Easy prevention to reducing older adults’ risk of falling

Opinion

Related Photos

LaDell Emmons

January 29, 2013

Easy prevention to reducing older adults’ risk of falling

By LaDell Emmons Special Correspondent The McAlester News-Capital Tue Jan 29, 2013, 04:14 PM CST

McALESTER — Although even the most sure-footed among us take the occasional spill, the chances of tripping or falling increase sharply as we age. The good news is that most falls can be prevented.

Balance and gait, vision and medications commonly contribute to older adults’ falls along with the living environment and chronic conditions such as diabetes and arthritis.

Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries in adults age 65 and older. Even if they aren’t hurt, there’s a chance older adults could become nervous or scared of staying active after taking a spill. Directly enlisting the help and support of an older adult is one way to reduce the risk of falls.

More specifically, you should simply ask older family members if they are concerned about falling. If the answer is yes, encourage them to discuss their worries with a health care provider, who can properly assess and address concerns.

Taking the time to talk with older adults in your family about their health, most recent eye exam and current medications also will help cut down the risk of falls. Make sure your older loved ones are taking advantage of all the preventative benefits offered under Medicare, such as the annual wellness visit.

Ensure their vision prescriptions are not only up-to-date, but that they are actually wearing their glasses or contacts. If they’re struggling with their medications, have the prescriptions reviewed at each visit to the doctor.

Other strategies for preventing falls among older adults include using physical therapy or relying on assistive technology. Pay close attention to the way older family members move. Are they holding on to walls or someone when walking? Do they have problems getting out of chairs? A trained physical therapist can help improve balance, strength and gait through exercise.

Assistive technology such as canes, walkers and other aids must be fitted properly or they could do more harm than good. Finally, performing a simple, but thorough safety assessment of an older adult’s home could identify potential hazards.

Common fixes could include increasing the lighting, especially near the top and bottom of stairs, installing secure rails along both sides of staircases and putting grab bars in the tub or shower and near the toilet. Reducing clutter and rearranging or removing furniture and other hazards to make it easier to move around also could go a long way in preventing falls.

For guidance on how to conduct an assessment, review the Centers for Disease Control’s home assessment checklist at www.cdc.gov/injury. (Click on “Home and Recreational Safety” and select “Falls – Older Adults.”) There are plenty of easy and inexpensive ways to make the home safer for older adults.

It doesn’t take long to screw in a light bulb or tighten a bolt on a stairway railing, and it can go a long way toward reducing the risk of injury to a loved one.

For more information about preventing falls in older adults, visit the National Council on Aging website at http://www.ncoa.org. For more information in Pittsburg County, call 918-423-4120 or log onto www.oces.okstate.edu/pittsburg.

LaDell Emmons is the Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educator for the Pittsburg County Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Contact her at ladell.emmons@okstate.edu.

For more on this story, see the print or electronic editions of the McAlester News-Capital. Click here for print edition home delivery or click here to see the Smart Edition for your computer, tablet, e-reader or smartphone.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Opinion

Want better roads? Vote 'yes'
McAlester’s roads are a mess. There’s no question about that. But it’s up to voters Tuesday to fix the problem anytime in the near future.

May 11, 2013 1 Photo 1 Story
District 7 state Sen. Larry Boggs, R-Red Oak: Capitol Report
Hi neighbors.
According to Oklahoma’s Constitution, the Legislature must conclude its work by no later than 5 p.m. on the last Friday in May. But that hasn’t always been the case.

May 8, 2013 1 Photo
Jason Collins should open floodgates
The life of every gay athlete got a whole lot easier Monday, when center Jason Collins became the first openly gay player in the NBA. Collins, a free agent when this season ends, played for the Boston Celtics and then Washington Wizards this season.

April 30, 2013 1 Photo
Joy destroyed at Boston Marathon
The crowds have always made the Boston Marathon a joyful event to watch, and probably also in which to participate. All those good vibes were lost on Monday when terrorists detonated two bombs near the race’s finish line, killing three and wounding approximately 175 more.

April 16, 2013 2 Photos
Rutgers must purge itself of Mike Rice
Rutgers University took its first step forward on Monday when it chose former dean Carl Kirschner to take over as temporary athletic director following the resignation of Tim Pernetti. Kirschner will have to find a full-time AD, who will then have to find a men’s basketball coach to replace the disgraced Mike Rice.

April 9, 2013
District 7 state Sen. Larry Boggs, R-Red Oak: Capitol Report
Last week was a slow one in the Senate as we were still waiting for House bills to be assigned to Senate committees. March 28th is the first deadline for double-assigned House bills. We then have until April 4th to take action on single-assigned bills and until April 11th to report double-assigned bills out of committee.

April 4, 2013 1 Photo
Editorial:
It looks as though the state’s prison employees are getting the short end of the stick — again.
Tuesday, the House tabled a bill that would have given all state prison workers a 5 percent pay hike. Starting pay for correctional officers would have gone to $14 per hour, up from a staggering-low of $11.83.

March 18, 2013
Most passive immunity occurs in the first 6 Hours
As calving season continues in Pittsburg County, let’s re-visit the importance of passive immunity via colostrum (mother’s milk).

February 27, 2013
State fifth highest in sales tax rates
There was a time when the federal government relied on income taxes for its revenue stream, state and local government got sales taxes, and county government and schools relied on property taxes.

February 20, 2013
Starting with a soil test
The soil test provides a starting place for a soil improvement program for the home gardener. Unless you know the problems in your garden soil, you are only guessing when you apply fertilizer. The guessing method in some cases causes you to spend excess money on unneeded fertilizer.

February 15, 2013 1 Photo
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

Related Photos

Easy prevention to reducing older adults’ risk of falling

Site Map

Contact Us