Are You Putting Your Senior Parents At Risk Of Death From Falls?
Each year, thousands of older americans fall at home. Many of them are seriously injured, and some are disabled. In 2002, more than 12,800 people over age 65 died and 1.6 million were treated in emergency departments because of falls.
Over 70% of home accidents happen in the bathroom and this is no different for seniors. The bathroom by far has the highest risk of falls for seniors because of the nature and modern designs of todays bathrooms.
As seniors age they still wish to remain independent and are not likely to ask for help bathing.
Standard bathtubs and showers are a minefield for accidents for seniors and there are many solutions that can reduce the risk, we will cover some of them now.
The first thing is to make the contact surfaces non-slip. There are many products on the market to stop the slipping and they are generally not that expensive.
The next thing is to place hand rails or grab bars next to the bath and shower. Most tubs and shower doors are not built to support the weight of a man or woman and are generally useless to assist if you start to slip or fall.
Regular tubs are hard for seniors to get in and out of because of the step up and over the sides of the tub. So hand rails are a must.
Make sure there are no lose rugs on the floor of the bathroom as these can move and cause a slip or fall. There are products on the market to fix rugs to the floor to eliminate this problem.
Make sure all electrical devices like blow-dryers and curling irons are safely away from the tub or shower. This prevents electric shock.
Now for the kitchen, the first thing to do is make sure all commonly used items are within reach without a step or stool. The less someone climbs, the less chance of falling. If you can keep the most used items at about waist level this makes it even better.
If there is any way possible, remove all step stools from the home if the seniors are starting to have trouble getting around on their own. Someone who is losing their agility can make a fatal mistake by using these stools.
One of the most important things that concerns the whole home and yard is to keep floors and walkways free from debris, papers or boxes, Anything in a high traffic walking area is a recipe for disaster.
Related Tags: senior care, bath tubs, walk in bath tubs, senior slip and fall
Jim corkern is an advocate and writer about senior citizen safety. learn more about his new walk in tubs and learn how walk in bath tubs may save a senior from being crippled or even death.
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