{"id":10421,"date":"2020-04-27T14:08:25","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T14:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/youandicare.co.uk\/newest2025\/?p=10421"},"modified":"2020-04-27T14:08:25","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T14:08:25","slug":"preventing-falls-among-seniors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/youandicare.co.uk\/newest2025\/preventing-falls-among-seniors\/","title":{"rendered":"Preventing Falls Among Seniors."},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Falls and fractures are a common and serious health issue faced by older people in the United Kingdom. People aged 65 and older have the highest risk of falling, with around a third of people aged 65 and over, and around half of the people aged 80 and over falling at least once a year.<\/p>\n

While falls cause distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence, and mortality, they are a major cause of emergency hospital admissions. The Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) reported that in 2017 to 2018 there were around 220,160 emergency hospital admissions related to falls among patients aged 65 and over, with around 146,665 (66.6%) of these patients aged 80 and over.<\/p>\n

In light of the huge number of emergency hospital admissions caused by falling, it is evident that now is a really bad time for a senior to fall since hospitals in the United Kingdom are overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases. Reports<\/a> have for instance indicated that \u201cas UK hospitals get swamped with coronavirus cases, other chronically ill patients are forced to wait for treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is safe therefore, that seniors remain in their own homes<\/a> and suffer no injuries that cause emergency hospital admissions. To ensure this, here are some tips on how to avoid falls for seniors;<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Eat and drink well<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Eating and drinking well can reduce the risk of falling since your body receives enough essential nutrients. Skipping meals could make you miss the required essential nutrients, reduce your energy, make you feel dizzy or light-headed, and lead to falls. To void falls, therefore, it is important that you eat and drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Keep active and exercise<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Keeping active and exercising can improve balance, strength, coordination, and flexibility. Keeping physically active is thus recommended for avoiding falls among seniors. If you are not sure of which physical activity or exercises to perform, we recommend that you talk to your doctor or a healthcare professional about the type of exercise that would be good for you and follow their recommendation. \u00a0A doctor may refer you to support from a physical or occupational therapist who can visit you at home to discuss an exercise program to suit you that will improve your balance, muscle strength, and gait (how you take steps).<\/p>\n

      You can also join a local health and fitness center where you can meet like-minded people and give each other encouragement to exercise regularly.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n

        Use the right equipment and aids<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Often times, seniors have mobility challenges that can lead to falls. We recommend that if you have mobility challenges, you use the right equipment and aids. We recommend talking to an occupational therapist or your doctor for a referral if you don\u2019t have one. An occupational therapist can advise you on suitable adaptations to make your home safer, as well as aids to make day to day living tasks easier to perform. \u00a0They can give you information about the extensive range of aids and adaptations to meet a wide variety of needs depending on your circumstances. Examples of equipment and aids include;<\/p>\n