Falls are a leading cause of non-illness related deaths among the elderly in the United States. Up to three million older adults are treated in emergency department every year as a result of fall injuries, with one in five falls resulting in serious injury and over 300,000 patients over the age of 65 years hospitalized every year with hip injuries due to falls.
Fall-related hip fractures, head and brain injuries, bruises and cuts cause a severe impact on functioning, mobility and quality of life of affected persons—with some falls being so frightening that those involved may opt to completely avoid the activities they love the most for fear of other more tragic falls. In circumstances such as a broken hip or traumatic brain injury (TBI), there is increased risk of death.
Falls are more frequent at home.
While many people believe that falls occur mostly away from the safety of their homes, statistics reveal that it is actually much easier to fall at home than outdoors. For instance, six out of every ten falls occur at home while two out of every three life-threatening falls happen indoors. This is due to the fact that most people often take for granted the safety of their living spaces and tend to assume that by making their homes highly decorated, furnished and accessorized, they in turn improve their safety.
The risk of falling at home is usually due to often-neglected things, such as the clutter in living rooms, bedrooms, walkways and staircases, the trip and slip hazards commonly used to improve comfort, failure to install safety devices like handrails and grab bars, poor lighting, inappropriate clothing, limited physical activity and poor overall health.
So how can you reduce the risk of falls in your home? Here are 7 ways to make your home fall-free.
Remove clutter.
If your home is neat and tidy, it will be easier to navigate with reduced risk of tripping or falling. So make sure to keep your hallways, living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, walkways and staircases free of clutter. Open up areas around your furniture to make it easier to get around your home. Remove newspapers, books, throw rugs, boxes, phone cords and electrical cords from walkways. Also ensure there are no plant stands, coffee tables and magazine racks in high-traffic areas.
If there are loose rugs, secure them with a double-faced tape or slip resistant backing, though you can remove the loose rugs from your home altogether. Store your clothing, food, dishes and other essentials within easy reach. Equally, make sure to arrange furniture properly to provide open walkways, and to repair loose, wooden floorboards and carpeting right away.
Remove trip and slip hazards.
Throw rugs add warmth, character and splendor to your rooms, but they also increase the risk of falling. Similarly, loose carpets and floorboards that bunch up or stick up will increase the risk of falling. So make sure to meticulously examine your home for anything that can create a trip hazard and then repair or replace them. For example, if there are slippery rugs, loose carpets or anything that stick up on the floor, ensure you remove them. Use non-slip throw rugs or add a rubber backing when you lay down the rugs—the rubber backings keep the rugs in position while being walked on.
Inspect your floors regularly and repair loose carpeting and floorboards. Bathtubs, wet floors, showers and icy or wet porches are slip hazards. Hence, when they are wet, you should apply non-slip mats on them to reduce the risk of slipping. Using nonslip mats in your shower or bathroom is also effective in preventing falls. And when liquids, food or grease spill somewhere on the floor, make sure to clean it immediately.
Install safety devices.
Handrails and grab bars are essential additions in some of the commonly used areas of your home, especially your toilet, bathtub and stairs. For instance, handrails are useful in long hallways and on both sides of stairways as they help to retain upper body strength, steady you as you go up and down the stairs, and reduce the risk of falling. Stairs are a significant fall hazard by themselves and so you can choose to live only in one level or to install a stair lift to help if you have to use more than one levels.
Equally, grab bars are a simple, unobtrusive tool you can install throughout your home to provide more control over your mobility and ability to navigate and enjoy your home. They can help you to maintain your independence and minimize the need for physical assistance. Actually, whenever you struggle for mobility or balance, you only need to reach out and get hold of a bar along your path for extra support and balance.
With grab bars all over your home, you will not need to rely on objects that might not be able to handle your weight, such as furniture on wheels, lightweight furniture or towel rods. But make sure that the grab bars are strong enough to support your weight and properly installed to prevent serious falls.
Water and tile are a recipe for falls, so you may need to consider a seat in your bathroom to prevent falls. Instead of standing while showering, add a bath seat to enable you to sit as you shower. And in your living room, make sure to sit in chairs that do not move and that have arm rests. You should also make sure your bed is easy to get in and out of.
Stick to proper clothing.
You can be a trip hazard yourself in your home. For instance, with loose clothing you can easily catch counters, furniture or go under your feet. So make sure to wear properly hemmed and better-fitting clothes. Socks are quite comfortable, but they can increase your risk of slipping. That is why it is important to wear non-slip socks at home and to remove your socks when moving into stairs or tiled and sliding areas. Your shoes should also be sensible—floppy slippers, high heels and shoes with slick soles can make you to slip, stumble or fall. So wear properly-fitting, sturdy shoes with non-skid rubber soles for a good grip—such shoes may also reduce joint pain.
Ensure adequate lighting indoors.
Darkness or dim light is a serious fall hazard at home. So you need to upgrade or install lighting to improve illumination in areas where you walk at night. For example, you should install night-lights in bathrooms, bedroom, stairways and hallways for better guidance and safe movement at night. Adequate light will ensure you do not trip over objects that are hard to see.
Also place a lamp within reach of your bed for mid-of-the-night needs—though storing a flashlight in an easy-to-find place is also a great option in case of power outages. Ensure the paths to light switches that are not near room entrances are clear. And for the switches, you should consider using illuminated or glow-in-the-dark options for easy visibility at night.
Take care of your health.
Regular physical examination to check your gait, vision and overall health and fitness is a great way of preventing falls. During your routine checks, review your medications with your doctor or pharmacist, particularly if there are some that can cause drowsiness or dizziness. Prescription and OTC (over-the-counter) medications such as opioids, sedatives, diuretics, anti-hypertensives, cough and common cold relievers, tranquilizers, relaxers, anti-anxiety, pain relievers, antihistamines tend to increase the risk of falling. As a rule, if your drugs have been making you to feel sleepy, sluggish, light-headed or confused, then you should have them reviewed to mitigate the risk of falling.
Having your vision checked will helped you reduce the risk of falling. And if you are on a prescribed lens, you should make sure that it is not so old that it can throw your vision off. Wear correct lenses at the right time to remain balanced and prevent falling.
Osteoporosis makes bones weak and more likely to break, turning even minor falls into life-threatening events. So make sure to get adequate calcium, vitamin D and magnesium in your diet to keep your bones stronger. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb and utilize calcium while magnesium helps the body to use vitamin D. While healthy bones may not prevent falls, they avert the breakage of hips or other bones in case of a fall, helping to reduce the likelihood of a hospital stay, disability or death after a fall.
Likewise, avoid smoking and limit alcohol use, both of which reduce bone mass and increase the risk of fractures. Maintain a healthy weight, attend balance and exercise programs, and always speak with your physician as soon as you have problems standing or find yourself holding onto furniture or walls when walking.
Exercise regularly.
Increased risk of falls may be due to physical challenges and limitations such as muscle weakness, balance issues, loss of range of motion and joint instability. That is why regular and carefully monitored physical activity such as yoga, walking, water workouts and tai chi helps to reduce the risk of falls. Professionally designed exercises prevent falls by improving strength, gait, coordination, flexibility and balance.
Due to greater frequency of wear and tear in the knees, ankles and hips, lower body weakness is more common than upper body weakness. And with lower body weakness comes balance and walking issues which increase the risks of falls. But through simple strength and balance exercises, you can prevent falls caused by lower body weakness as you will achieve enhanced stamina, stability, reliability and balance—all of which reduce the risk of falling. Staying active on a regular basis also keeps the body stronger and more responsive, reducing falls and preventing serious injury should you fall.
At FYZICAL, we have a team of experienced and knowledgeable physical therapists and orthopedic rehabilitation experts to provide you with reliable home improvement information to prevent falls. But should you fall and get injured, we offer a range of tailored gait, balance, flexibility, and strength exercises to help you recover from your resulting physical challenges. Our compassionate and personalized approach to physical therapy will ensure that you get the treatment that meets your needs in a warm, friendly and advanced facility. We are proud of what we always manage to achieve for our patients. For more information on our tailored physical therapy and orthopedic rehabilitation services, visit the FYZICAL website.