checked
4. Make your home safer
EXERCISE TO IMPROVE BALANCE & STRENGTH
To have good balance all the below need to be in good working order:
A. Your sense of where your body is in space (proprioception)
B. Your vision
C. Your vestibular system (the coordination of movement and balance through postural reflexes and eye movements)
D. Your sensory system
E. Your muscles
F. Your Sense of Sure-footedness (anxiety & fear of falling is as detrimental to functional moment and daily activities as a fall)
WHAT ARE YOU TAKING?
As we get older, the ways we metabolize medicine, even over-the-counter ones, changes and may contribute to feelings of increased sleepiness.
For example, over-the-counter medicine for hay fever or insomnia has been shown as a possible link for increased risk of falls in older men*. That’s why it’s important to have a conversation with your primary care doctor to ensure your prescriptions and any combination is still right for you.
Richardson K, Bennett K, Maidment ID, et al. Use of Medications with Anticholinergic Activity and Self-Reported Injurious Falls in Older Community-Dwelling AdultsJournal of the American Geriatrics Society. Published online July 22 2015
ORTHOSTATIC HYPOTENSION and FALLS
WHAT IS IT?
Your blood pressure quickly drops when moving from lying down to sitting up or from sitting to standing up.
When your blood pressure drops, essentially there is decreased blood flow to your organs and muscles. You may experience dizziness, feeling lightheaded or faint, experience clammy hands, weakness headaches or blurry vision. These symptoms increase the risk of falls and should be monitored.
WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?
High blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, hardened arteries, medications such as diuretics, antidepressants or any prescriptions that lower blood pressure.
If you have been diagnosed with a neurological condition such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia or have been bed ridden for an extended period of time.
If can also be as single as being dehydrated, lack of Vitamin D, and in some cases as a result of excessive alcohol consumption.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Let’s say you are lying down and are about to sit up and start your day: gently move your lower limbs, scrunch your toes, ankle circles, point and flex your feet, bend and straighten your knees, hips, make fists with your hands and release a few head side to side. Sit up slowly and WAIT a few seconds before standing up. Stand up and wait a few seconds. Allow your body to settle.
Any symptoms of dizziness or blurry vision, sit down and wait it out. When it passes resume standing up, wait. When confident any of the symptoms above have receded, go about your day….. but every time sit or stand throughout the day take a moment to bring your attention to how you are feeling.
Rubenstein, L. Z. (2006). Falls in older people: epidemiology, risk factors and strategies for prevention. Age and ageing, 35(suppl_2), ii37-ii41.
Wieling, W., Krediet, C. P., Van Dijk, N., Linzer, M., & Tschakovsky, M. E. (2007). Initial orthostatic hypotension: review of a forgotten condition. Clinical science, 112(3), 157-165.
CHECK OUT AN EYE CHART ONCE A YEAR
Vision is the last to develop as an infant and first to diminish as we age. We use vision far more that we think. The next time you’re running errands, pay attention to just how much you look down to walk around, up and down stairs!
What’s more, diagnosis such as glaucoma or cataracts limit your visual fields. If you are beginning to experience feeling dizzy, vertigo, unsteadiness, mention these symptoms to your eye doctor. You may need to be referred to an ENT doctor for possible vestibular related issues, as this system is key to balance, head position in space and movement.
HOME SAFE HOME
Preventing falls before they happen is one of the best ways to keep your independence. Here are some tips.
All Around The House
Remove objects that could trip you such as misplaced shoes, electrical chords, books, bags
Tape rugs to the floor or remove them all together
Wear non-slip shoes indoors and out
Use a sturdy step stool in the kitchen to reach for high placed ingredients and/or store heavy and most used kitchenware at shoulder or waist level for ease of use
In the Bathroom
Put professionally installed grab bars next to and inside the tub
Install another grab bar next to the toilet. (Grabbing a towel rack is not helpful and potentially dangerous.)
Always use a non-slip mat in the tub or shower stall. Remove clutter from the sides of the tub. A bottle of shampoo underfoot could cause a bad slip.
Remove any bathroom rugs you cannot tape down
Keep it Light
Increase the lighting in your home. And remember light colored curtains and shades will decrease any glare
At night, keep accessible lighting close by. Turn on your bedside lamp or motion activated night light to illuminate your path to the bathroom safely without disturbing anyone else.
