Every year, one in four adults aged 65 or older will fall. Falls can result in devastating injuries like broken bones, and falling once can double the chances of a second fall.
There are many ways to prevent falls from happening in your home, and our AFC Urgent Care Hixson team has listed several of the best prevention tactics below.
- Here’s what to do: Reduce clutter and keep the home tidy. Clutter in the floor greatly increases the risk of falling. Keeping things clean and tidy will greatly reduce the amount of objects you could trip and fall over.
- What to do next: Make sure your home is well-lit. Good lighting is one of the biggest keys to preventing and lowering the risk of falling in your home. Consider adding LED bulbs to provide light that doesn’t need to be changed very often. If you don’t like bright overhead lights, though, add more lamps.
- What to do after: Replace loose rugs with rubber-backed rugs. If you like having rugs around the house, make sure they’re secure and don’t have turned corners or edges that you could trip on.
- Another tip: Make sure your indoor space is well-lit. To create a space that’s more suitable for the elderly and for people of all ages, install brighter light bulbs where needed, particularly in stairways and narrow hallways. If you don’t like bright overhead lights, add more lamps.
- Something else to keep in mind: Wear footwear that has some grip. Slippery socks and slippers can cause falls, so consider wearing shoes or socks with grips on the bottom to reduce your fall risk.
- One more thing: Stay active. Getting the CDC-recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week will keep your body strong and improve balance, which will greatly reduce your risk of falling.
- Action steps to take: Install grab bars and handrails in the bathroom. These safety devices are especially useful for seniors, and they can greatly help with safely getting on and off the toilet and stepping in and out of the bathtub.
- Doctor recommendations: If you have fallen before and are beginning to bruise heavily or experience swelling, it’s likely that you have broken a bone. Visit our AFC center for an X-ray to get an accurate diagnosis and know what to do to properly recover.
Our AFC Urgent Care Hixson team is here for you now and always! Visit us today.
