There are many stories about seniors living in their homes into their late 80’s and 90”s and then one day they fall and break a hip. They end up in a nursing home and unfortunately are never the same. We can’t prevent all falls but we can sure try to minimize them. 

What can lead to a senior falling?

1. Medication can play a big role, the more medication a person takes, the more likely a fall. Each physician check up is a time to review ALL medications to make sure that all are necessary. 
2. Ears play a big part in balance and even mild hearing loss can triple the rate of falls. Have your senior take a hearing test.
3. Grab Bars come in many sizes, shapes and colors and are easy to install. Start with the bathroom and move into the bedroom.
4. Lighting is very important and a good idea is to conduct a thorough review of your residence at night so you can see the areas that might need more lighting (night lights, track lighting are just a couple of many solutions).
5. Throw Rugs are just a bad idea for seniors; make sure that all rugs and carpet are attached to the floor.
6. Furniture needs to be rearranged so there is plenty of room to walk freely and it is always a good idea to remove clutter, excess tables and lamps (cords).
7. Electronics can lead to tripping hazards with all of the cords and connections. Cords need to be fastened or attached to walls or baseboards and just not “loose”. If possible attach TV’s to the walls (easy to do with flat panel TV’s) that frees up floor space.

Golden Nugget: Where do most falls occur? Research will tell you it is at your home. Seniors seem to be more conscious and aware when outside the home and rarely fall. Seniors can get too comfortable at home and do not always use the needed walker or cane. If visiting a parent it is always a good idea to walk around and look for potential hazards that you can fix.