Consequences of Elder People Fall
With aging, elder people fall to lose their balance and mobility, which further results in falling. Falls are one of the major risks elderly people face and these can lead to some serious injuries and even death in few cases. Several factors can initiate falls in the elderly like aging, arthritis, diabetes, anemia, and other chronic disorders. With aging bones becomes weak and when elders slip, it leads to some serious fatal injuries like broken bones, hips, and others. In few cases, these falling accidents can also lead to deaths in elders. Usually, elders do not experience any severe symptoms before falling, but few people may have mild to moderate symptoms like dizziness, weakness, and others. Falls and fear of falls have a huge impact on elders, it affects their self-confidence and also their quality of life. Elders may isolate themselves from participating in social gatherings, going outside, and other activities due to fear of falling.
Let us know a little about why elders fall and also ways to avoid falls in elders.
Causes of Elder People Falls
Several factors starting from aging, physical factors to environmental factors, and others can cause a fall or slip in elders. Here are few causes of falls in elders like
- Balance and mobility problems
- Vision problems
- Low BP
- Heart diseases
- Stroke
- Alzheimer’s diseases
- Dementia
- Dehydration
- Numbness in feet
- Foot disorders
- Weakness or anemia
- Diabetes
- Thyroid problems
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Environmental factors that can lead to falls among elders are
- Wet and slippery floor
- Lighting problems
- Unsafe footwear
- Lose carpets
- Uneven ground
- Dark staircase
Along with the above, factors like confusion and usage of high doses or excess medications can also lead to falls in elders. Lack of exercise also triggers falls in few cases. Due to lack of exercise your bones, muscles, and joints becomes weaker and lead to balance problems. Many elders due to fear of falling stay indoors and avoid going walking and doing regular exercises, due to which their exposure to the sun also gets reduced and leads to a condition called vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency also makes your bones weak and prone to fractures when elder people fall.
Avoiding Elder People Fall
Here are few safety measures which help to avoid falls in elders like
- Get your eyes and ears examined regularly. If you are not seeing any objects properly, you may end up falling.
- Be physically active as this makes you flexible, improves your balance, and also controls your weight and joint stiffening problems
- Wear right fitting shoes which have non-skid soles and also use non-slip mats in your home
- Consult your doctor immediately, if you experience any dizziness or weakness after taking any therapy
- Get enough sleep
- Limit your alcohol consumption
- Keep your house and bathrooms clean and dry
- Do not leave electric cords or any other household items in the way
- Keep your house ventilated or switch on lights in your house if you are unable to see clearly
- Do not try to stand or get up fastly, take your time as you may feel dizzy and aggravate fall
- For your safety and support, you can also use walking assistive aids like canes and walkers.
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