By Rick Banas of BMA assisted living management
Stephanie Mings contacted me recently with a great suggestion for a Blog. With June designated as National Safety Month, how about posting a Blog about Fall Prevention.
After all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older adults.
More than one-third of adults age 65 and older fall each year, and more than 1.8 million are treated in emergency rooms for fall related injuries. More than 433,000 older adults are hospitalized each year as a result of the injuries they sustain in falls.
Stephanie is with NovaCare Rehabilitation, which provides programs and services to help individuals manage conditions that impact balance. They have offices near our affordable assisted living communities in Benton, Carbondale, McLeansboro and Mt. Vernon, Illinois as well as in Marion and West Frankfort.
Stephanie offers the following Safety Tips to help reduce your risk of falling:
Always wear supportive footwear. Eliminate or curtail your use of loose-fitting shoes such as flip-flops.
Pick up telephone and electrical wires from the floor.
Make sure each room, walkway and stairway has appropriate lighting.
Use night lights where needed.
Instead of bending forward to pick up items from the floor, use reachers. Remember, picking up dropped items could cause a fall.
Try not to wear loose-fitting clothing such as robes that can catch on furniture corners.
Make sure you have tight and secure handrails on all stairs.
Place grab bars next to your toilet and next to and in your tub/shower. Make sure that they have been properly installed and can support the weight of a person who may be falling.
Place non-skid mats in your bathtub.
Remove all throw rugs.
Pick up magazines and paper off your floor and stairs.
Keep toys for your pet(s) in a designated, easy-to-avoid area.
Do not stand up too quickly. Use the armrest of your chair to steady yourself first.
I encourage you to keep in mind that the risk of serious injury from a fall increases with age so don’t delay in taking steps to decrease your risk of falling.
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
