Bouncing Back After a Fall
A simple thing can change your life—like tripping on a rug or slipping on a wet floor.
If you fall, you could break a bone, like thousands of older men and women do each year. For older people, a break can be the start of a more serious problem like a trip to the hospital, a permanent disability, or even a move to a long-term care home.
More than one in three people aged 65 years or older fall each year. The risk of falling and fall-related problems rises with age.
Many Older Adults Fear Falling
The fear of falling becomes more common as people age, even among those who haven't fallen. Fear of falling may lead older people to avoid activities such as walking, shopping, or taking part in social activities. Don't let a fear of falling keep you from being active. Overcoming this fear can help you stay active, maintain your physical health, and prevent future falls.
Doing things like getting together with friends, gardening, walking, or going to the local senior center helps you stay healthy. The good news is, there are simple ways to prevent most falls. Fall prevention is an important topic to consider as you get older. Physical changes and health conditions — and sometimes the medications used to treat those conditions — make falls more likely as you age.
Still, fear of falling doesn't need to rule your life. Instead, consider nine simple fall prevention strategies.
Take the Right Steps to Prevent Falls
1. Keep Moving – Stay Physically Active
Plan an exercise program that is right for you. Regular exercise improves your muscles, balance, and coordination, and makes you stronger. It also helps keep your joints, tendons, and ligaments flexible.
Mild weight-bearing activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, water workouts, and tai chi, may slow bone loss from osteoporosis.
2. Eat Well
As a starting point, you can follow the updated Canada’s Food Guide. It is not perfect, but it is a good starting point. Eat a variety of food each day.
Have plenty of vegetables and fruit.
Eat protein foods.
Choose whole-grain foods.
Make water your drink of choice.
Don't skip meals. It can cause weakness and dizziness.
Eat a variety of calcium-rich food daily, such as dairy products, sesame seeds, soybeans, dark green leafy vegetables, canned salmon, figs, oranges, flour tortillas, and canned baked beans. Talk to your healthcare provider about taking a vitamin D supplement to keep your bones strong.
3. Take Care of Your Health
Start by making an appointment with your healthcare provider to assess your risk and discuss fall prevention strategies. Your healthcare provider may want to talk about the following:
Any previous falls.
Falls since your last check-up.
Your health conditions.
Have your eyes and hearing tested.
Stand up slowly – getting up too quickly can cause your blood pressure to drop. That can make you feel wobbly. Get your blood pressure checked at your appointment if you get dizzy when standing up.
Get enough sleep.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
4. Use Medication Wisely
Taking three or more medications a day can increase your risk of falling.
Common medications that can affect your balance include those for:
Sleep, anxiety, and depression
Heart and blood pressure
Arthritis and pain
Digestive, stomach, and nausea
Colds, flu, and allergies
Bladder control
Dementia symptoms
What you can do:
Have a medication review with your pharmacist every year.
Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if any of your medications can increase your risk of falling. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you experience drowsiness, dizziness, unsteadiness, or blurred vision.
Read directions carefully.
Keep an up-to-date list of all your prescription and non-prescription medicines. Take this list to all your medical appointments.
5. Use Assistive Devices
Your healthcare provider might recommend using a cane or walker to keep you steady.
Use an assistive device if you need help feeling steady when you walk. Make sure your assistive device is the right size for you and the wheels roll smoothly. A physical or occupational therapist can help you decide which devices might be helpful, fit them for you, and teach you how to use them safely.
Other assistive devices can help, too. For example:
Handrails for both sides of stairways
Nonslip treads for bare-wood steps
A raised toilet seat
Grab bars for the shower or tub
A sturdy plastic seat for the shower or tub — plus a hand-held shower nozzle for bathing while sitting down
6. Wear Sensible Shoes
Consider changing your footwear as part of your fall prevention plan. High heels, floppy slippers, shoes with slick soles, and walking in your stocking feet can make you slip, stumble and fall.
Instead, wear properly fitting, sturdy, flat shoes with non-skid soles. It is important that the soles are not too thin, or too thick. Sensible shoes may also reduce joint pain.
7. Remove Home Hazards
Look around your home for potential fall hazards. To make your home safer:
Remove boxes, newspapers, electrical cords, and phone cords from walkways.
Move coffee tables, magazine racks and plant stands from high-traffic areas.
Secure loose rugs with double-faced tape, tacks, or a slip-resistant backing — or remove loose rugs from your home.
Repair loose, wooden floorboards, and carpeting right away.
Store clothing, dishes, food, and other necessities within easy reach.
Immediately clean spilled liquids, grease, or food.
Use nonslip mats in your bathtub or shower.
8. Light Up Your Living Space
Keep your home brightly lit to avoid tripping on objects that are hard to see. Also:
Place night lights in your bedroom, bathroom, and hallways.
Place a lamp within reach of your bed in case you need to get up in the middle of the night.
Make clear paths to light switches that aren't near room entrances. Consider trading traditional switches for glow-in-the-dark or illuminated switches.
Turn on the lights before going up or down stairs.
Store flashlights in easy-to-find places in case of power outages.
9. Safety in Winter
Be very careful when walking on wet or icy surfaces. They can be very slippery! Try to have sand or salt spread on icy areas by your front or back door. Walk on areas that have sand or salt spread to decrease slipperiness. If the weather is particularly bad, only go out if it is necessary. Try to plan for bad weather in the winter and stock up.
Do you have a fall prevention tip? Please comment below and share your tips so we can all be safer.
