Get a chair lift if he has a 2 story house...it has bought my parents at least a decade! Yes, my dad balked at a quad cane! I had to bring him to the drug store to pick our his own, but it's not much help for him. He's 93 and walks kinda like a crab, to one side and down. He is currently Getting PT due to a nasty fall outside. He sneaks out and tries to take in the trash can even though a friend comes over to do that very thing for him! He fell and hit his head on the curb. My mother tends to enable him and he falls a lot. We have people that bring in his mail too but occasionally he still tries to go down that driveway.

@Rosepetal, instead of worrying about whether you can knock down your walker to get access to your phone, why not get an emergency help button - one of those medical alert devices like seniorsafetyreviews.com/comparisons/medical-alert-systems-comparison/? Isn't that safer?

I currently work at an assisted living and deal with at least a fall every two weeks. Falls happen due to lack of concentration and lack of assistance. My role is to assist the residents with anything they feel unsafe to do such as bending over to pick something up, or transferring from one side of room to another. The resident's safety is number one.

Somehow my comment ended up on page 1

Our Loved ones fall. Mother and I have a system that is successfully preventing her from falling for almost a year now. We left (escaped) a rogue facility that dragged me through the mud and cut my hours while they were irresponsible, negligent and/or criminal. My brother and a cousin supported the facility. They had almost no contact with my Mother or myself. It is a very dysfunctional family interaction. Thank God they leave us alone now. Mother gave me power of attorney over her health care. I think they were jealous. Between that triumverate Mother and I did not have a chance of winning in a court of law. Mother had many falls, and other injuries while in the facilities care. They made her an invalid. She was on her way out. It was very tragic. We are very grateful to God to have her survive the falls and negligence and bad acts of the rogue facility. My son got her out of there. Mother is in a very loving and kind Senior Facility for almost a year. We have arranged that I stay with her 24 x 7 in an Independent Living Apartment. It is near the home my son and I have owned for the last 35 years. We both have many friends in the area, we know some of the residents and their families for years, know people who work here and volunteers who contribute to the loving atmosphere. I am a widow, retired and this is my greatest calling. Mother's health and mind have improved a great deal in the last year. She can walk around the apartment herself, sometimes she uses her walker sometimes not. She is ok most of the time but every two weeks or so she gets off balance walking herself. I catch her, steady her. If I wasn't here she could fall. We have a system. Whenever she goes to bed, (usually after each meal unless we go out or to an activity), I tuck her in, I make sure the sliding closet door next to her bed is closed, we place her walker next to the bed ready for her to hold on to the handles and stand up. She walks around a corner turns left and left again into the bathroom. Everything is cleared out of the way for her and the walker. The bathroom door is left open, flat against the wall, across from that is her wheelchair with the brakes on. If she leaves the walker in the bathroom as she leaves and feels shakey she can reach out to the wheelchair for balance. I am next to her if she needs me. In the bathroom, I make sure the toilet paper is hanging down for easy access. We have paper panties in her reach and also wet wipes on the corner of the sink. I am standing by, attentive, she does most of that herself, I help if she needs help. She is always clean. She washes her hands after the bathroom and often goes back to bed. Sometimes we have a snack or meal in the room in front of the TV, go to activities or go out together. He main activity is sleeping. We have a Kitty cat here. They like to snuggle. We usually have 3 meals a day in the dining room. For long distances she uses the wheelchair. She has had no falls since we have been here. Every day is a blessing. It is the loving community and family I have always wanted. My son stops in on the way to work , brings us things from the store and stays with Mom Sunday mornings when I go to church and sing in the choir. Sometimes they meet me there. We never leave Mom alone. Between my son, his wife, a retired Nurse and two friends who have cared for their own loved ones, we are never without a Caregiver by her side. No falls. Outside of Dr. appointments, Church and Choir activities, I rarely have a Caretaker with her. It is very nice but very expensive here. The truth is, falls happen all the time to Seniors. I see Seniors who are strong and well here then they have a fall, we see them with black and blue marks and some we don't see any more. Residents wear buttons around their necks to call for help when they need a resident's assistant for anything. We can hear the calls to the devices they use stating the room number and when the calls are cleared. We never heard that at the rogue facility. I used to hear residents yelling help me help me there. The facility here is much more diligent but residents still fall. I don't know any other way to keep my Mother safe than to be right by her side 24 x 7. We are being blessed that we can be together. Mom doesn't want me to ever leave her. I promised her that I won't ever leave her.

Great article! Also consider checking this related article for additional information.

I was staying at a friend's home and fell twice. My friend has a pool and likes to keep a hose next to pool for convenience. I tripped on the hose and fell on my back narrowly avoiding hitting my head on the cement.
The second time I fell in the evening opening a gate into the property and thankfully fell onto a trash can.
Luckily I did not hurt myself much but what was sad to me was my friend blamed me for both accidents saying I didn't look where I was going. She also refused to move the hose or put up flood lighting at the gate area. I have known her for 17 years and she doesn't understand how important this is and really doesn't want to change anything. I realized I couldn't stay or visit her at her home anymore. It saddens me
the ignorance of so many people regarding safety issues.

my question is why are you charged and medicare don't pay if yo fall and ned someone to get you up but aren't tralported

Since I have fallen in the past - I can advise 1 thing that is now obvious to me. LOOK DOWN when walking, from 6 to
10 feet ahead, glance up occasionally, but see where you are stepping.

Wow- this thread is 8 years long! I commented three years ago but have talked to thousands of struggling people since then. My point is to have people "help themselves" to the best of their abilities by having proper assistive products to address their mobility problems wherever they arise- bathroom, bedroom, etc. Increases their safety, independence, self-esteem, and chance to build strength. People "helping themselves" also reduce risk of injury to the caregiver. Always glad to offer suggestions.

Regarding UTIs, people "having a bad day", etc.- unfortunately every day is a risk for people that are struggling and many people are one crash from leaving their homes forever. Best wishes to all the caregivers on this site fighting to prevent that disaster from happening.

My mother recently fell due to a bad UTI infection. I did not know she was so ill, but she experienced disorientation during this time, which I know now is a common symptom in the elderly. My mom moved out of the hospital after five days into a nursing home for rehab, and now she is doing physical therapy with home healthcare to build up her core strength. Is it common for an elderly person to experience slight confusion a few weeks after a UTI/Ecoli infection? She's doing better, but still has slight confusion. She has had a CAT scan when she was in the hospital. Her primary doctor recently evaluated this scan, which he said showed no signs of stroke or dementia. I am just concerned, and I want the best for my 78 year old Mama whom I live with at home. Thank you and God bless.

Yup! (Meant in response to question by ND18)

Another issue with elders falling is eye glasses. When you think about it, as we age many are now using bi-focal..... well, that means one is looking down through the reading part of the glasses to see where they are walking.... BIG BLUR.

I had noticed that with my Mom, she would be reaching her foot out like she was putting her big toe into water to see if it was cold or not.... she was trying to see through something that probably was like trying to see through wax paper. Mom refused to get separate glasses.... but my Dad did and that helped him to see where he was going using his "driving glasses" to walk.

Rosepetal, my Dad loved his rolling walker, too, he was so happy you'd think I had bought him a Shelby Mustang. He was walking all over the place with it. So much safer for him to use walking down the driveway to get the mail, the mail was tossed into the basket, same with the newspaper. A couple months prior he was using a cane and toppled backwards onto the driveway, thank goodness a neighbor saw what happened and was able to help him back into the house. It's good to have a neighbor the size of a football player :)

Now my Mom was just like your friends, she refused to be seen with a walker of any type. Or even using a cane. She didn't even want my Dad to go outside with his walker as she didn't want people to think he was getting older. I bet all the neighbors when they saw Dad with his walker sighed in relief "it's about time" :)

Great advice. Practical example

See if his doctor can recommend Home Health Physical or Occupational Therapy. A physical therapist is a professional trained in teaching the use of canes and walkers, as well as other fall prevention techniques. Early intervention is the best way to keep your elderly family member safe and with a good quality of life.

Mother switched from nylon knee high stocking to Merrell hiking boots and warm socks. When she takes a nap or goes to sleep we take them off and she puts on hospital socks with tread on the bottom and does all the things mentioned to prevent fslls.

I just remembered something that I did not add to my last post. My cell phone is from Jitterbug. It has 5Star right on the face of it. It operates via GPS and that locates where you are and what kind of help you need. I also carry that in my rollating walker. I may not be able to get up but I can still reach the walker and tip it to get in the pouch where my phone is at. I guess using a walker is almost as good as having someone go everywhere with me. It makes me independent and God knows that would be a description of my personality!

I have fallen twice the last few years. Once I ended up with a fractured pelvis - had to use a wheel chair and was 3 weeks in rehab! Now I use a rolling walker that is my "wheelbarrow" . I found that when I had something I was carrying and if I stumbled - I protected the things I was carrying and not myself!
It also helps me when I am shopping in stores that do not have carts to use. In that case it provides me with a seat if I need to sit down. Most of my friends refuse to use them because they think it makes them look old. My answer to them is "have you looked in a mirror lately"? I am old and I will use what I can to do what I want to do. My walker has a wire basket under the seat and I also purchased a nylon organizer that attaches to the handlebars. I carry my phone, handkerchiefs' - purse - my kindle reader - magnifying glass -and anything else that I might need. I am still able to get it in and out of the car without help. So it makes me independent and safe! Medicare does cover most of the cost providing you have a Doctors' prescription for it. I call it my "giddieup"!

FamCare, thanks for the share.

I don't know how my Dad has managed to beat the odds. He's had two-three dozen falls in the last two years (first in his ALF, then in his NH). He's now in a wheelchair but still has great upper body strength - and, because he forgets that he can't walk anymore (or sit up), he gets up and falls constantly. He is alarmed but he's quicker than the alarm. He's had several severe head injuries that resulted (including some that needed staples) but he recovers immediately. I'm constantly shocked by his resilience.

There are staggering effects of hearing loss on balance and increased risk of serious falls. Here is a snippet of an eye opening study I recently read.

"In a 2012 landmark study by Johns Hopkins, researchers determined that even a mild degree of hearing loss tripled the risk of an accidental fall, with the risk increasing by 140 percent for every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss. A study from Washington University in St. Louis showed that patients who wear hearing aids in both ears did better on balance tests when their hearing aids were turned on than when turned off."

PS: Dementia or no, an act of love has a feeling that makes it amazing hard to stay angry.

True confessions...

"What happened to my sandals?"

"Gee, I don't know. Wait, I'll go get you the new pair while you're looking."

Drugs definitely play a part in elder falls. My late mother-in-law fell several times (fortunately no broken bones) and every single time it was after she had taken a sleeping pill. Ironically, she slept just fine without them after her offspring all agreed to take them away from her.

Another thing to think about is what to do when an elder does fall. In my MIL's case, my husband and I were watching her while her main caregivers (sis-in-law and her husband, wonderful people whom she did NOT appreciate!) took a much needed vacation. I heard a loud thud one night, but nothing else. I immediately went into her room and found her struggling to get up in the dark. (Why she didn't call for help we don't know, but that's another problem with the elderly: not wanting to "inconvenience" anybody or admit that they can't take care of themselves.)

Not sure if she injured herself, we decided not to try and lift her back into bed, especially since she was a large woman, 5'11" in her prime. Instead made her comfortable with a pillow, then pushed the button on her medical alert (again, something she would never do) and had the paramedics come to help. They took her vitals and satisfied that no damage was done, they used a proper lifting technique to get her back in bed. They told us that we had done the right thing in summoning them, because you really can't tell if there is an injury that requires immobilizing the patient.

Good point, Stargazer, but convincing some elders that they need to retire their old comfy footwear can be as difficult as getting them to take their meds, eat their vegetable or bathe once in a while! My mother (93, "partial" dementia) wears worn out slip-ons with her heels hanging off the broken down backs. Amazingly, while she has stumbled wearing the wretched things, she hasn't actually fallen in them. (She did fall years ago on a wet floor, necessitating a hip replacement.)

We have tried to get Mom to wear new slippers, taken her to shoe stores (where she rejects everything the salesperson brings out), bought new slippers (which she says are nice, but never wears). When my brother took her over to his house for the summer, he was planning to ditch the old shoes during the transfer. I forgot to ask him how that went.

From what I've seen, the number 1 reason for falls is the wrong shoes!!! Every single fall in my family could likely have been prevented if the person (not just seniors!) was wearing the proper footwear. Commonly, you see see elders wearing dress sandals with no support or tread, a recipe for disaster. Or shoes that are meant to look good, but offer no support.

Another common thing is elders wearing old shoes where the tread is worn flat and/or the support afforded by the shoe is long gone, it has assumed the shape of their feet. I have thrown away more pairs of my elders' shoes than anything (worth the argument!).

Want to do your elderly relative a favor? Take them shoe shopping at an athletic store. Those employees know shoes and know how to fit a shoe. They have a vast array of shoes for all activities, including walking! The technology of "athletic shoes" has come so far, anyone involved in a sport knows that good footwear comes second only to skill in your sport. But you don't have to be an athlete to want good sturdy shoes that will help your posture, prevent aching back and knees, and keep you on your feet if you happen onto a slippery or uneven surface.

One thing that is never mentioned as an 'aid' to the elderly (if they live at home) is getting the toilet replaced to one that is higher (it's relatively reasonable). I know there are 'extension seats' to make the seat taller, but if you can afford it, replacing the toilet altogether is so much better (in my opinion). People are taller these days and even if you're shorter, a higher seat is easier to get up off of... I've had one in our home, and we love it... Hope this helps.

Many old people are on cocktails of drugs including tranquilizers and anti-psychotics. Doctors seem to be treating old age as a mental illness instead of a natural part of being human!!! I think too many drugs can cause severe side effects in the elderly like dizziness , liver and kidney disorders impaired memory and tiredness . I think they are the main cause of people falling. Old people would benefit from more nutritious food and vitamins not harsh nasty chemicals.

Any known issue with pressure pads in use in assisted living facilities? I'd like to install this for a family member who keeps falling when he gets up at night, but it's against the rules where is living and receiving care.