A Broken Leg Is Only One Risk for Seniors at Home After a Fall

Posted: 3/7/2017 8:45 AM by Interim HealthCare
What do you think about if you envision an elderly loved one falling at home? Many people would immediately think about a broken leg, ankle, hip, or other limb. Would you ever think they could fall, smack their head, and suffer a brain injury? Probably not.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and a simple blow to the head can have devastating consequences. Sometimes there really is no rhyme or reason why one individual can take a fall, smack their head really hard, and suffer only a mild concussion will another individual never wakes up.
For seniors, the risk of tripping and falling or simply slipping and falling can increase with age. There are many contributing factors to this, and for those who ignore the risk factors, they actually put themselves at greater risk of injury, whether it’s a broken bone, strained ligaments, or a brain injury.

They will have weaker legs.
As people get older, even those who work out regularly are going to lose strength when they move through the 60s, 70s, and 80s. At some point in time it’s going to be extremely difficult for an elderly individual to get around without leaning on a cane, the wall, the back of a chair to get up, and more.
When a person has weaker legs, they have less balance. When you have less balance and face some type of potential tripping or slipping hazard, the risk of falling increases. This is one of the main reasons why it’s so important for seniors and their family and friends to look around the house and their immediate surroundings and assess the situation from that physical capacity.

How to improve safety.
Not only should lighting be improved throughout the house, grab bars would be beneficial to be installed around the tub or shower surround, around the toilet, and anywhere else the senior needs help getting up and down.

It would also be a good idea to consider home care support.
If a person has difficulty getting around, a home care aide can assist them getting out of bed in the morning, walking up and down stairs, doing laundry, going to the store, and more. Family and friends may certainly want to help, but if they have other responsibilities, which most people do, they might not offer the kind of consistency that would improve safety for their senior loved one at home.

Learn more about home care.