Happy New Year! On behalf of the entire Advantage Home Health Solutions staff, we hope you’ve already gotten 2023 off to a great start. As always, our team remains dedicated to helping its clients have the safest years possible. This year is certainly no different. We’d love nothing more than to work with you to ensure that that senior in your life is able to live comfortably and independently. It all starts with fall prevention.
Scour the home for tripping hazards.
Perhaps the easiest and most obvious way to promote fall prevention is to eliminate any and all tripping hazards from the home. Sometimes, they’re not so obvious. Do you take your shoes off at the front door? Putting them in the closet instead of on a shoe mat can mean the difference between your elderly loved one tripping and staying upright. Tuck away wires, push furniture closer to the wall, remove throw rugs and pick up all objects from the floor.
“Make sure there are clear paths for the senior resident to move around the home easily,” instructs Anthony Martin of Choice Mutual, “How about the flooring? Is it slippery? Consider using anti-slip tiles. As people age, their senses deteriorate, so dim lighting may not be suitable in a home for a senior. Install adjustable lights so you can change the intensity as needed.”
Wear non-slip shoes.
Most of us take our shoes off when entering our homes. Why wouldn’t we? Who wants to track dirt, mud, snow and slush inside? It’s certainly a good idea to remove our outdoor shoes and replace them with indoor shoes or slippers. For seniors, this is practically a must. Non-slip shoes help to attain better traction with the floor. Wearing them goes a long way in preventing falls.
“These shoes are designed with special soles that create stronger traction with the floor to protect against slip-and-fall accidents,” reports Toronto’s Accela Staff, “Typically made of hard rubber rather than leather, the soles of non-slip shoes have a crisscrossing pattern to protect against slip-and-fall accidents. Even when walking on a smooth, flat surface, it’s almost impossible to slip and fall while wearing a pair of high-quality non-slip shoes.”
Hire a professional caregiver.
You can’t be expected to handle all of a senior’s care yourself. This is especially true if you work and have no other family members to assist you. It’s vital, of course, that you hire a caregiver who is well versed in the area of senior care and the signs associated with fall risks. As Martin points out, a caregiver should be able to recognize when a fall could be imminent, prevent it when they can, and know what to do after a fall happens.
“It’s also a good idea to get the person involved in activities that can help improve their strength and mobility, which could lessen the chances of a fall,” he advises, “For instance, taking yoga, dance, or tai chi classes can improve balance and bolster lower-body strength.”
At Advantage Home Health Solutions, we specialize in offering seniors solutions that will help them to avoid slipping and falling. Quality accessibility and mobility equipment allow older adults to continue their daily routines, often without assistance from others. We also provide expert advice, knowledge and options so our clients can make informed decisions. Our customers benefit from the experience we have gained solving similar issues for previous clients.
If you have any questions about the many high-quality mobility solutions we offer, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-460-5438. You may also email us by filling out the form on our Contact page!
