Post-Rehab Fall Prevention: Keeping Seniors Safe at Home

Your loved one has just finished rehab after suffering a fall. Things are fine now, right? No not so fast, have you considered taking steps for fall prevention?

Statistics show that seniors who have already had a fall are at twice or even triple the risk of falling again.

This is really bad news, because falling can have incredibly serious outcomes for older adults. Among individuals who are 65 years and older, falls are a leading cause of broken hips, fatal injuries, and even traumatic brain injuries.

Just as bad, many seniors who experience falls develop an increased fear of falling, which can negatively impact their quality of life and prevent them from engaging in everyday tasks.

It doesn’t have to be this way though. You can engage in fall prevention at home in a variety of ways, including:

• Learning if the senior takes medications that might cause light-headedness or dizziness, which could result in another fall.
• Re-evaluating the number and types of medications to determine if they are necessary, some may be reduced or eliminated altogether.
• Ensuring the senior undergoes annual eye-checkups, as vision problems have been known to cause falls.
• Ask their health care providers about appropriate physical activity and exercises for them – particularly ones that focus on enhancing balance and coordination.
• Picking shoes that won’t lead to slips, tripping, or falling (e.g. ones with non-slip soles that aren’t too thick and that fit appropriately).

Of course, one of the most helpful things that you can do is help make house modifications for elderly that improve their safety. Many of these updates are cost-effective and can be done relatively quickly.