Roll Mobility Blog
4 Ways to Prevent Falls at Home
Using a rollator after surgery or an injury can help prevent re-injury.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three adults over the age of 65 will fall each year. And the consequences can be fatal: falls are the leading cause of injury death for the elderly. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of falls by improving the safety of their environment and making sure they have adequate mobility support.
What can you do to prevent a fall? Let’s look at 4 ways to stay on your feet:
1) Exercise regularly.
If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it! Maintaining physical strength, flexibility, and balance are important for preventing falls. If you don’t continue to exercise and use the muscles that you have, they will become weaker.
2) Get your vision checked.
Poor vision (or not wearing glasses prescribed by a doctor) makes it difficult to see potential tripping hazards. Get your vision checked regularly, and wear glasses if needed.
3) Give yourself time to recover.
Recovery from surgery, illness, and injury takes time. Don’t do more than your doctor or physical therapist recommends. Give your body time to heal, and use a mobility aid (such as a cane, walker, rollator, or wheelchair) to prevent re-injury. Bathroom safety products, such as a shower chair and grab bars, are also helpful.
4) Fall-proof your house.
Do you have loose rugs, poor lighting, or clutter on the floor? Taking simple steps to improve the safety of your home is key to preventing falls in the home.
Fall Prevention at Home for Seniors
A bath or shower chair can prevent falls in the bathroom.
The older you get, the more serious a fall can be. Broken bones are common in the elderly, and they take much longer to heal. The best way to prevent injuries from a fall is to prevent falls in the first place! Here are some tips to prevent falls at home.
- Take time to get your balance when standing up after lying down or sitting. Standing up too fast can make you dizzy.
- Wear supportive shoes with rubber soles and low or no heels. The rubber provides better traction than stocking feet.
- Use a cane or rolling walker around the house, especially when going from room to room. A little extra “balance check” may be all you need to prevent a fall.
- Keep the floor and stairs free of clutter. Arrange furniture to the outside of the room to make a clear path for walking.
- Use chairs with sturdy arm rests to help you sit down and get back up.
- Remove throw rugs or fasten them securely to the floor with carpet tape or non-skid backing.
- Keep items within easy reach. Avoid stretching or bending over to reach objects. Use a step stool or reacher if necessary.
- Install grab bars in the bathroom near the toilet and shower. Use non-skid strips on the bottom of the bathtub or shower. A raised toilet seat and shower chair can also prevent falls in the bathroom.
How to Celebrate Caregivers Month
Take time for yourself during National Family Caregivers Month.
November is National Family Caregivers Month, and we’d like to help you celebrate by giving you a few ways you can relax as a caregiver or help out as a friend of a caregiver. Make a commitment to honor caregivers this month by doing something special for yourself or your caregiver friend.
If you are a caregiver…
- Give yourself time to rest and rejuvenate. Remember to take care of yourself as well as your loved one.
- Accept offers of help from others around you. Find practical ways they can take some of the load off your shoulders, whether that’s running errands around town, cooking supper once a month, or watching your loved one for a few hours while you take time for yourself.
- Connect with other caregivers. Sharing stories, laughter, and helpful tips can make your job easier and less stressful.
- Encourage your loved one to embrace as much independence as they are safely able to handle. The more they can do for themselves, the better they will feel and the less they will feel like a burden. Be open to new methods, technologies, and mobility products that encourage independence.
- Be good to your body. Healthy eating, exercise, and adequate rest will go a long ways in keeping you physically and emotionally healthy.
- Give your back a break. Be careful not to lift, push, or pull more weight than you are able. Consider purchasing a lightweight wheelchair or other lightweight mobility products that are easier to lift into a vehicle. Use a wheelchair ramp to avoid lifting altogether.
If you are supporting a caregiver…
- Offer to take over some of the caregiver’s duties, even for a few hours or a few times a month.
- Encourage the caregiver to take time off. Help them find a homecare professional who can lighten the load.
- Cook supper once a month for the caregiver’s family.
- Offer to babysit if the caregiver has kids.
- Help the caregiver research information on their loved one’s medical condition.
- Be willing to listen and lend a hand wherever you see a need. Every caregiver needs someone who cares for them.
Bed to Wheelchair Transfer
Helping your loved one out of bed and into a wheelchair can be done safely when following the proper guidelines. We recommend practicing with a healthcare professional before attempting a bed to wheelchair transfer on your own. A professional can make sure you are using the correct body positioning and lifting techniques, as well as help you learn how to communicate clearly with your loved one throughout the transfer process.
A wheelchair with flip-back arms can make transfers easier.
Here are some basic guidelines for a bed to wheelchair transfer:
- Position the wheelchair parallel to the bed on the person’s stronger side.
- Lock the bed brakes, if applicable.
- Swing the legrests out of the way or remove them from the wheelchair.
- Lock the wheelchair brakes.
- Make sure your loved one is wearing non-slip footwear, such as rubber-soled slippers.
- Communicate with your loved one throughout the transfer process to let him know what will happen next. Ask for feedback often to make sure your loved one is comfortable throughout the transfer.
- While keeping your knees bent and back straight, help your loved one into a sitting position by placing one arm under his shoulders and the other arm on his hips. Turn him toward you and move his legs until they are dangling over the side of the bed.
- Once your loved one is in a sitting position, encourage him to sit still for two minutes while his equilibrium adjusts. If he is dizzy, wait until the dizziness has passed before continuing the transfer. If dizziness, discomfort, or pain persists after several minutes, help your loved one lie back down.
- When you are ready for the transfer from a sitting position to the wheelchair, put your arms around your loved one’s waist and grab his waistband securely. Your loved one should be sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning slightly forward with feet flat on the floor and pointing straight ahead. The caregiver’s feet should be pointing towards the bed, with one foot between your loved one’s feet (and your knee between his knees) and the other foot outside of his feet and slightly further back.
- Bend your knees, tighten your abdominal and gluteal muscles, and keep your back straight as you prepare for the transfer. Get as close as possible to your loved one, in a hugging position.
- Tell your loved one to stand on the count of three. Gently rock your loved one forward with each count to increase momentum.
- On the count of three, help your loved one stand by pulling up on his waistband. If possible, have your loved one push himself up from the bed to assist with the transfer.
- Pivot with your loved one towards the wheelchair until his back is facing the chair. Instruct him to grab the armrest as you gently help him sit.
- Once your loved one is safely seated in the wheelchair, you may put the legrests back in place, if needed, and unlock the wheelchair brakes.
Bathroom Modifications for Senior Safety
Being able to live at home is important to aging seniors, yet as they get older, everyday tasks often become more difficult, falls become more dangerous, and caregivers may worry about leaving their loved ones alone. Fortunately, there are ways that living at home can be made safer for seniors, giving both caregivers and seniors greater peace of mind.
Since the bathroom is one of the most common places to fall, we’ll cover a few ways you as a caregiver can make the bathroom a safer place while allowing your loved one to maintain as much independence as possible.
Bath Transfer Bench
- Install a bath seat or transfer bench and handheld shower.
- Raise the toilet seat.
- Install grab bars.
- Use non-slip rubber mats or adhesive strips.
- Get rid of throw rugs.
- Make sure there is adequate lighting.
- Consider purchasing a commode chair, if needed.
A bath seat allows the user to remain seated while cleaning up, thereby reducing the risk of falls in the tub and shower. Bath seats are available in a variety of styles and sizes, including bariatric seats for users over 250 pounds, teak wood for elegant styling, and portable folding styles for travel. Available features include backrests, handles, suction cups, and padding.
A bath transfer bench makes it easier for the user to get in and out of a bathtub. Instead of stepping over the tub rim, your loved one can sit down on the edge of the bench, lift each leg into the tub, and slide over to the middle of the seat. Handles, backrests, drainage holes, and other features increase safety and comfort.
A handheld shower allows the user to wash and control the flow of water while remaining seated.
Raised Toilet Seat
An elevated toilet seat makes it easier to sit down and get up from the toilet. Support arms provide an extra boost for standing up, and they reduce the risk of losing your balance.
Installing grab bars around the toilet and tub or shower is an easy way to provide extra support and prevent falls. Encourage your loved one NEVER to use a towel bar, door handle, shower door, wall-mounted sink, or other object to support their weight. These objects can break free and throw their weight off balance. Only securely mounted grab bars are designed to support body weight.
Slip-resistant mats and non-slip adhesive strips provide confident footing on slippery surfaces, such as tub and shower floors and bathroom tile floors. These surfaces become very slippery when wet, leading to a higher risk of falls.
Loose rugs are tripping hazards. Remove throw rugs from the bathroom, or secure them to the floor with heavy duty carpet tape.
Folding Steel Commode
Trips to the bathroom at night can be hazardous. Seniors are more likely to trip over objects or lose their balance in dark or dim rooms. Plug in automatic night lights in the bathroom, hallways, stairways, and other areas around the house as needed. These lights will come on automatically at dusk and turn off at dawn.
If your loved one struggles to make it to the bathroom, you may want to consider getting a commode chair. A self-contained commode can be placed in the bedroom next to the bed to provide easy access to a toilet. Most commode chairs can also be installed over a toilet seat to act as an elevated toilet seat with support arms.
Fall Prevention Checklist for Seniors
The older a person gets, the greater the chances are that a fall could result in serious injury or even death. Broken bones and other injuries take longer to heal and present more complications for older adults. That’s why it’s important to take any necessary steps to prevent a fall from happening in the first place. Fortunately, most falls can be prevented. The following safety checklist includes fall prevention tips from the National Center for Injury Prevention & Control (NCIPC) and other organizations concerned with health and home safety for seniors.
Encourage your loved one to use a rollator or walker for added stability and balance.
Furniture and Room Arrangement
- Place furniture towards the outside of the room, leaving a clear, straight path (avoid having to navigate around furniture).
- Make sure all furniture is stable enough to support weight if you lean on them.
- Remove all objects and tripping hazards from the floor.
- Keep important objects within easy reach to avoid bending and reaching and to avoid the use of a step stool.
- Keep telephones in easy-to-reach places. Make sure at least one phone is on a low table in case your loved one needs to reach it after a fall. Keep emergency numbers by the phone.
Flooring
- Use non-skid wax or no wax on polished floors.
- Remove throw rugs and area rugs (clean and hang on wall for decoration if the rug is special) or secure them to the floor with carpet tape.
- Make sure the carpet is well fastened and lies flat.
- Keep cords out of the way. Run cords behind furniture or against the wall.
Stairs and Walkways
- Remove all objects from stairways.
- Mark the edge of each step with brightly colored adhesive tape.
- Install handrails in stairways on both sides. You might also consider installing handrails in long hallways.
- Make sure your loved one wears house shoes with rubber soles for extra grip.
- Encourage your loved one to use a walker or rollator for added stability and balance.
Bathroom
- Install grab bars in the bathroom, including the toilet area, shower, and walls. Use a grab rail as a towel bar for extra safety.
- Use a bath seat in the tub or shower area.
Lighting
- Make sure your loved one can turn on the light without walking through a dark room to reach the lamp or lightswitch.
- Use nightlights in the hallway, kitchen, bathroom, and stairwell.
- Keep the house well lit during the day with natural and artificial lighting. Make sure there is adequate lighting throughout the house in the evening and early morning hours.
- Check light bulbs periodically and replace burned out bulbs immediately.
You can find out more about fall prevention and senior home safety at the NCIPC website at www.cdc.gov/injury.
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