Tripping over rugs or on the corner of a table is nothing but an annoyance when you’re younger. However, the older you get, the more risks that come with falling and having long-term consequences. Falling in the elderly is associated with high risks of mortality, especially if post-operative directions and rehab are not followed. It’s important as family members or caretakers of the elderly, to be aware of the risks, the protocol, and resources to help you help them. Below is some information on how to improve safety around your elderly family members or patients, and what to do in the incidence of a fall.

How to Avoid a Fall

As your parents or patients get older, it’s essential to increase the safety around their house. Decorative items an bulky furniture may look nice, but can actually pose great fall risks. It’s also important to notice any structural deficits that may put them at an increased risk for a fall. Here are a few things to be aware of and talk with your parent or patient about changing or removing:

Throw rugs and clutter

Throw rugs are so beautiful, and almost necessary in wood floor or hard floor houses. However, they actually pose a great fall risk for the elderly. When the corners lift or they make the floor uneven, this can interfere with their proprioception as they think the floor is lower than it actually is. This causes them to not lift their foot high enough, or they may. not be able to lift their foot high enough, which results in them tripping and falling over the rug.

The same goes for clutter. Over the years, they may have collected so many items, that there just isn’t enough shelf space. Leaving it on the floor, even in neat little piles, can be dangerous. Elderly individuals may have lost some of their peripheral vision and may not see, and therefore avoid, the piles of clutter on the floor. This can cause them to fall as well.

Fix broken steps or uneven floors

Uneven floors and broken steps are another serious fall hazard. If your parents or patients have lived in the same house for decades, there may be parts that need improving or fixing, like floorboards that have lifted or depressions in the foundation that may have changed the levelness of the floor. It’s important that you expect their houses for these missteps as they can trip the elderly, leading to a fall. It’s also important to be aware of broken steps and making sure to fix those. Even rugs on stairs is a bad idea as it can decrease the traction, leading to a slip and fall down stairs.

Add handlebars and handrails

As your parents or patients get older, it’s important to start considering adding handlebars and handrails to areas of high fall risk. These areas include stairs, the bathroom, bathtub, and even slick surfaces like the kitchen. As unsightly as some of them may look, they are important in reducing fall risk because they give your parent or patient extra support. Not only is it important to install them, but also to check them for stability and looseness. If they are loose and your parent or patient reach out for them, then they could come loose, resulting in an even worse injury. Traction pads in the bathtub and slick surfaces may also help reduce the fall risk for them.

What can happen after a fall

Falls in the elderly are common, unfortunately, and it is important to know what may happen after a fall. If your parent or patient is in good health with strong bones, then they may not have too many complications after a fall. However, if your parent suffers a bad fall, and/or has a bone disease (like osteopenia/osteoporosis), or has a vitamin deficiency which makes them less stable, then they may have to have surgery to repair broken bones.

A majority of the falls that have injury are due to a hip fracture from falling sideways. Other possible injuries are head injuries like a concussion or a mild traumatic brain injury. Most falls do not cause injuries but 1 out of 5 falls does cause a serious injury leading to broken bones or head injury – especially for those on blood thinners.

If your parent of patient falls, it’s essential to get them checked out to make sure they are okay and there is no underlying bleeding. Check their medication to see if any of them are blood thinners or may causes them to be deficient in an essential vitamin like vitamin C.

Possible Surgeries

After a bad fall that results in a broken bone, it may be necessary that your patient or parent has to undergo surgery. This surgery could be to repair a fractured hip, wrist, ankle, or any other bone that may have been broken. An orthopedic surgeon could insert a screw to keep bones in place until they heal, or they could find another way to immobilize it so it has a good chance of healing in the right way.

In the case of surgery, it’s important to prepare for it when possible. This can include smoking cessation, diabetic and hypertensive management improvement, and anything else that can give the best possible outcome for surgery. It’s also important that all parties stay calm and hopeful. Surgery can be very intimidating, especially for older populations. It’s important that as the family or caregiver, that you reassure your parent or patient that everything is okay.

How to improve outcomes after surgery

Postoperative management is extremely important in elderIy populations because that greatly impacts the risk of mortality. Elderly patients who are stagnant after surgery, especially hip surgery or some other larger lower extremity, must get up and move after their surgery. If they do not, then their risk of death increases exponentially. .

Going to rehab and ensuring that they are doing the recommended exercises is so important. Assist them in getting to physical therapy or even arrange for them to stay in a rehabilitation facility until they are okay to be on their own or in a less structured environment. Older patients will have a longer recovery time than younger patients and may more complications just due to the fact that they are older and may not have the healing capabilities of a younger person. Remodeling will take longer and blood flow may. not be as robust to deliver all the nutrients required for a successful outcome.

Services and resources for families and caretakers

As a caretaker, it can be difficult to know what to do when your parent or patient is in this situation. If you are overwhelmed, and you don’t have the time or resources to be a caretaker, Diverse Health Services can assist with our full array of services available to customers. Please check out our services including transportation, assistance with cleaning and food and medication, and many other needs to service you and your elderly patient.

[Sources]:

https://www.verywellhealth.com/elderly-patients-and-surgical-risk-4132192

https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html