The Caring Corner®
The Caring Corner – A Fall Is One of the Main Events Leading to a Need for Home Care
Have a nice trip! See you next fall! Perhaps you remember the prank many of us in grade school enjoyed as we stuck out a leg, pretending to trip someone. We probably never actually tripped anybody, but we enjoyed the joke and the play on words. Fast forward six or seven decades and the subject matter of this joke is a serious health issue. If you have parents in the Chapel Hill area that are fall risks, you know that falls are serious things. You can get badly hurt. For the elderly, the impact of falling extends far beyond the actual event. A fall can be the factor that starts a downward health spiral that ends in recurring hospitalizations and even death. Our experience is that a fall is one of the most common events that triggers a need for caregivers/home care services.
All of us have fallen at some time or another. We might have slipped on a wet surface or patch of ice. Maybe we caught our feet on the edge of a carpet or did not use sufficient care when going up or down the stairway. If we were lucky, we got off light with a few bruises, and a bit of humiliation. We stood up, brushed it off and forgot about our vulnerability until the next time we lose our balance or take a misstep.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that more than one out of four people over the age of 65 fall each year. However, less than 50% of them report the event to their doctor. The CDC also states that if you fall once, it doubles your chances of falling again. The statistics regarding falls are troubling; they are an expensive and serious health concern.
- Each year at least 300,000 elderly require hospitalization due to hip fractures.
- More than 800,000 people/year are admitted to the hospital because of an injury related to a fall, often trauma to the head or a broken hip.
- 20% of all falls lead to a serious injury such as broken bones or head trauma.
- 3 million older people are treated each year due to injuries related to falls
- The most common cause of brain injuries are falls.
- The total medical cost in 2015 due to falls exceeded $50 billion; three-quarters of this was paid for by Medicaid and Medicare.
What are the conditions that will increase your likelihood of falling?
There are many risk factors for falling. Fortunately, some of them can be controlled or modified through environment and lifestyle changes. We urge out clients to make as many of these adjustments as possible because They include:
- Hazards in the home such as rugs, narrow passageways and clutter that can be tripped over
- Poor eyesight and vision problems, including poorly illuminated walking areas
- Poor footwear, loose fitting shoes and sandals
- Lower body weakness and poor leg strength/flexibility
- General difficulties with balance and ambulation
It is relatively easy to correct for fall hazards. Leg strength and balance takes longer to develop but can be worked on over time. Proper footwear is relatively easy to correct. Not all vision problems can be fixed, but it is easy to add proper lighting in any stairwell or area where natural hazards exist. In addition, it is relatively easy to install grab bars in natural high-risk areas, such as the shower or tub and adjacent to the toilet.
What happens in a fall?
Many times when we fall we get off easy but, about 20% of falls result in serious injury such as a broken bone or head trauma. These injuries make it hard for us to fulfill our everyday activities and live independently.
- Many individuals who fall, even if they do not sustain injury, find that they are more afraid of it happening again. This fear then leads that person to reduce their everyday activities, in turn becoming less active and more sedentary. When you are less active, you become weaker which increases the likelihood of falling.
- Falls can lead to fractured bones like a broken ankle, arm, wrist or hip.
- Falls may also result in head injuries. Such trauma have severe repercussions if the individual is taking medicines like blood thinners. Anyone who hits their head in a fall, should see visit their physician immediately to evaluate the risk of having experienced head injury.
Hip fractures among our older loved ones lead to the need for home care
One of the most common and serious injuries that results from a fall is a fractured hip. Once someone has broken their hip, it is hard to recover, and it may be impossible for them to live independently, as they did prior to the fall. This is one of the key events that triggers the need for home care.
With the aging population, the incidence of broken hips is only expected to increase. The CDC reports that most hip fractures, more than 95%, are the result of falling (usually sideways). In addition, 75% of all broken hips are experienced by women. They fall more frequently than men and are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis, which is a disease that weakens bones, making them brittle and likely to fracture.
The chances of breaking your hip increase as we age. If your loved one is over 65, ask them to speak with their physician to evaluate their risk for falling and talk to them about things they could do to reduce that risk. In particular, they can ask their physician to evaluate the medicines they are taking in case any might make produced drowsiness or dizziness. This not only includes prescription medicines but also over the counter products. They should inquire about the benefit of Vitamin D supplements, as Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a greater fall risk. Mom, especially, should get screened for osteoporosis and have it treated if necessary.
Because poor eyesight can lead to falling, Mom and Dad should have their vision examined by an eye doctor at least annually. They should get their eyewear updated, if needed. If they wear bifocal or progressive lenses, look into getting them special glasses prescribed for outdoor activities such as walking. The problem with bifocal and other lenses is that sometimes they make things seem farther away or closer than they really are, resulting in poor depth perception and possibly a fall.
Falls can be scary and painful, and as you age, your risk of falling increases. Over 25% of older adults fall at least once each year and this often leads to the need for in home care. The good news is that with the proper precautions and fall prevention products, you can remain independent. Getting home care is a great way to stay at home, but it’s even better if you can do without.
