Every year, there are many elderly adults who fall. They may get weak, dizzy, or trip over something. If you have an elderly adult in your life, it is important that they know how to fall safely and get up if they fall, as well. This way they can contact a loved one or 9-1-1 if they are injured. There are numerous ways that you and home care providers can help your elderly loved one prepare for a fall.
Falling Safely
It is important that your elderly loved one knows how they can fall safely. You can help them to practice in the different areas of their home. This will prepare them for what could actually happen. For instance, they could fall in the kitchen or the bathroom. You should tell your elderly loved one not to become stiff when they fall. This is going to take some practice as becoming stiff during a fall is a natural instinct. However, staying loose in the joints can reduce the risk of injuries during a fall.
Getting Up After Falling
In addition to being able to fall safely, you and home care providers can help your elderly loved one to practice getting up after falling. When you are practicing having them fall, you can also have them practice getting up, too. It is important when living independently, that your elderly loved one is able to do this. That way, they can get the help they need after the fall. It is important, however, to remind your elderly loved one that if they are too injured, they shouldn’t move much or they could further damage their injured muscles or bones.
You will want to have your elderly loved one practice rolling onto their side and then onto their stomach. From there, they can slowly pull themselves up onto their knees and hands. From this point, they can crawl up to an object that is sturdy. This needs to be something that will hold their weight as they pull themselves up.
Once they get an object that is sturdy, they should put their hands onto it and move one foot up in front of the other. During this entire ordeal, they should do their best to keep their feet sturdy on the floor when pulling themselves up. Remind your elderly loved one that they don’t need to hurry. Hurrying might only cause them to fall again.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to help your elderly loved one fall safely and get up after falling, you can practice these things with them. It is also important to make sure that your elderly loved one knows to call someone, even if they weren’t injured during the fall. Someone should come to stay with them after their fall to ensure they are alright.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Tolleson, AZ, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Resources at (602) 443-4700
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/
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