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Author: Ketan Shah

Falls are one of the leading causes of injury for seniors. With that in mind, it’s crucial for family caregivers to do as much as possible to help seniors avoid a fall if it’s at all possible. The good news is that experienced senior home care providers can offer a lot of assistance in meeting this goal.

What Could Contribute to a Fall?

Before putting together any plan for preventing falls, it’s vital for family caregivers to understand what contributes to a fall and why their aging adult might experience one. Age-related changes, like decreased muscle strength, vision changes, and problems with balance, are a big contributing factor for seniors. Health issues, as well as medications to treat those health issues, are another big factor. Environmental factors, like bad lighting and too many tripping hazards, can also play a role. Families have to pay close attention to the individual factors that are likely to affect their aging adults.

Taking a Deeper Look

But how can families take that deeper look that they need in order to fully assess fall risks for their seniors? The best way to start is always with healthcare providers. The senior’s medical providers can give seniors and family caregivers a thorough accounting of the health factors that families need to be aware of first. Home care providers can also offer valuable advice. They’ve got a lot of experience helping aging adults and their families, so they can share insights based on what they’ve seen happen in the past.

Making Physical Changes

Home modifications are an easy way to improve safety for seniors at home. Adjusting flooring and carpets to remove tripping hazards, installing grab bars for safety, and swapping out doorknobs for easy-open levers are just a few of the changes seniors might need. Identifying other fall risk factors can help seniors and family caregivers make decisions about other changes that need to happen around the house.

Therapeutic Recommendations

Improving issues like balance problems, loss of flexibility, and decreased strength is something else that seniors may need to focus on. That’s a lot easier to do with help from physical therapists and from simply moving more. Any type of exercise program needs to be medically cleared first, and then built into the daily routine.

Awareness and Hands-on Help

There’s a lot to keep up with and to learn when it comes to fall prevention. Senior home care providers offer hands-on help to seniors throughout the day, but they also can help family caregivers access resources they need to learn more. As family caregivers become more experienced in helping seniors stay as safe as possible, they’re better prepared to handle whatever comes their way.

There is never just one solution for fall prevention when it comes to helping seniors to be as safe as possible. Senior home care services can do a lot to make it easier for families to find what they need, however, and their experience is invaluable for families who want to be as proactive as possible.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring senior home care in Palo Alto, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Helpers today (408) 259-5930.