Don’t Let a Fall Bring You Down

A senior who’s suf­fered an injury from a fall knows the dra­matic impact it can have not just phys­i­cally, but psy­cho­log­i­cally. Falls can swiftly take away the sense of inde­pen­dence and con­fi­dence that allows a senior to fully enjoy their life.

Unfor­tu­nately, falls are all too com­mon in our aging pop­u­la­tion, 1 in every 3 Cana­di­ans over the age of 65 will expe­ri­ence a fall, with hips, wrists and pelvic frac­tures being the most com­mon injuries.

How­ever there are some easy tips and tech­niques any­one can use that help reduce the risk of injury as a result of a fall.

Reduce clut­ter in the home

Maybe it’s time for some fall clean­ing. Get­ting rid of loose arti­cles such as rugs pre­vents you from slip­ping or trip­ping in your home. Reduc­ing clut­ter can make for a much safer environment.

Ensure easy trans­fers in and out of the bath

The com­bi­na­tion of water and tile can be dras­tic. Installing grab bars in your bath­room to help with get­ting in and out of the tub is an afford­able adjust­ment that can min­i­mize your chances of slip­ping and falling on a wet floor.

Wear sup­port­ive footwear

Many of us wear slip­pers around the house, espe­cially dur­ing the colder months. Mak­ing sure your slip­pers have trac­tion and are non-slip can safe­guard you from falling in your home.

Have your eye­sight and hear­ing checked every year

Hav­ing your vision and hear­ing checked reg­u­larly is vital. If hear­ing or vision is impaired, you can miss impor­tant cues that help main­tain your bal­ance, result­ing in a fall.

Exer­cise regularly

Although it can be a daunt­ing task, exer­cis­ing to improve strength and coor­di­na­tion helps to pre­vent your chances of los­ing bal­ance and falling.

Have any med­ica­tions evaluated

It is pos­si­ble for a patient to receive sev­eral pre­scrip­tions from mul­ti­ple doc­tors. By eval­u­at­ing the med­ica­tion you are on, you can decrease the chances of side effects and keep your sen­sory func­tions that help you stay bal­anced and upright intact.

Have your strength and bal­ance tested

A per­son with low mobil­ity lev­els and poor bal­ance is at a higher risk of falling. Being mobile and con­tin­u­ing to improve bal­ance is vital to help­ing pre­vent falls and injuries.

By fol­low­ing these falls pre­ven­tion tips, you can reduce your chances of expe­ri­enc­ing a fall that may lead to addi­tional injuries down the road. Visit a doc­tor of chi­ro­prac­tic or other qual­i­fied health pro­fes­sional to test your steadi­ness, bal­ance and strength and give you addi­tional infor­ma­tion on falls prevention.

Source: Ontario Chi­ro­prac­tic Asso­ci­a­tion website