Introduction

INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

The home should be a place where a person feels healthy, comfortable, and safe. People want to move about freely within their homes and to feel in control of their daily routines. This is true, even if a person has a disease or condition that puts him or her at risk for falling.

When you care for a person who is at risk for falling, it is important that their home is safe and free of the obstacles and barriers that can cause a fall.

Risk of Falling

The risk for falling is much higher in an adult over the age of 65. Changes due to aging affect a person’s balance, strength, coordination, and agility.
Persons who are tired, weak and dizzy from the effects of chronic diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and heart disease are also at risk.
Diseases of the nervous system, such as Parkinson’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) or Multiple Sclerosis make it hard to walk normally, which can lead to tripping or losing one’s balance.
The effects of certain medicines can cause dizziness, making it easy to lose balance.

Fall Injuries

Too often, a fall results in serious injury. People who fall often suffer broken bones (fractures) and sometimes serious internal bleeding. Know the risks of the person you care for. For example, does the person have osteoporosis (bone loss), making their bones more brittle and easy to break? Does the person take a “blood thinning” medicine which affects how their blood clots? If so, a fall could cause serious bleeding.

Make the Home Safe

One way to reduce the chance of a person falling is to help them make their home safe. This begins with a Home Safety Review. This lesson will give you step-by-step tips for how to find safety risks in the home and what to do to make the home a safer place to move about.

HEAR THE EXPERT

When you care for a person who is at risk for falling, it is important that their home is safe and free of the obstacles and barriers that can cause a fall.