In Aged Care one of the most common causes of injuries are related to falls. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, those who are in the 65+ age group are over three times more likely to be hospitalised due to falling than those in the 42 – 64 category. This statistic highlights that fall-related injuries are a huge risk to the elderly, and particularly bad falls can lead to long-term issues for them.
As a Professional Carer or someone who is providing care to a loved one, it’s up to you to take the necessary measures to ensure that the risks of a fall are minimised when they are under your care, and also when they’re alone.
In this week’s blog we’ve highlighted 6 simple things that you can implement yourself to ensure that your client or loved one does not experience a fall-related injury.
Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
Diet and exercise can play a big part in fall prevention in the elderly. Encouraging your client to regularly exercise can help with coordination and make their muscles and joints stronger. This will make it easier for them to hold up their own weight and keep their balance, as well as promoting joint mobility, which can decrease the likelihood of a fall.
In addition to exercise, ensuring that your client is maintaining a healthy diet and a regular fluid intake is vital. Food and water is fuel and without it, energy and concentration levels can decrease significantly, and at that stage of their life, they need to be keenly aware of their surroundings on order to prevent any risks of a fall.
Lighting
A lot of falls in the elderly are a result of the lack of visibility in certain areas. Eye sight is something that deteriorates greatly with age so if there is poor lighting, your client’s awareness of their surroundings will be impacted.
If they are living at home, make sure that rooms and paths to important locations such as: from the bedroom to the toilet, staircases and the front door are clearly lit. A good option are sensor lights, which will automatically turn on as they detect movement nearby. This way your client will have very clear visibility and will be far less likely to trip over something.
If you’re working in a residential facility, then a lot of lighting will already be provided for residents, but it’s still important to stay vigilant and be on top of things like arranging to change dead light bulbs as soon as they’re identified.
Footwear
What your client is wearing on their feet can have an impact on their likelihood to fall or slip. Their ability to keep their balance is already affected, so making sure they are wearing appropriate footwear is important.
When indoors, socks by themselves are a no-go, especially on polished surfaces – the lack of friction they create is minimal, meaning it can be easy to slip over. Instead look at soft, comfortable slippers with proper grip along the sole. It’s a similar idea for outdoor activities as well. A well-fitted pair of shoes with a broad, rounded heel to maintain a good distribution of weight and a sole that has a good grip is the way to go.
Also keep in mind the size of what they are wearing. The footwear needs to be tight enough that their foot won’t slip in and out of it, but not so tight that it hurts their feet.
Remove Tripping Hazards
Clutter and things being in the wrong place is a big cause of falls, so always be sure to keep walkways, hallways and key paths clear of any objects or spillages that could cause issues.
Never leave an object lying on the ground unsupervised – even if you’re in the middle of doing something. The consequences of a fall far outweighs the time it takes to put something in a safe location. If you see something, even a piece of linen that’s fallen out of a trolley, pick it up straight away. Anything, even a towel, can be a tripping hazard. The same applies for any spillages. Put up a sign to signify the spill and look to get it cleaned up immediately.
Home Maintenance
If you have a client or are taking care of a loved one in their home, there are many things you can do to ‘fall-proof’ their house.
The first of these are installing hand railings along any stairs, long hallways, showers and toilets. These are the key areas where falls could occur, so ensuring that they have something to hold on to as they are walking or showering will mean that they will be able to keep their balance. Also, as a more advanced step, look to replace any small stairs with ramps and try to get rid of any raised parts of flooring.
In the worst case scenario where they do have a fall, personal medical alarms are a vital tool as they will be able to easily call for help if they’ve fallen.
Monitor Them
This one is pretty straight forward and also it’s the safest tip. There is no substitute for monitoring your client or loved one on a regular basis, and developing a falls prevention program. Any changes in their health should be viewed as a potential increase in their risk to fall. Look out for differences in their gait and balance, so you can report any changes as soon as they occur.
While these are some of the easiest steps to implement, it only scratches the surface of what you can do as a Carer to help prevent your client or loved-one from experiencing a nasty fall. Use the tips we’ve given you here as a starting point and build on it by doing some research to find other helpful pieces of advice – the internet has heaps of resources on this topic!