Falls Are a Serious Risk to Elders

A couple of weeks ago, on my way into the bedroom while carrying a glass of water, Ollie the cat suddenly appeared from nowhere racing by at a hundred miles an hour. He cut directly in front of me, about an inch from my foot, and as I tried to sidestep him without spilling the water, I went down with a crash.

The next thing I knew, I "woke" on my knees with my head pitched over on the carpet. I don't think I was out more than a few seconds, but there was a big-time rug burn bleeding from my forehead and cheek that took about ten days to heal. A cashier at the local drug store asked who punched me.

Did you know that more than 4,700 Americans age 65 and older die from falls each year? According to the Home Safety Council, there are another 1.5 million non-fatal injuries from falling in the home every year.

That's the bad news. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to prevent falls.

Throw rugs are notorious skid hazards. Find a way to affix them permanently to the floor or, better, don't use them at all.

The Bathroom may be the most dangerous place in the house with water splashed on the floor and daily opportunities to fall when getting in and out of the tub or shower. Here are some precautions you can take:

• Use only bathmats with non-skid backing
• Install grab bars at levels to be used for both showers and tub baths. Towel bars are not appropriate for this use; they can easily break.
• Use a non-slip mat or attach non-slip strips to the floor of the tub.
• Wipe up water on the floor as soon as it appears
• Use nightlights in bathroom, halls and bedroom.

Stairs are another hazard that can be mitigated with good safety practices:

• Keep stairs clear of all clutter.
• Install bright lights at the top and bottom of stairs and at all landings.
• Install handrails on both sides of stairs and steps. Be sure they extend clear to the top and bottom of staircases
• Use rugs on stairs with care. They should be permanently affixed to the stairs.

Follow the same safety precautions for outdoor stairs and steps and have broken or chipped steps and walkways repaired as soon as possible.

Balance can become an issue with elders. Some medications or combinations of medications can contribute to dizziness and falls, so check with your physician if this is a problem for you. Regular exercise helps maintain balance and Tai Chi is a particularly good form of exercise to improve strength and balance. It also helps reduce stress.

Here are some facts from the Centers For Disease Control about elders and falling that should convince you to check your home for falling hazards:

• Men are more likely to die from a fall than women. After adjusting for age, the fall fatality rate in 2004 was 49 percent higher for men than for women
• Rates of fall-related fractures among older adults are more than twice as high for women as for men
• The risk of being seriously injured in a fall increases with age. In 2001, the rates of fall injuries for adults 85 and older were four to five times that of adults 65 to 74
• People 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely to be admitted into long-term care for a year or more

The Home Safety Council website has additional information about preventing falls at home including some excellent checklists [PDFs] you can print as guides to fall-proofing your home. Click on "Fall Prevention Resources" in the left sidebar.

Now if they could just figure out how to prevent a cat running lickety split through the house that doesn't involve locking him in a cage.

[At The Elder Storytelling Place today, kenju declares, I Need More Music in My Life.]