Falls are caused by many things

Falls are caused by many things

Falls are caused by many things. A person’s energy level, physical frailty, sight, hearing, reactions to medications, illness and disease all affect a person’s ability to be stable on their feet.

Assisted Living is a good option for someone who is at risk for falls, as the monitoring of someone who is physically frail is likely to be greater than if a person is living fully independently in their own home or apartment.  A person living independently in their own home (regardless of age) should have an alarm pendant or bracelet to notify others that they need help in case of a fall or accident.

It is common for older adults to fall; particularly in the bathroom.  And as eyesight and motor skills diminish, having a living space which is uncluttered and free of items such as decorative throw rugs will increase the safety of an older adult.

A great benefit of assisted living is that there are built in monitoring or alarm systems to solicit staff help more readily than if a person were living in their own home.  The more challenging side to assisted living is that there may be larger square footage to walk and more space to fall.  And yet, some people view the added square footage as a benefit to older adults, because it creates a need to get some exercise, even if it only means walking to a meal, going to the mailbox or attending an activity.

Depending upon the willingness of the health and wellness staff of a senior community, a person who has frequent falls may be welcome to stay, or they may be encouraged to accept monitoring or services.  In some instances, the senior living community may feel that a smaller setting with more vigilant attention may be a better match for an older adult.  In these cases, an adult family home may be a better match for an older adult.

Increased emphasis is being placed on giving seniors increased quality of life by balancing out the risk for fall with the desire for independence.  More and more, our society is willing to tolerate a person being at risk for fall in return for having a higher level of independence.  Through technology we are learning to respond more quickly to a fall when it occurs.

It is incorrect that our society still places blame on a senior community when a fall occurs.  The reality of aging is that older adults fall.  They’ve always fallen, and this will only increase as people continue to live longer.  Our eyesight, our joints, our balance and our muscles all affect our ability to walk safely.  Our culture is slow to embrace this fact.  It wasn’t until quite recently (late 1990’s) that inventions such as three-footed walkers, wheeled walkers and motorized scooters were accepted by society.  Just a decade ago, a cane was viewed as a sign of weakness in an individual, and senior communities blatantly discriminated against people with mobility issues.  Today, we see a drastic departure from that way of thinking.  Retirement and assisted living communities are filled with assistive devices, and the trend is to welcome these mobility aids rather than avoid them.  People now consider it foolish if an older adult doesn’t use an assistive device, but it wasn’t that long ago that almost everyone tried to avoid using them.

It is a false statement that falls can be fully avoided.  Falls occur in every setting.  They occur in peoples’ private homes, they occur in senior living communities and they occur out in the world such as in parking lots or grocery stores.

As a society, we have to shift placing blame on other people or businesses and recognize that falling is simply a part of growing older.  Falls can be reduced, but they can’t be avoided completely.