Fall Prevention Awareness Week
Among older adults, falling is the leading cause of trauma, injury, or even death. Falls can take a toll on older adults’ quality of life and independence.
Fall Prevention Awareness Week September 23rd – 29th.
We’ll examine, the seriousness of falls along with ways to reduce the risk of falling.
While age increases the risk of falling, other factors such as chronic disease and vision loss also contribute to falls. Below are several ways of preventing or minimizing the risk of falling.
- Regular Exercise and Activity
Regular exercise and activity help promote muscle strength and balance, thus lessening the risk of falling. It’s also good for overall physical and mental health.
- Alarm Systems
There are several alarm systems available for seniors and their caretakers which can be used in case of a fall. A monitor can be worn or installed in the home, making it easier to contact emergency services and receive help quickly
- Voice Commands for Smart Hubs
Voice control through home automation may also be beneficial to older adults. Smart hubs compile all the smart devices in your home and allow you to control them with your voice from a single hub. This device can reduce the number of times an older adult walks up and down stairs or around the home unnecessarily, resulting in a reduced risk of falling.
- Stairlifts
For some older adults, a stairlift is a good investment. Less strength in muscles means climbing stairs can be dangerous. Stairlifts allow seniors to ascend and descend flights of stairs without help or difficulty.
- Programmable Smart Lights
Lighting is important for preventing falls by being both efficient and convenient. With smart lights, it’s easy to remotely control the brightness of a room or walkways outside the home. Users can program lights to turn on when they walk into a room which is very important in preventing falls, especially for visually impaired adults.
- Optimum Health
Identifying and treating health risk factors is important, including treating blood pressure, vitamin D and calcium supplementation, and treating visual impairment. Exercises and balance training can help with these conditions.
There’s no doubt that aging increases the risk of falls, but that doesn’t mean older adults shouldn’t and can’t take precautionary measures to minimize their risk.