Facts:

Each year, thousands of older Americans fall at home.  Falls can have serious implications including serious physical injuries.  Falls can also decrease your confidence in your abilities and make you scared to ambulate and engage in physical activity.  This can also lead to a decline in functioning.

Falls at home can often be prevented by minimizing hazards that are often overlooked.  Today, we will look at some of these hazards and how they can be addressed to decrease your chances of falling and increase the time you will be able to maintain independence in your home.

Floors:

• Do you have throw rugs?  The best thing to do is to remove throw rugs, especially if you already need a mobility device (walker, cane, etc) to ambulate.  If you do not want to get rid of your throw rugs, then at least have someone attach them to the floor with non slip backing so they do not slip when walked on.
• Is there clutter on the floor?  Many people fall after stepping on something slippery such as a magazine or tripping over something left on the floor like a shoe.  Go through your home and remove clutter from the floor including papers, books, towels and magazines.  Anything on the floor is a potential fall waiting to happen.
• How is your furniture laid out?  Do you have to walk around too much furniture?  Are there pieces of furniture in your way that you could sell, donate or give to family? 
• Do you have to step over any wires?  Are their telephone, lamp or any other types of cords or wires in your way.  It is easy to forget they are there and trip on a cord. Especially in a poorly lit room.  Make sure that you remove any cords from frequently walked in areas.

Stairs and Steps:

• Avoid going up and down the steps when you are fatigued, dizzy or weak.
• Remove clutter from steps.  NEVER leave anything on the steps- too easy to step on something and not be able to catch yourself.
• Make sure that no steps are broken or loose.  Contact someone to help you repair steps as soon as you notice a problem.
• Make sure that steps and stairwells are well lit.
• Have handrails on both sides of steps and make sure they are in good repair.

Rest of the home:

·        In the bathroom and kitchen- make sure things you use frequently are kept in lower cabinets and shelves- waist level is most desirable.  Standing on your tip toes to reach something can easily throw you off balance.

·        Don’t use just anything (i.e a chair) as a step stool.  Only use a sturdy, wide based step stool.

·        Have non stick strips or mats on all shower/tub floors.

·        Use a shower chair to sit down if you have fallen in the shower/tub before.

·        Have a handrail installed in your shower/tub to hold onto when trying to maintain balance during bathing.

·        Make sure your path to the bathroom is well lit at night.  Install tap lights or nightlights along the way that come on by themselves when it becomes dark.

·        Consider using an elevated toilet seat and have grab bars installed near the toilet to assist you when getting up.

·        Wear non skid footwear when at home alone, especially if you have hardwood or linoleum floors.

Other tips for organizing your home for your safety:

• Keep emergency numbers in large print near phone and on the refrigerator.
• Carry a portable phone with you when walking around in the house or going to get the mail, etc.  That way you will have a phone handy to call for help if needed.
• If you live alone consider wearing a Lifeline or similar device that will bring help in case you fall and can’t get up on your own.
• Keep family/friends informed of falls.  Frequent falling can be a sign of medication problems, decline in health and neurological issues.  Your physician also needs to be made aware if you have fallen since your last visit, even if you think it was no big deal.

(facts courtesy of www.cdc.gov)