Falls weren’t something that we thought very much about before starting elder care.  The last time anyone fell was years ago when our children were learning to walk or when someone was distracted and tripped over something.  After falling they would get up.  When my father-in-law fell for the first time and I went to see what happened I was surprised when he said, “Are you going to help me up or not?”  Why couldn’t he get up by himself?

I thought it initially that the elderly fell because of loose rugs or some other easily correctable reason.  It is much more complicated than that.  Those complications add to the burden of elder care because they are part of the nature of getting older and something you have to deal with.

Most senior citizens are taking prescription medication.  The side effects of these medications could cause a loss of balance.  This is why it is important to get their meds reviewed by a pharmacist and a gerontologist to eliminate those meds that may be unnecessary and that come with negative side effects.  You know they haven’t done this evaluation.

Sometimes their underlying medical conditions can lead to falls.  If you are now providing elder care you need to know what their medical condition really is.  Take them to a gerontologist for a through exam.  I’ll cover that process in a future post.

As a person ages they experience some muscle weakness.  This leads to unsteadiness and slower reaction time which can lead to falls.  Despite their weakened condition they still may insist on walking unaided.  It used to amaze me that my father-in-law would try to navigate the house by leaning against the walls instead of using his walker.

Dehydration can also lead to confusion and a loss of balance.  Making sure they have enough to drink is yet something else you have to think about and plan for.  And of course, then there is the need to go to the bathroom and al that entails.  It used to astound me that my father-in-law would be satisfied with literally two teaspoons of water.

Inadequate footwear, clutter, poor lighting should be more easily correctable than the above conditions.

Bottom line.  There is no absolute way to prevent falls.  You can however do things to lessen there frequency. That’s in the next post.