Elderly Care in Palm Beach Gardens FL

Each year more than 2 and a half million American adults over the age of 64 experience injuries related to falls that are so serious they have to seek medical treatment in an emergency room. Around 25 percent of those seniors will have to be hospitalized due to their injuries. This does not account for the millions of seniors who will fall but will not seek out emergency treatment. According to the National Institute on Aging, among the 30 percent of elderly adults who experience a fall each year, 80 percent of those falls will occur in the bathroom.

The bathroom is a particularly dangerous place when it comes to falls due to the nature of the room itself as well as the activities performed there. The floors are generally made of tile or linoleum, both of which are naturally slick. When those floors become damp due to water spills, product spills, or even condensation of steam, they are even slipperier. The bottom of the tub or shower can also be extremely slick. Seniors who deal with even minor mobility, balance, or stiffness issues may have difficulty stepping into the tub, performing the movements of bathing safely, or sitting down and standing up during toileting. All of these create an environment prone to falls.

Try some of these ways to improve the safety of your parent’s bathroom and reduce the risk of falls:

• Improve texture of floor. Increasing the grip of the floor can make it much easier for your parent to walk across it with confidence. Consider replacing slick tile or linoleum with a texturized option. Be aware that while this type of flooring is far easier to walk across even when wet, it is slightly more challenging to keep clean so you will need to put more effort into scrubbing to keep germs at bay.

• Install grab bars. Just having something that your parent can grab onto if she is feeling slightly off balance can make a tremendous difference in her confidence. It can also provide that little bit of help that she needs to stay on her feet if she slips or becomes unbalanced. Having secure grab bars installed throughout the bathroom helps your parent move across the room and get in and out of the bath or shower more easily. This also helps to prevent her from reaching out for the towel rod or a shelf, which could give way and increase the chances of serious injury.

• Keep products close by. Having to lean over to get toilet paper or a bottle of shampoo can be just enough to throw your parent off balance. Redesign the bathroom to keep all products that your parent might need in the course of her bathroom activities close at hand. This will minimize bending and reaching so she is less likely to stumble or tip.

Source

Falls Prevention Facts

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
http://www.newsusa.com/articles/article/preventing-senior-falls-starts-in-the-bathroom.aspx

If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Professional Elderly Care in Palm Beach, FL, Please Contact The Caring Staff at Assisting Hands Home Care at 561­-829­-3080 Today.