Preventing falls and other home accidents can save a trip to the hospital, or even a life. Many underestimate the danger of falls for adults over the age of 65. In fact, falls are a little known leading cause of injury and death in seniors. However, a few home and lifestyle adjustments can make almost all falls entirely preventable. Utilizing caregiving services can also drastically cut down on these incidents by providing regular safety check-ins for seniors. Attentive fall prevention and periodic home safety checks give seniors and their loved ones peace of mind when it comes to in-home accidents. 

The Basics of Fall Prevention

Following a few simple steps and guidelines can drastically reduce the risk of falls. With help from a caregiver or loved one, elderly adults can enjoy a safer home environment free from threats of falls or other injuries. Generally, it is important to account for the most common causes of falls. Some of the main contributing factors to falls include:

  • Loose floor coverings
  • Obstructed traffic areas
  • Inadequate lighting
  • Lack of grab bars for the tub, shower and toilet
  • Loose cords and wires

Overall, creating a less cluttered, more streamline living environment can protect elderly individuals from falls. Making spaces intuitively more accessible and easy to move around in can help with this and cut down on all contributing factors. Additionally, if you are helping a senior with fall prevention, it might help to find fall-safe products when buying new furniture, appliances, or decor for the home. Consulting senior lifestyle websites can help decide what senior-friendly products will best improve your loved one’s safety. 

Useful Fall Prevention Equipment

A variety of fall prevention products can help better equip elderly adults to avoid falls. Understanding an individual’s level of mobility will determine what equipment will be most helpful. This can range from small mobility aids that help with movement around the house and outside, to more heavily integrated aids throughout the house. A few common fall prevention products include:

  • Grab bars
  • Shower chairs
  • Grab sticks/reachers
  • Canes 
  • Walkers
  • Non slip socks/floor mats/furniture

Many of these products can be found at low cost and require a minimal level of difficulty to install. For the most part, fall prevention equipment can be installed in a home without making any huge changes to pre existing appliances or installments. Given the use of these aids, it is still important to consider how furniture layout can impact falls. Rearranging furniture is sometimes necessary to ensure the safest home environment for an elderly adult. Additionally, consider utilizing floor mats and pads where necessary. If it seems as though a certain area presents a higher risk for falling, placing a mat there for protection in the incident of a fall provides added precaution. 

Home Safety Checks from Professional Caregivers

Home safety checks are an invaluable resource that provide home safety for seniors. While a senior’s family and friends can check in on them regularly, periodic professional home safety checks can make fall prevention and other accident prevention far more effective. Enlisting the help of a caregiving professional can make home safety checks easier and more advantageous. Caregivers are trained to maintain a safe home environment for their clients, as well as help their clients with their physical needs throughout the day. They can help a client and their loved ones follow the best home safety guidelines possible in order to prevent accidents around the home. 

New Wave Home Care’s Safety Services

At New Wave Home Care, our caregivers are experienced with creating the safest environment possible for our clients. With our home care services, we offer free fall prevention and home safety checks. Beginning with our initial in-home safety assessment, we evaluate and make recommendations for fixing the common issues leading to falls. The continuation of our complimentary fall prevention and home safety checks include:

  • A review of the client’s medical history and medications
  • An assessment of each client’s gait and balance
  • Suggestions for removing fall hazards in each room of the home
  • Recommendations on home safety devices such as handrails and shower chairs

Periodic check-ins can provide significant emotional benefits as well. Regular in-home visits can provide many elderly adults with an enjoyable sense of connection. Our caregivers always connect with clients on a deep level, and ensuring their safety requires more than simply checking off points on a list. With our in-home safety services, we can ensure that all of our clients are not only safe from preventable accidents, but happy and content as possible.

For more information on our fall prevention and safety services, please feel free to contact us at any time.