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Fall Prevention TipsSafety & Fall Prevention

Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention

by Kimberly Johnson
written by Kimberly Johnson

Falls can cause serious injuries that take a long time to heal. They can lead to permanent mobility problems that prevent your enjoyment of hobbies and/or limit your ability to drive, shop, cook or bathe. Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention
Falls are usually the result of spatial orientation miscalculations, dizziness, vision issues, imbalance, poor mobility and/or foot traffic obstacles.

Check Your Health

If you have arthritis, osteoporosis, hypoglycemia, diabetes, blood pressure fluctuation or another condition that can affect your ability to walk, ask your doctor about symptom management methods. If you’re otherwise experiencing symptoms that make you feel like you’re going to fall, see your doctor immediately for an examination. Lastly, ask your doctor or pharmacist about stand-alone and combination medication side effects that can cause falls and any available alternatives. If you have limited options, change lifestyle habits to improve your chances of staying upright.

Stay Physically Active

You’ve probably heard the statement: “If I stop moving, I’m done.”
This attitude is actually good because those words are correct and relevant at any age.
Sedentary behavior causes leg and overall body weakness. It can also cause dizziness by compressing veins and arteries; thereby, stopping the movement of important oxygen-rich blood. Low activity can also damage the nerves responsible for movement and pain management. When these issues occur, they reduce your strength, flexibility, coordination and ability to walk confidently without wobbling, tilting or falling.
Regular physical activities like walking, water workouts or Tai Chi can go a long way toward fall prevention. A physical therapist can help you find the best types of activities to prevent falls based on your health, age and other factors.

Change Home Habits

Your home’s layout and the types of appliances and other items you use can also cause falls.
Move or remove anything that can cause you to slip or trip, such as throw rugs, coffee tables, book piles and umbrella stands, and re-position cords and cables along baseboards. Choose assistive devices that make walking safer like canes and walkers. Glue a non-slip bath mat to the floor of your tub or shower. Additionally, install handrails in places where you walk or rise from a seated position so you have something to grasp if you feel like you’re about to fall.
Some of our favorite products to prevent falls include:

Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention

Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention Top 3 Tips for Fall Prevention

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Road accidents 100
Fall Prevention Tips

Medical and Legal Guide for Slip and Fall Accidents

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

It’s not possible to predict accidents, no matter how careful you are. Be it a workplace or a senior care home, mistakes happen and they lead to unwanted consequences. Sometimes they are avoidable and sometimes they happen because of negligence on part of the employer or the facility owner.

Even with medical alert systems and best safety practices in place, accidents are a reality of life whether you live at home or a care home. If you become a victim of a slip and fall accident where you sustain injuries, you should know what to do so that you can file a claim for personal injuries. Here are some expert tips to guide you.

Seek treatment

Remember that your health should be your first priority after a trip, slip, or fall. This is especially true if you sustain severe injuries – it is important to go to a doctor to have the injuries properly documented. Remember that these medical records will become important pieces of evidence if you choose to seek compensation for your injuries.

Report and document

Wherever an accident happens, it is important that you report this to the owner, landlord, or manager of the place where it occurred. Make sure to get all of the details of the accident in writing. Also, ask the owner, landlord, or manager to create a written report of the accident and give you a copy.

Write down the names, addresses, email addresses, and contact details of all witnesses. Their statements will greatly help in proving your claim should you decide to proceed with a legal claim.

Take photos of the exact place where your accident happened. Take pictures of icy patches, faulty stairs, and any other conditions that might have contributed to your accident.

Include a brief narrative about what happened before the accident, how you fell, and other significant details along with the exact date and time. Store the clothes and shoes you had on during your accident. You might need them as pieces of evidence in the future.

Know when to file your claim

You should know the laws of your state regarding the Statute of Limitations. This refers to the time limit on how long after an accident has occurred that you have to file a claim. Should you fail to file your claim within the time frame, the court won’t hear your case. As such, you won’t have eligibility for compensation.

The evidence that’s considered admissible in a slip and fall case may vary depending on what type of accident occurred. If you want to file a claim, you must gather evidence like your clothes and shoes, surveillance footage, medical records, photos of your injuries, photos of the dangerous condition or object that caused your accident, an accident report, and witness statements. Organizing these will help you build a solid case to get the financial settlement you deserve.

Hire an attorney

It is highly recommended to seek the services of a personal injury lawyer if you suffered serious injuries caused by a fall, your liability gets disputed, or your case is too complicated. Doing this helps you get the compensation that you deserve from your claim. But if you only sustained minor injuries, it is best to handle your slip and fall claim on your own.

Whichever you decide, remember that you have nothing to lose by consulting with a slip and fall lawyer. These lawyers won’t charge you for first meetings and many of them work on a contingency basis.

A lawyer will help you secure evidence that you cannot get on your own, for instance, using a subpoena to force an entity to provide copies of surveillance films or incident reports. An experienced lawyer will also protect your rights and won’t allow the other party to trick or bully you.

Getting your settlement

Often, compensation for slip and fall injury claims comes from the insurance company of the property owner. As a general rule, business properties are under the coverage of liability insurance whereas accidents at a person’s home are under the coverage of the renter’s or homeowner’s insurance.

Make sure to claim the full cost of your treatment even if it’s paid by health insurance. You also have to include out-of-pocket expenses for bandages, medications, crutches, and other medical equipment. Also, remember that the insurance company will simply give you a check for compensation.

You should always expect a negotiation for a settlement between you or your lawyer and the other party. This negotiation takes experience and time. Although most injury claims get settled out of court, some cases involve filing a lawsuit against the owner of the property if settlement negotiations don’t work out.

Conclusion

The injuries you sustained in a slip and fall accident might heal after a couple of days of rest or they might leave you permanently disabled. This makes it very important for you to learn everything that you can about the injury you sustained and the kind of insurance settlement to expect. To help you out, you need an experienced legal professional who has the resources to help you win your case.

Author Bio:

Jennifer Holland is a professional assignment writer with three years of experience working with online college essay papers sites. She is professionally trained and her brilliant academic record enables her to deliver high-quality assignments consistently. She is currently developing a digital course on writing skills for college students.

 

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3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls
Exercise & Fitness

3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls

by Richard Bitner
written by Richard Bitner

Falls are a major concern for seniors and elderly care providers alike. Declining strength, coordination, mobility, and visibility all increase seniors’ risk of falling. Meanwhile, poor bone strength can increase the risk of severe fractures. Together, these risk factors have made falls the number one cause of accidental death among Americans over the age of sixty-five.

The good news is that it’s possible to lower that risk. Both medical and elderly care professionals recommend a number of fall prevention strategies that can help seniors and family caregivers lower elderly adults’ risk of falling. One of the best ways to do this is to have seniors take classes that improve their sense of balance and reduce their risk of injury from falls.

Exercise Improves Balance in Seniors

In terms of fall prevention, light/moderate exercise offers a number of benefits. Improved muscular strength helps seniors stay upright and maintain their footing. Cardiovascular exercise boosts heart health, which reduces the risk of exhaustion — a common risk factor for falls. Crucially, exercise also improves seniors’ sense of balance, making it less likely that they will misjudge their footing or put their body in a position that leads to a fall.

Exercise also lowers the risk of severe injury when falls occur. Stronger muscles and quicker reaction time make it easier for seniors to catch themselves when off-balance or brace themselves to reduce the impact of a fall. Physical activity is also key to bone strength, reducing the risk and severity of fractures.

Activities to Improve Seniors’ Balance

Some types of exercise are better suited than others when seniors want to improve balance and reduce the risk of fall-related injuries. Seniors and elderly care providers should look for activities that boost core strength, leg strength, coordination, dexterity, and fine motor skills.

The three activities below are some of the best exercise for improving balance in elderly adults. Seniors can perform these activities in the comfort of home, in the backyard, or with others. You should be able to find senior-focused classes for these activities quite easily within your local community.

  1. Dancing isn’t just great fun for elderly adults — it’s also an excellent way to improve physical dexterity, strengthen leg and core muscles, and boost total-body coordination. There are a number of popular dance classes for elderly adults, including salsa, jazz, and ballroom.
  2. Tai Chi. Tai Chi started in China as a form of martial arts, but its health benefits have made it a popular form of exercise in many countries. Seniors’ Tai Chi involves slow, controlled movements that use the entire body. This helps improve coordination, muscle strength, and balance. Medical professionals and elderly care providers often recommend it for seniors due to its low risk of injury and joint stress.
  3. Yoga is well known for its lifelong benefits. While some yoga classes offer higher intensity workouts, you’ll find a slower, gentler pace in a seniors’ yoga classes. Yoga poses can improve strength, coordination, flexibility, and offer key balance benefits for elderly adults.

Additional Balance and Fall Prevention Tips

Activities that improve balance are just part of elderly fall prevention. We asked Visiting Angels CEO and President Larry Meigs for additional tips on how seniors and elderly care providers can prevent falls in and out of the home.

One of Larry’s biggest tips is medication awareness. “A large number of seniors take medications that put them at higher risk of falling. It’s important that seniors are careful with any medication that causes drowsiness or poor coordination,” he says.

He also stressed the importance of visibility in fall prevention. “Poor eyesight can be a much bigger danger than a lot of people think, so make sure your mom or dad has regular check-ins with their optometrist.”

Another big factor is limiting fall risks in living spaces. “The vast majority of falls happen at home,” Larry says. “Unfortunately, most seniors live in homes where fall risks haven’t been minimized. Slippery flooring, thow rugs, electrical cords, poorly lit areas — these are just a few of the most common culprits.”

Larry’s focus on fall prevention is part of the reason why Visiting Angels elderly care agencies offer free fall prevention assessments. During elderly care consultations, care directors perform detailed inspections of seniors’ homes and make fall prevention recommendations to help correct any areas of concern.

To book a free elderly care consultation and fall assessment for your loved one, contact Visiting Angels today at 800-365-4189. Or use our online office locator to find your local Visiting Angels elderly care agency. 3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls

3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls

3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls 3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls 3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls 3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls 3 Senior Activities that Improve Balance & Prevent Falls

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Understand Your Caregiving Options
Fall Prevention TipsSafety & Fall Prevention

Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips and Falls

by Richard Bitner
written by Richard Bitner

It’s no secret that slips and falls are especially dangerous for seniors. According to the CDC, nearly three million American seniors suffer falls every year. Perhaps more importantly, the rate of seniors who lose their lives to unintentional falls is climbing year after year. Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls
For those of us who live in ice and snow country, there’s no more dangerous time of the year for slips and falls than during winter. So, whether you’re an older American worried about falling during the winter or a younger person concerned for the health of an older relative, it’s important to prevent slips and falls during the coldest months. Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls
Here are some of the best strategies for protecting seniors against winter slips and falls…

Shovel Snowy Walkways

Snow can represent a fall hazard during winter on its own, but it becomes even more dangerous when it masks the ground underneath. With enough snow, it can be easy to forget where your porch step starts and ends, or where certain everyday tripping risks are found. Remember that shoveling itself can represent a fall risk, so if necessary, have a friend, a relative, or a professional perform the task.

Salt and/or Sand Icy Surfaces

The biggest culprit for slips and falls during winter is ice. Even the most able-bodied among us are prone to find ourselves turned upside down by ice — even when we know it’s there. Pouring sand over ice can help give the surface more traction. Salt does the same and eats holes into the ice’s surface to break up slick surfaces. As with shoveling, salting and sanding can be a risky activity, so have someone lend a hand if need be.

Wear Proper Footwear

Proper winter boots aren’t just there to keep our feet warm. High-quality boots with winter-ready treads will provide superior grip compared to other footwear, helping lower the chance of a winter slip or fall for seniors. Wear good winter boots when walking outdoors during winter and make sure to check treads for signs of wear that might make them less effective.

Stop Indoor Puddles

Snowmelt can quickly turn into dangerous indoor puddles. Avoid this problem by installing winter mats, storing boots and winter wear in an area that traps snowmelt, and by immediately cleaning up any puddles that occur.

Turn to a Helping Hand

Having a steady hand can make all the difference when navigating snow and ice during winter. Even a short walk from the front door to the driveway can be made safer with the help of a sure-footed friend or family member.

Practice Year-Round Fall Prevention

Even though winter is the most risky time of year for slips and falls, that doesn’t mean the risk doesn’t exist during warmer months. It’s important to practice fall-prevention year-round, taking steps like keeping risky areas well-lit, maintaining leg strength and balance, and trusting your body and instincts. By taking these precautions at all times, you’ll be far better prepared when the snow and ice hits.
Visiting Angels home care providers assist seniors with a range of care needs, including fall prevention during the winter months. Call your local office today to get started with an in-home consultation for you or a loved one.

Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls

Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls Protecting Seniors from Winter Slips & Falls

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Rise Above the Fear of Falling
Health Tips

Rise Above the Fear of Falling

by Kimberly Johnson
written by Kimberly Johnson

Even when our bodies are at our strongest, the impact of a fall can be quite severe. For elderly people whose bodies have lost strength and whose balance is less than exemplary, falling is a serious risk and can have massive consequences. Indeed, one-third of elderly people will suffer at least one fall every year, but amazingly, fewer than half of these will notify their doctor. Also, an elderly adult who suffers a fall is twice as likely to fall again. Rise Above the Fear of Falling
 
Rise Above the Fear of Falling
Irish company Home Healthcare Adaptations created this infographic which outlines common causes of falls in elderly people, as well as the lasting effects that can occur. When an elderly person falls, it’s very unlikely that they’ll simply say ‘Ouch’ and pick themselves up again with ease. It is far more probable that they will suffer broken bones or reduced mobility – and that’s if they’re fortunate. In some cases, it can result in a serious head injury or even prove to be fatal.
An elderly person might understandably be nervous about falling, but the best way to overcome this fear is to meet it head-on and try out a simple chair rise exercise, as described in the infographic below. This will help to greatly improve balance and ease the person’s fears. Although it is important to urge elderly people to exercise caution, we shouldn’t scaremonger, as this could plant a giant seed of self-doubt in their mind.
We can also help by following a few simple safety guidelines such as keeping floors clear of trip hazards and pull rugs, plus installing grab rails and bannisters where they may be needed. These straightforward modifications could make all the difference in helping an elderly person to avoid a fall. Rise Above the Fear of Falling

Rise Above the Fear of Falling

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