For people with dementia, it is important to have furniture that they can get up from by themselves.
Fall Prevention for Seniors: An Overview
Fall Prevention and Awareness
Some Statistics
The National Institute of Aging calculates that 1 in 3 Americans aged 65+ fall each year.
Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths.
In 2015, the total cost of fall injuries was $50 billion. Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these costs.
The financial toll for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages and may reach $67.7 billion by 2020.
Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of non-fatal, trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/ Source
Gravity is a fact of life on planet earth. We know this. Yet when we, or a loved one, falls it is alarming. We want to know how this happened and why. We want to fix it so that it doesn’t happen again. Among senior adults, a fall can precipitate a trip to the emergency room, or an in-patient stay at the hospital.
Depending on the patient and the severity of the fall, recovery can take days or months with rehabilitation, physical therapy and increased care. A study cited by Kaiser Health News reveals that hospitalization due to a fall can rapidly diminish a person’s muscle strength. If the patient is limited to infrequent walks, they can lose mobility which can require months of physical therapy to regain strength. https://khn.org/news/fear-of-falling-how-hospitals-do-even-more-harm-by-keeping-patients-in-bed/
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital-Highlands is one of several hospitals that recognize the specific healthcare needs of elderly patients by creating specialized geriatric care units. At UAB Medicine’s Acute Care for Elders Unit (ACE), the nurses, doctors, therapists and staff want patients to spend less time in bed. They urge patients who have been mobile before admission, “Keep moving…the bed is not your friend.” This is an important part of treatment. Studies have found that there is a lower rate of re-admissions even if a patient walks only 275 steps a day. https://khn.org/news/elderly-patients-in-the-hospital-need-to-keep-moving/
Falls are Traumatic
We lose muscle mass as we age. Arthritis joint pain and neuropathy make walking more difficult. Medicines and inner ear problems can throw off our balance. Age-related vision complications mean unseen tripping hazards. These issues can bring us down…hard.
There are numerous repercussions when one falls. There is an increased fear that movement will make the pain worse or “I’ll fall again.” This fear can keep a person captive with a reluctance to move around their living space. They fear an increase in pain when there is evidence that even a few steps each day can help with strength and balance. Seniors also can experience social isolation and depression caused by medications which can increase their fears resulting in less human contact.
The National Council on Aging states, “Falls, with or without injury, carry a heavy quality of life impact. A growing number of older adults fear falling and, as a result, limit their activities and social engagements. This can result in further physical decline, depression, social isolation, and feelings of helplessness.” https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/
Recent studies have also highlighted the negative effect of too much sitting. These studies have shown that prolonged sitting throughout the day can lower oxygen levels in your blood; negatively impact your heart, and increase the onset of dementia. Also, studies have shown prolonged sitting can worsen Type 2 Diabetes and even cause cancers.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404815/
“MOTION IS LOTION”
Movement is key to one’s sense of independence. When a baby stands and takes a few tentative steps, it reminds us of the joy we feel when we walk...even a few steps. Movement helps every part of our bodies, even the achy parts. It also helps our mental well being.
“MOTION IS LOTION” is a common saying among physical therapists and healthcare professionals. Movement is more important as we age because if we don’t use the muscles, we lose strength. It takes much more time and rehabilitation to get back to a baseline.
https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/motion-is-lotion/
What can you do?
There are many ways to understand fall risks and address prevention:
Talk to your doctor who can assess risks for falling
Discuss with your doctor all medications and vitamin D levels
Remove tripping hazards:
Cords -- move all cords...phone, electrical and computer behind furniture and against the wall
Area rugs – remove area rugs, use bath mats with non-slip backing
Low furniture – move low furniture away from pathways.
Move stacks of books, newspapers, magazines which are slipping and tripping hazards and should be removed, recycled and/or stored.
Create clear paths to the bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen.
Brighter lighting throughout the home will make it easier for an elderly resident to move around. Replace dim light bulbs with higher lumen bulbs.
Increase Movement as you are able. Simple strength and balance exercises can keep you vertical!
Exercises such as Tai Chi, gentle yoga and Sit and Be Fit videos can benefit most seniors. https://www.sitandbefit.org/about/
As we age, we change. Anticipating the changes and how one will navigate through their living space is vital to one’s well being. It is also important to make use of the resources available to senior adults. Start with the local senior center or municipal department for seniors. There are many non-profit organizations and associations that offer useful information to families and friends:
AARP: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2019/tips-preventing-falls.html
Alzheimer’s Association: https://alz.org/
National Association of Senior Move Managers: www.nasmm.org,
References:
Center for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/hospital/fallpxtoolkit/fallpxtk3.html
National Council on Aging
https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/
Mayo Clinic