Keeping Senior Citizens Healthy

Keeping Senior Citizens Healthy

No one wants to face the giving up of his, or her, future independence due to a significant and preventable injury! Isn't it more reasonable to do all that we can to prevent these falls from ever happening? This is where you come in. You can help people prevent situations in their everyday environment that can easily lead to falls and spills and potential injuries!

A major and constant concern for many elderly and their caregivers is the danger of falling down. The CDC states, "Among people 65 years and older, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. Each year in the United States, nearly one third of older adults experience a fall." They also state that more than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States. These falls can result in significant bone breaks or other dangerous health problems. While trained medical caregivers are ready and willing to treat the victims of such accidents, these treatments can be costly, and the falls themselves take their toll in stress and recovery time. Their lasting effects can severely limit the quality of life and scope of mobility of many senior citizens. Many, who fall, even if they are not injured, develop such a strong fear of falling that it limits their future activities, leading to reduced mobility and physical fitness, and increasing their actual risk of falling in the future.

Most of these falls happen right in a senior citizen's own home. You will visit the person's home and perform an extensive fall prevention safety check. You will create an individualized list of danger zones that need fixing or alterations, or suggest ideas for fall prevention aids that can be installed to help prevent any potential falls. In some cases, the fix may be simple, such as improving the lighting in certain areas of the home or installing grab bars and non-skid tape in areas where potential slips can occur. Another fairly simple safety fix can involve installing light switches or nightlights at the top and bottom of staircases and attaching colored tape to the stairs to increase visibility. In other cases, especially in areas of the house where many of the injuries can potentially occur, such as the bathroom, there may need to be more drastic changes made, such as changing the type of tub or shower that is in the home. You could coordinate the work of a contractor for these issues and receive a percentage of the contractor's fees. You can charge about $20 for the initial safely inspection, and an hourly fee to make any changes or installations, depending on what their personal living environment requires, to be deemed safe.

You will likely also want to print up some sort of future checklist or brief brochure or pamphlet to educate and alert the homeowner or caregivers of potentially dangerous situations that can be prevented, such as keeping all walkways and common areas clear of laundry, toys, or other tripping hazards. It might be a good idea to cite CDC statistics in this printed material to remind them of the severity of the falls that can occur and just how important these precautions are. Remind them that, among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma! These are vital facts that they must constantly keep in mind! You can also use this printed matter to remind them of other things they can do to prevent falls such as exercising regularly to increase strength and improve balance, having their eyes checked yearly, ensuring the proper fit of all shoes and footwear, and having their medications reviewed regularly for possible interactions.


Resources:

http://www.cornerhardware.com

http://www.doityourself.com

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/adultfalls.htm

http://www.senior-fitness.com

http://www.ncoa.org

http://www.uspharmacist.com/index.asp?page=ce/105762/default.htm