It’s a scary thing to experience an elderly loved one falling the first time. And sometimes it’s even scarier for them to the point where they are hesitant to move around as much as they used to. A fall can happen for many reasons, including muscle weakness, balance issues, poor stability or even just accidentally tripping on clutter on the floor. An older adult is treated in the emergency room every 11 seconds due to a fall, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention. If you’re taking care of an elderly loved one after their first fall, you can expect things to change with them mentally and physically.
One Fall Increases The Likelihood of Another
The main reason why one fall increases the chances of experiencing another fall is because of confidence concerns. Even if they say the fall didn’t affect them, pay close attention to what they say and how they move around. Their recent fall is likely still in their memory so they may choose to not do certain activities out of caution. It’s one thing to be proactive in your steps to prevent falls, but you can’t let your loved one live in fear and resort to a sedentary lifestyle.
Fear Of Falling Can Lead To A Sedentary Lifestyle
Living a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a host of health concerns. Muscle weakness can slowly occur, which can result in a lack of balance since the person can’t move as easily and as smoothly as they think they can. Eating habits often change as well with a sedentary lifestyle. AARP cautions people to evaluate their diet and make adjustments if needed to create more balance. The combination of being immobile and poor eating habits can take a toll on a person’s health as they get older.
How To Boost Confidence With Physical Movement
Encourage your elderly loved one to get up and move throughout the day and help them understand how to prevent falls. Evaluate the living space and see what can be changed to make them feel safer and more comfortable. It might be that a threshold ramp can make moving around the home easier. And if there are staircases indoors or outdoors, a stair lift can create a safe and easy way to go up and down without the fear of falling. The more movement you can get them to do, the more their confidence will grow and their previous fall will be a distant memory.
Next Day Access offers various accessibility products and solutions to help you prevent falls in your home. Most falls can be prevented with the right tools and equipment, and they are worthy investments when you consider the mental and physical stress your elderly loved one’s body can go through after a fall. Be sure to give us a call to schedule a free home assessment and we can help play a role in ensuring another fall doesn’t occur.