How to Safely Get Up After a Fall

Accidents happen. As a senior ages, they have a higher chance of falling. This may happen because of bad footwear, loose rugs, going up the stairs or down, or even a lack of balance as a person gets older. Their center of gravity can change, or a new medication may cause an unexpected side effect like dizziness. Just because your senior falls doesn’t mean that they have broken anything but it does mean you need to know how to get your loved one back up safely. Here are some steps to consider in case of an emergency, and how elder care can be there to support your senior after a fall.

Stay Calm

The most important thing for you to keep in mind is that you all need to be calm. When you witness a fall it can be easy to panic especially when you are dealing with someone who is quite a bit older. But the more calm you are the more calm they will be when getting up.

Don’t Rush Them

If they are in pain or saying something hurts and you think something is not right with how they fell, you not only need to remain calm, you need to tell them to stay still. You may need to call an emergency unit from the hospital to come and help move your loved one so you can ensure nothing is broken. You may not even know anything is broken until a professional comes to look at your loved one. Before moving them you need to check them for bruises, sprains, or anything that could be broken.

Go Slow First

Sometimes accidents happen, that doesn’t mean there is internal bleeding, broken bones, or damage. If your loved one is okay on the outside, not complaining of pain, and they want to get up. Help them do this slowly. Start them sitting up while sitting down. If they get dizzy, nauseous, or start to hurt, stop immediately and call 911. If they are okay, you can continue to get them seated all the way up and have them sit there for a few moments. Allow elder care to monitor them for a few minutes before getting all the way up.

Have Them Roll

If your loved one can get on their hands and knees, that will be the best way to get them up onto their feet. Before moving to their feet, ensure there is somewhere for them to sit. They may even use the chair to grab onto to lift themselves up. You should never pull their arms to lift them up, this can strain their body or actually hurt them worse than the fall. They need to roll to the side or roll onto their hands and knees and get up slowly.

Have Them Stay Seated

Once they are up in a chair, elder care should monitor them for another few minutes. This may seem like a long process but it is so crucial to be careful as a person ages. You need to wait in case there is any internal bleeding. Sometimes a senior won’t feel pain until after something has happened. Everyone needs to take their time during this process. Go slow and be safe.

Reference
https://www.cdc.gov/falls/index.html

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