First, I’ll explain why any fall happens. Now that we’ve covered how understanding falls can help you, let’s talk about falls. In my experience, busy doctors often miss opportunities to reduce fall risk, unless a family is proactive in asking for the right kind of help. You don’t want your mom to start by spending a lot of time on tai chi, if her current major risk for falls might be that her blood pressure medications are too strong, or her eyesight is terrible.Īlso, don’t assume that most doctors will identify and manage the most important risk factors for falls. Personalizing fall prevention is critical.
In other words, you’ll be able to personalize your approach to fall prevention. Once you understand the particular factors contributing to your older loved one’s risk, it will be easier to focus on the fall prevention strategies that are most relevant to your situation. Why personalized fall prevention works better than general fall prevention In other words, learning why older people fall means that you’ll be able to figure out why YOUR older relative is likely to fall - and take steps to help them.
Most older people will be falling due to their own unique combination of reasons.
There are many reasons that aging adults fall.
FALL DOWN GET BACK UP AGAIN HOW TO
A practical example showing you how to use these steps to avoid falls yourself.The four-step process I use to help older adults prevent falls,.Why personalized fall prevention plans work better than relying on general fall prevention tips,.How understanding why aging adults fall can help you keep an older parent - or yourself - safer,.If you want to learn more, you’re in the right place. And the good news is that although it’s not possible to prevent all falls, it almost always IS possible to take actions that will reduce the chance of a bad fall. So, many seniors and family caregivers are interested in fall prevention because the risks are so great. Fear of falling can also seriously affect an aging adult’s quality of life and sadly, can keep a person from being active and thriving. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that one in five falls causes a serious injury such as a broken bone or head injury. Most people know that falls are dangerous for older adults. Instead, they want to know things like “How do I keep my mother from falling?” or “What should I do? My grandfather’s been falling.”Īfter all, falls are a scary thing. To be honest, people don’t usually ask me this.