Falls can be devastating to seniors and the elderly. A friend of mine, in his early 60s, fainted as a result of a blood pressure medication and ended up with a whiplash that still causes her severe pain problems. Though I'm no spring chicken, I still feel that I don't quite qualify as an "elder." Last winter, I took flight on some ice and ended up in a situation where only the strength of my bones, and good fortune, kept me from a broken hip or knee. A younger colleague of mine was out walking his dog that same winter. He slipped on a patch of ice and fell, breaking a wrist. There's no doubt about it, falls cause a lot of pain and often permanent injury.
Younger people, however, generally heal faster than their elders and are less likely to die from a trauma like a broken hip. I believe the only reason my tiny-boned mother didn't break any bones was that she'd had a hysterectomy in her 30s and had been on estrogen ever since. There's really no other explanation.
The neighbor I mentioned earlier used his personal alarm for the last time to summon me to his side after he'd fallen and broken a hip. Joe was in his 80s and was dead in six weeks.
Fall Prevention
First, no matter what you do to protect your elder from falls, there are no guarantees. I removed all of my neighbor's scatter rugs, much to his disgust, and cleaned up clutter from his floors, daily. For my mother-in-law, when she was in her home and prone to dizzy spells, we'd put in rails along her walls so she could have something to grab wherever she was. My mother's bathroom was outfitted with all of the "anti-fall" gear available. Yes, we were on top of things, but even then, they all took tumbles.
Preventing falls is important and the steps we took likely prevented quite a few falls, but not everything is under our control. Many elders need medications for various ailments and a side effect of many medications, including some blood pressure medications, is dizziness. Then, there are blood sugar changes in diabetics. Dizziness can result from a rapid drop in blood pressure or blood sugar. Inner ear problems are also a major cause of dizziness.
Another issue is bone strength. Some studies suggest that many hips are not broken from a fall, but a spontaneous hip fracture actually causes a fall. There are some good fall prevention tips provided on this Agingcare.com site, because falls are a major safety issue as we age and they are so common.
No matter what we do, we won't prevent every fall. I don't believe in curtailing the activities of an elder to the point where he or she must reside on a nice sofa, just to be safe. None of us wants to take a tumble, and surely it's worse for the aged. But living life without any risk is, in my mind, a route to a long, slow death.
I like to see elders do what they can to stay active. People of any age, but particularly those over 60, should work on their balance, as balance becomes less reliable as we age. Physical therapists can prescribe exercises for this. Watch for inner ear infections which can cause dizziness, as can a urinary tract infection or any low-grade infection. Make homes as safe as possible. Encourage the use of walkers when needed. Keep an eye out for obvious obstacles around an elder's home.
Do what you can to prevent a fall, short of curtailing their will to live. And, if possible, recruit a nice, strong friend who will agree to be on call for "pick up duty." Short of an official position offered by every city in the nation, that may be the best we can do. Because, unfortunately, falls will happen.
Elder care author, columnist and speaker Carol Bradley Bursack is an AgingCare.com contributing editor and moderator of the
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