Millions of people are injured every year. At a young age, falls are often limited to bruises or abrasions, but in old age, they are often accompanied by serious injuries and fractures that can change your whole life, lead to disability, immobility and early death.
Injuries from falling can be varied. The most dangerous complications include craniocerebral fractures of the femoral neck, dislocations of the joints, spinal injuries.
All causes of falls in old age can be divided into two groups: external and internal. The first ones are connected with the improper organization of safe movement: uncomfortable shoes, poor glasses, lack of auxiliary means of transportation (walking sticks, walkers), low safety of the dwelling, the second – with age-related changes of the musculoskeletal system, eye organ and cardiovascular system. My Canadian Pharmacy gives you some tips that you need to take into account and use in order to avoid a fall.
Some tips to prevent a fall:
- Do physical exercises to strengthen muscles and bones regularly;
- Remove things from the house that may contribute to the fall;
- Store the necessary in easily accessible places;
- Make handles and handrails in the bathroom;
- Keep the staircase and the hallway well lit;
- When using drugs, be sure to consult a doctor about their possible effects;
- Wear comfortable shoes with non-slip soles, use orthopedic insoles to compensate for the static failure of the foot.
Memo for every day for an elderly person:
- Do not lift heavy things;
- Do not do something that can cause tension in the back, for example, a sharp opening of a window glued for the winter;
- Do not bend low to pick up an object from the floor. You’d better sit down, keeping your back straight;
- Do not use chairs, stools as a staircase, if you want to get high objects. This risk is not justified. Better ask someone to do this;
- Secure the mat on the bathroom floor;
- Do not get up from a sitting and lying position too quickly, because during this time the reduced blood pressure does not have time to rise, which leads to weakness and, as a possible consequence, to falls;
- Maintain the night temperature in the house not lower than 68°F; prolonged exposure to a room with a low temperature may lead to a decrease in body temperature, which, in turn, will lead to drowsiness and subsequent falls;
- Regularly check your vision, old unsuitable glasses distort the perspective;
- Wear rubber-soled shoes, especially on slippery stairs and paved floors.
To learn more, visit the Minnesota Falls Prevention website: http://www.mnfallsprevention.org/