It’s fair to say that the older we get, the harder it is to stay upright. Aging makes diminished strength, balance and mobility inevitable. This isn’t to say that every elderly person is bound to have a mobility issue. Many seniors are fully capable of performing all of their own daily routines without help.
However, for so many other seniors, staying upright can be difficult. Consider the fact that Alberta is prone to having harsh winters. It’s a secret to no one that ice and snow are normal parts of every winter in our province. With that said, it only makes the risk of slipping and falling that much greater for all of us.
According to studies, Albertans slip and fall more than almost every other Canadian.
“Nearly 41 Albertans per 100,000 were hospitalized after slips and falls, based on statistics from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) covering 2011 to 2016,” reports Hina Alam of The Edmonton Journal, “Only Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island reported higher hospitalization rates from winter slips and falls. Alberta’s rate is nearly three times that of Ontario.”
Alam goes on to mention that between 2015 and 2016, fall-related hospital admissions in Alberta cost an average of $19,000 each. “The consequences can be even more serious than hospitalization,” she informs with assistance from Karen Gill who is the communications coordinator for the University of Alberta’s Injury Prevention Centre, “Falls on average kill 219 Albertans each year…and about four per cent of those deaths are falls on ice or snow.”
What steps can be taken to prevent slips and falls in the winter?
The obvious suggestion would be for you to watch every step. Be mindful of the snow on the ground and/or any other obstruction that could present a tripping hazard. Be sure to wear the appropriate footwear as well. Although it should go without saying, it’s imperative that you wear winter boots with good tread on their soles.
You may even want to modify the way you walk. According to the University of Calgary doing what’s known as “The Penguin Shuffle” will help you to avoid slipping and falling on the ice: “Point your feet outward like a penguin, take short, shuffle-like steps, keep your arms at your side and out of your pockets, concentrate on keeping your balance, watch where you are stepping and go slowly.
Find the right mobility solution for the senior in your life.
Taking precaution is, perhaps, a lot easier said than done for seniors. Regardless of how careful they are, a diminished sense of strength, balance and mobility makes it so that avoiding slipping and falling in the winter is pretty difficult. At Advantage Home Health Solutions, we’re proud to offer a wide array of high-quality mobility solutions that include wheelchairs, walkers, rollators and scooters to help seniors safely travel from one place to another – all year round!
For more information about the mobility solutions offered by Advantage Home Health Solutions, 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!
