WHAT causes falls in elderly people?
Well, many things can cause a fall – poor eyesight, poor hearing, a loose rug, your pet or even medications you take that could cause an adverse reaction.
Certain medical conditions can also lead to falls – heart disease, diabetes, nerves in your feet – all can lead to poor balance as you get older.
Weight too is a consideration. It makes it a lot harder to get up off the floor even if you haven’t done any damage other than maybe just denting your ego.
Falls generally can be categorised into three groups. These are anticipated, accidental and unanticipated falls.
Time needed for an elderly person to recover from a fall depends on the severity of any injury. Should you not hurt yourself significantly, then a recovery time is anywhere from four to six weeks.
You may think that is a long time, but consider this, your body must get back to normality first. It can take a while longer to recover if you are faced with getting a new hip or having knee surgery. A lengthy stay in hospital could be on the cards.
But I hear you say, “I’m very careful.”
Sure, you may be, but this is where the unanticipated fall comes in. A misstep on a ladder, cleaning the solar panels, all may seem innocent enough, until it happens.
More than a quarter of people over 65 or older fall each year, (according to the National Institute of Ageing) and hospital admissions would more than likely bear this out.
Sometimes I wonder if tripping is the main cause – sure, you trip and fall, but is that the main reason or is it your perception of an object possibly caused by an underlying illness or problem you may have.
Or even vertigo, which can cause immense falling problems and not just for the elderly.
A decline in muscle mass in the elderly can be the cause of many falls.
So, having seen some of the facts, how is this going to potentially alter your lifestyle.
Will you take any precautions as you get older?
It appears if the numbers are extrapolated, then after you turn 65, there can be a chance of a fall every four years.
Will you still clean those solar panels or climb ladders after you turn 70, or will you just not take the chance.
Remember something else though – if you were to fall, what about the repercussions of your actions on your children, your partner, your work, and your retirement plans.
Think ahead how this could impact on their lives as well as your own.
But say you do fall and you’re by yourself, stay still, and work out if you have an injury or not, then plan your next move. Ideally, you would have worked out a way of getting into a chair or onto a bed before you had that fall.
There are electronic devices that can detect a fall and call up to six known numbers to advise accordingly.
There are watches and pendants that allow you to call from any location, and some have a built-in GPS tracking system.
Be aware of all these things before you fall. Because it may be too late after.
