Thousands of people over the age of 65 fall while at home each year according the the Center for Disease Control. Falls at home resulted in more than 1.6 million emergency room visits in 2002 and 12,800 people over the age of 65 died.
There are a lot of simple fall prevention strategies you can use at home. Here is a checklist of some of the things you can do, below, or check out our article on our Fall Prevention Program. A safe patient handling regimen should include:
- Remove rugs or use sticky tape on the back of rugs so they don’t slip when you walk on them.
- Keep objects such as papers and clothing off the floor. Slipping on objects that are on the floor are a common way of falling.
- Coil or tape cords next to the wall so there is no danger of your feet catching them as you walk around your home.
- Fix burned out light bulbs so your hallways and stairways are well lit
- Make sure any stairs have handrails on both sides, and that the handrails are not loose.
- Have an electrician install a light switch at both the top and bottom of your stairs, if you have any.
- In the kitchen, make sure things you use often are within reach and don’t need a stepping stool to reach.
- In the bathroom, put a mat that doesn’t slip in the shower or tub. Handrails can also help here too.
Here are some other fall prevention tips:
- Regular exercise helps keep your strength and balance at its peak.
- Use the ResQUp to practice getting up from the floor and getting down to the floor. This is a great way to maintain strength in the upper part of the body.
- Have your doctor look at the medicines you take – some of them may make you drowsy or dizzy.
- After you sit down or lie down, get up slowly.
- Keep emergency numbers in large print near your phone.
- Have the ResQUp near by so someone can bring it to you to get back to a standing position after a fall.
The following is a list of some common physical reasons why people fall:
- Accident, environmental hazard, fall from bed
- Gait disturbance, balance disorders or weakness, pain related to arthritis
- Vertigo
- Medications, drug therapies, or alcohol
- Postural hypotension
- Acute illness
- Visual disorder
- Central nervous system disorder, syncope, drop attacks, epilepsy
- Confusion and cognitive impairment
The ResQUp is an important aid to fall prevention if you are living at home and are at risk of falling. It can also help you recover from a fall. Other uses for the ResQUp abound. For example, use the ResQUp to descend from chair height to the floor to play with your grandchildren.
Familiarize yourself with the Instructions for Use in the Product Package Insert. A DVD instructional video comes with the every ResQUp purchased.
Never use the ResQUp if you have injured yourself in the act of falling.
