Falling has serious consequences for aging adults. Even one fall leaves seniors more vulnerable to injuries and complications from the fall. Family caregivers must understand the dangers of falling so that they can put plans in place to help prevent them for aging adults. Senior home care services can offer a lot of help with strategies and support to reduce fall risk.
Increased Risk of Injuries
Seniors are more likely to experience injuries after even a mild fall because they have lost muscle mass and bone density. These factors make a fracture more likely, which is a huge problem. Common injuries can include hip fractures, wrist fractures, and even head injuries.
Reduced Independence
After a fall, seniors often find that they lose confidence and experience a loss of independence. Fear of falling causes them to become more limited in what they do. This becomes a repeating cycle because limiting their movements makes them weaker and more likely to experience the fall they’re afraid will happen. Breaking that cycle is easier with home care assistance.
Longer Recovery Times
As they age, it takes seniors longer to recover from injuries. After a fall, recovery time increases even more. During recovery, seniors may find that they aren’t as able to engage in daily activities, which further hinders recovery and overall health. Avoiding the fall can avoid this problem.
Increased Healthcare Costs
Falls and the injuries they bring mean that seniors may have increased healthcare costs. They may even find themselves hospitalized. Increased medical expenses can bring with them a significant financial burden and bigger injuries mean bigger healthcare costs. Preventing falls helps seniors to keep their healthcare expenses under better control.
Avoiding Falls Involves Multiple Tactics
The biggest question seniors may have is how they can avoid falls. Keeping their homes safe and clean helps a lot, but it’s also important to exercise regularly. This helps seniors maintain muscle tone, balance, and flexibility, which are all vital to avoiding a fall. Seniors also benefit from keeping up with vision check-ups, medication reviews, and other health check-ups. Staying hydrated and using assistive devices that are recommended for them round out the list.
Senior Home Care Helps, Too
There’s a lot that seniors can do on their own to reduce fall risk. But they don’t have to do it all alone. Home care providers can offer help with maintaining a healthy diet and eating consistently, which can be difficult for seniors to remember to do. Professional caregivers also help seniors to avoid social isolation that can cause a decline in both mental and emotional well-being. Caregivers can notice changes that might not be obvious to seniors, helping them to avoid fall risks before they become a big problem.
Identifying fall risks and putting preventive strategies in place helps seniors and family caregivers to keep seniors living the lives they want to be living a lot longer. Experiencing a fall can make massive changes to what a senior’s future life is like. Senior home care providers are there to help, wherever they can.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HIRING SENIOR HOME CARE IN SUNNYVALE, CA, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT HOME HELPERS TODAY. (408) 317-4969.