Home Care Supports Families in Fall Prevention Efforts

When seniors opt to age in place, family caregivers need to address some very real potential problems, like fall prevention. Falls are a leading cause of serious injuries in aging adults and they can lead to some significant issues later, including decreased activity levels and reduced independence. Home care providers can be a huge help as families look for way to implement fall prevention solutions.

Understanding Fall Risk Factors

The first step is for family caregivers to understand fall risk factors. They can talk with their senior’s healthcare providers about their individual risk factors and how they might be mitigated more easily. Health conditions, activity levels, environmental hazards, and more can all play a role.

Assessing Fall Risks

Elder care providers can very quickly offer a professional assessment of existing fall risks in the home. They’ve got a lot of experience with helping seniors be safer at home, so they can help family caregivers identify potential problems. The more quickly those issues are addressed, the easier it is to keep seniors as safe as possible.

Modifying the Environment

Especially when seniors have lived in one home for a long time, they may not think about ways that their homes could be safer. Adding simple solutions like grab bars in the shower can instantly make a difference. Other possibilities include reducing clutter as much as possible, brightening lighting throughout the house, and having elder care providers take on tasks like tidying living spaces regularly.

Encouraging Movement

When aging adults gradually become less mobile, that can contribute to situations that create more difficulty with mobility. An easy solution is for seniors to reach out to their doctors and determine what level of activity is right for them. Home care providers can help seniors put together a daily routine that includes things like eating healthy meals, moving regularly, and staying as healthy as possible.

Monitoring Health Changes

Health changes, including issues like side effects from medications and worsening chronic health conditions, can very easily contribute to a fall. Senior home care providers can help seniors to notice when these minor health issues could be contributing to safety concerns. Home care providers can help family caregivers stay aware of what’s happening so that they can alert their seniors’ doctors.

Social Support

The less isolated seniors feel, the healthier they’re likely to be overall. Home care providers offer a layer of social support that seniors can rely on consistently. Caregivers offer companionship that understands how aging impacts seniors. Reducing loneliness, anxiety, and depression can go a lot farther than most people realize when it comes to staying healthy and avoiding all sorts of complications, including falls.

Educating Family Caregivers

The more that family caregivers know and understand about everything related to seniors and caregiving, the easier it is for them to see how everything fits together. Home care providers have helped so many aging adults and their families, so they have seen a variety of situations. That experience shortens the learning curve for family caregivers so they can take the best possible care of the seniors they love.

Home care providers are a perfect partner when family caregivers need to craft a fall prevention plan. Their experience and support goes a long way toward helping seniors have a safer experience as they age in place.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home care in New York City, NY, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts at Home – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Queens, Rockland today. 646-480-6266