Many believe that most falls in older people occur at home. In fact, statistics show that men are more likely to fall in the garden, garage, or walkway around the house, and women are more likely to fall inside the house. Overall, research shows that women are 2.7 times more likely to sustain a fracture as a result of a fall.
The New York Times had an interesting article on falls in the home, in this particular article “Most Dangerous Room in the House?” by Paula Span, and YES, you’ve probably already guessed it; The bathroom. The article was actually inconclusive about where in the home senior fall injuries most often occur, but conventional wisdom points to the bathroom, stairs, and kitchen.
The CDC tracks the number of elderly falls in the home, but it doesn’t track which rooms are most frequent for falls. In this article, the author suggests several things that can be done at home to prevent falls. There is some research on the subject that suggests that because the elderly tend to fall in the bathroom due to slippery surfaces and when maneuvering in and out of the tub, for example, they are more careful and therefore less likely to fall. fall down. However, when a fall does occur, it can be more serious.
I would like to remind people that getting out of the bath or shower can be dangerous as an older person is vulnerable to losing balance and having wet feet. That is why registered home caregivers are trained to mitigate these circumstances. Of course, having someone help you with bathing and private moments is hard on the psyche. Most caregivers understand this fact and do their jobs with dignity and respect, treating clients like family. If not, it’s time to change caregivers.
Having a caregiver at home helps prevent falls, although there is never a 100% guarantee that a fall will not occur at some point, often older people want to be independent and will try to do something alone that they shouldn’t for themselves. -pride. When there is a strong caregiver-client relationship and a bond of trust, an elderly client is much more likely to ask for help and accept assistance from the caregiver.
Fortunately, only about 1 in 100 falls in the home result in injury, and that’s due to things like carpet, grass, and the resistance of the human body. Having a caregiver is a very smart way to reduce the number of potential falls, and the relationship between client and caregiver makes all the difference in the world. This relationship is even more important when you’re traveling to a doctor’s appointment, going to the store, or even out for coffee. We take the safety of our customers very seriously and never take unnecessary risks.
