Taking comprehensive fall prevention steps is foundational in supporting seniors who want to age in place. Recommending and facilitating these seven fall prevention steps is part of what we do when engaging with prospective clients during their free in-home assessments, and we help them to create these changes once we’re hired.

Falls At Home Compromise Senior Wellbeing & Independence

The CDC reports that falls pose one of the biggest health threats to adults 65 and over and can seriously compromise a senior’s ability to live independently. 

Senior Fall Statistics

The risk of tripping or falling at home increases dramatically every year after age 65, especially if a home hasn’t been made accessible using essential fall prevention steps. These falls significantly impact victims, their spouses, and their families. 

Some alarming statistics about falls and their impacts include the following:

• In 2020 falls in the senior population (65+) caused 36,000 fatalities, making it the leading cause of injury-related deaths for that age group.
• Also, in 2020, emergency rooms across the nation reported more than three million (3,000,000) visits due to senior falls.
• 20% of senior falls (one in five) cause serious injuries like broken bones or traumatic brain injuries.
• Each year, at least 300,000 older adults are hospitalized for hip injuries. 
• More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falls, typically due to lack of balance or stumbling sideways.

These injuries, hospitalizations, and post-op stays in acute care facilities have a detrimental effect on seniors. They are associated with increased cognitive decline, depression, and lack of will to live.

5 Essential Fall Prevention Steps

The more we can do to prevent senior falls, the better quality of life senior loved ones have. Here are seven steps to lower aging loved ones’ risk of falling.

Make sure they’re exercising regularly

Remaining in good physical shape is one of the best steps seniors can take to minimize their fall risk. Most senior falls are linked to loss of balance, mobility, strength, stamina, or from a home that is not as accessible as it should be. 

By focusing on daily exercises that increase strength, balance, and stamina seniors are less likely to lose their balance and fall or are able to prevent a hard fall. You can also speak to their physician or specialist for exercise recommendations based on their physical and health histories. 

Many seniors enjoy companionship while exercising, so consider exercising with them online, hiring a companion to exercise with them, or ensuring they have access to community senior exercise classes such as yoga, swimming, aerobics, water exercise, dancing classes, etc.

They must be well-nourished

Similarly, falls are more likely to occur when a senior is weak or has low blood sugar. Ensuring they’re adequately nourished also minimizes their risk of falling. Next time you visit, peek into the refrigerator or cupboards. Do things look bare, or is there an out-of-balance proportion between fresh, healthy foods and junky processed options? If so, it’s one of the most evident signs that your loved one needs extra support to age safely and independently at home.

Create a safe and easily accessible living space

In addition to physical or medical issues that cause a fall, most senior falls occur because their living space is no longer safely accessible. We recommend reading the AARP’s detailed instructions on creating a safe environment for aging adults. 

Some of the highlights of a safe, accessible home include:

• Creating a single-story living space (even if that means transferring to a downstairs bedroom and bathroom)
• Reorganize cabinets and cupboards so things used most often are the most accessible – without the need to get on a step stool or bend over to retrieve them)
• De-clutter to minimize trip hazards. 
• Sufficient lighting in all locations.
• Reducing any trip hazards (build ramps where there are stairs, eliminate or carefully secure area rugs, re-route any cords or plugs in common walkways, etc.).
• Install grab bars beside toilets and inside/outside of showers and baths (the bathroom is considered the most dangerous room in the house).
• Replace flooring with non-slip options that are compatible with mobility aids (more on that below).
• Ensure adequate room to move around. There should be at least 38-inches of space between objects and a wall, table, cabinet, etc., so a walker or wheelchair can maneuver easily and safely.
• Weekly wellness checks should be put into place .
• Consider hiring an in-home care aid to provide light housekeeping, linen changes, grocery shopping or meal preparation, or other chores/tasks that fatigue seniors.

Weekly wellness checks mean a friend, family member, or a professional companion or in-home care provider is checking in regularly to keep an eye on things and upgrade support, assistance or personal care services as needed.

Connect them with the right mobility aid(s)

Like giving up the keys to the car, seniors frequently balk at using mobility aids. This step may require several patient conversations. If your loved one balks at the idea of a cane, walker, or other type of aid, we recommend enlisting support from their general physician or favorite specialist. Their close peers (particularly one who uses mobility support) are another option if they’re willing to speak to your loved one, too.

Sometimes it’s smart to begin with the “we want you to have it available in case you need it…” rather than, “you need it,” so they feel more in control of the decision. Matching the need to the right mobility aid is essential for its success. Most seniors baby step into mobility aids, starting to use one when they’re ill, feeling weak, or recovering from a minor injury or surgery. Or perhaps they use a walking stick on hikes or a walker to maintain their strength and energy on longer outings or errands. 

Schedule assessments from in-home care agencies

It’s always better to be proactive and consult with professionals before you need care than to make a rushed decision due to a crisis. During these assessments, you’ll learn more about all of the home care services available, as well as insights into how to make their current home safer and more accessible.

There are so many ways support from a licensed in-home care agency reduces a senior’s risk of falling:

• We provide transportation and errand-running support that preserves their energy.
• Meal planning and preparation so easy-to-heat, healthy, delicious foods and snacks are always at the ready.
• Exercise companionship
• Light housekeeping (including replacing burned-out lightbulbs and cabinet organization to keep things accessible) and laundry/linen changes.
• Help with pet care.
• And so much more.

Having someone come a couple of times a month, once a week, or to work part- or full-time shifts means your loved one’s needs are always taken care of with complete respect for their privacy, dignity, and desire for autonomy.

Contact HomeAide Home Care For Personalized Fall Prevention Tips

Do you suspect it’s time to make your aging loved one’s home a safer space to age in place? Do you worry that your parent or grandparent will become a fall risk statistic? We are here to help in any way we can. Schedule an assessment with HomeAide Home Care or give us a call at (510) 247-1200 to share your concerns. As a private, licensed home care agency based in the Bay Area, we care for clients all over Alameda and Contra Costa County. We provide expert caregivers and 4-hour service at very affordable rates.

The decision to age in place means seniors remain in the communities and homes they love and requires careful planning to ensure they are safe, cared for, and socially engaged. This includes a thoughtful, detailed, and forward-thinking long-term care plan that includes a fire-safe home with clear plans in case there is an emergency.

According to the US Fire Administration, seniors 65 years old and older are twice as likely to be seriously injured or to die as a result of a house fire. This is due to a combination of age-related factors ranging from poor eyesight, diminished hearing, and mobility issues to dementia or confusion that slows the reflexes 

Creating Fire Safety In An Aging Loved One’s Home

Fire prevention is the first and most effective step in creating fire safety for seniors in the home. Here are tips on how to create a fire-safe home and a well-practiced escape plan.

Functioning smoke detectors

Most house fire fatalities occur in homes without working smoke detectors, which should be installed in every room where someone sleeps, one in the hallways outside the rooms where people sleep, on each level of the home, etc. Click Here for specific instructions on adequate smoke detector installation.

Ensure there are an adequate number of working smoke detectors. They should be tested every month using the “test” button, and you can schedule the batteries to be changed every six months via homecare services or local charities that offer that service for free. Your local fire department is an excellent resource to get you started and put you in touch with agencies that offer free or very low-cost smoke detector services for seniors.

Use a vibrating or flashing smoke alarm for those hard of hearing

If a loved one sleeps deeply and/or has any level of hearing loss, install a smoke/fire alarm designed for the hearing impaired. These units should be installed near where they spend their time during the day and near the bed so they can sense it vibrating or flashing when activated.

Insist that people smoke outside

Lit cigarettes are a significant cause of house fires and fire-related fatalities. Due to other significant health concerns, quitting smoking is the best way to prevent cigarette-related fires. However, if a loved one does smoke, try to get them to smoke outside the home on a patio or porch, with access to a fire-proof ashtray/cigarette dispenser that’s changed regularly.

Never leave adults with a dementia diagnosis alone in the home

If your loved one has Alzheimer’s or another dementia-related condition, they should be monitored 24/7. Leaving burners on or unattended is extremely common and a significant fire hazard. Any seniors diagnosed with dementia of any kind should not be left home unattended. 

That includes the night hours as sleep disruptions are common for all seniors, especially those with dementia, as it alters their circadian rhythm. Night walking is common, and any attempt to make food runs the risk of causing a fire.

Use safe home heating methods

The majority of home fires are caused by electrical heaters that short, spark, or are too close to flammable things that go up in flames. Heating the home safely significantly reduces the chance of a house fire.

Forced air heating is the safest option. If your loved one uses an electric space heater:

• Make sure it has an auto-shut-off feature in case it tips over.
• Place them on firm, level surfaces (rather than end table tops, bookshelves, or window sills).
• Keep anything flammable (rugs, pets, children, fabric, etc. at least three feet away from the heating element.

Agree To Kitchen Use Rules

The leading causes of house fires are electrical heaters and kitchen accidents. Kitchen safety is key to preventing fires.

• Never leave anything cooking on the stovetop. If you need to leave the room, even for a minute, turn the burner(s) off and then back on again when you return.
• Use a timer whenever you cook to prevent any chances of falling asleep or losing track of time and forgetting something on the stove or in the oven.
• Keep flammables (kitchen towels, hot pads, trivets, decor, etc.) away from the stovetop.
• Keep pot handles away from the edge of the stovetop to prevent them from being knocked over.
• Maintain clean stovetops and oven interiors to keep leftover food/ingredients from catching fire.

If you worry about your loved one’s ability to cook safely, it might be time to consider outside support for meal planning and preparation.

Make And Practice An Escape Plan

A fire escape plan is essential, and then you must practice it. Remember that in the event of a real fire, panic is likely, making it harder to remember what’s been practiced. We recommend practicing the escape plan multiple times and revisiting it every few months to keep the reactions fresh and more automatic.

An escape plan includes:

• Making sure all of the home’s doors and windows open easily.
• Anyone with mobility issues should be assigned an escape buddy designated to assist them at the first sound of an alarm.
• Keep the home free of trip/fall hazards by creating an accessible and safe home for your loved one to age in place.
• Practicing over and over again to keep it fresh.

Enlist Support From Homecare Professionals 

You don’t have to go this alone. There are so many details and things to think about when an aging loved one decides to age independently in the comfort of their home. Contact HomeAide Home Care to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. 

We’ll help you create a long-term care plan that includes home safety recommendations and an idea of how scaled services can keep your senior loved one as happy, healthy, and socially engaged as possible. Once our caregivers are in place, they can work with you, your loved one, and other family members (and neighbors) to create a fire-safe escape plan.

When it comes to hiring a caregiving agency or having a loved one transition into a facility, most people consider it an either-or proposition. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Spouses or family members frequently hire a caregiving agency to improve the quality of life and general wellbeing when their loved ones are in a facility.

Considering Hiring A Caregiving Agency For An Elderly Loved One Living In A Facility?

Regardless of the quality of a facility, there is no way that they can attend to each individual on a personal level the way they advertise. In our experience, most facilities – be they skilled nursing facilities or assisted living communities – do their very best. However, nothing compares with the personalized and attentive care provided by professional home care aides. 

Whether your loved one will be staying in a part-time skilled nursing care facility to recover from a surgery, hospital stay, or extended illness – or your loved one has recently transitioned from living at home to a facility – we recommend hiring a caregiver to ensure the client receives the best care possible.

5 Reasons A Caregiver Benefits A Senior Living In A Facility

Here are five benefits your loved one receives when paired with a caregiver of their own while living in an assisted living facility or residential care situation:

Companionship that’s all about your loved one

Did you know companionship services are the foundation of most caregiver/client relationships? Hiring a caregiver as a companion means your loved one has a person wholly dedicated to keeping them company. Based on your loved one’s interests, our companions spend one-on-one time doing all kinds of things:

• Reading together
• Watching shows
• Playing games/cards
• Listening to music
• Singing
• Dancing
• Taking walks
• Eating meals
• Looking at photo albums, family movies, and memorabilia – and listening to the stories that go along with them
• Going on outings
• And more

Knowing their companion is coming on specific days can means your loved one has something to look forward to beyond the normal day-to-day activities geared to the median.

Food beyond the institution

One of the biggest complaints we hear from clients living in facilities is the lack of food variety. Even if the food is good, the variation and availability of choice are limited. This can become frustrating. The good news is that our meal preparation and planning services can be used to support your loved one living elsewhere. We can bring them homecooked meals, based on their dietary guidelines. Best of all, they can choose the menu, which means they’ll eat with more enthusiasm.

And, of course, as long as they are physically able our caregivers can also take them to their favorite restaurants or bring meals in from their favorite places. 

Get out and about in the community

If your loved one is able, our caregivers can take them out into the community. As mentioned above, this can be something as simple as enjoying a meal together at a favorite restaurant. However, we can also take them to the park, to a movie, or to attend their regularly scheduled religious services or social engagements. 

If your loved one is bedbound, we can use their computer, tablet, or television to connect them with religious services that are broadcast online. This may seem like a small thing, but you’d be amazed at how much joy our clients get when they are able to remain connected and engaged with their communities, despite the fact they no longer live at home. In many cases, our services and ability to keep seniors connected with their sense of self is the difference between sinking into a depression and finding meaning and purpose in life.

Eliminate the risk of elder abuse

Again, we want to say that most facilities we’ve worked in do their best to care for their residents. However, there is no doubt that the less connected a senior is to his/her family or network, the higher the risk of elder abuse. Predatory employees look for residents who don’t have visitors or whose families largely ignore them. 

Some of the risk factors for elder abuse include:

• Isolation from friends, family, or a support network;
• Under-staffing, staff burnout, and stressful working conditions
• Current and untreated mental illness – especially dementia

If you live out of town or across the country, using a caregiver for assisted living or other residential facilities protects your loved one. Anyone who would consider taking advantage of their vulnerability will give up the cause because they know the senior is being looked out for.

 Hiring a caregiving agency can help keep them physically active and fit

If you’ve visited your loved one recently, odds are you’ve seen lots of sedentary people. While many facilities offer exercise programs, they can’t make their residents take advantage of them. When you combine situations such as depression, lack of activities your loved one is interested in, lethargy from a poor diet (see #2), or general feelings of loneliness, you often see a sedentary lifestyle.

Our caregivers are there to get your loved one out of that rut. Have a bed/chair bound senior? That’s not a problem, our caregivers are happy to lead them and participate in exercises they can do in their rooms or outside in their wheelchair on a beautiful day. If they are physically able, our caregivers can pick them up and take them to their favorite senior yoga or water exercise class, not to mention walks in the park, accessible hikes, or “field trips” to places they love to go. All of this keeps loved ones far more mobile and physically active than they would be otherwise.

HomeAide Home Care Is For Seniors In Facilities

The dedicated staff at HomeAide Home Care provides companionship services both in the home and in a facility. We guarantee your loved one’s quality of life will exponentially improve when you hire us to provide companionship, inspiration, and fun. Contact us to schedule an assessment and learn more about how our services improve the lives of our clients.

Relinquishing the car keys is understandably one of the hardest things a senior ever has to do. It is at once an acknowledgment and acceptance that life is no longer the same, and that an individual no longer has complete control over his/her life.

As hard as the decision may be, it is ultimately better to come to an agreement with a senior that it’s time to give up driving than it is for them to have an accident that forces the hand for them – often at the expense of their own/others’ welfare.

5 Strategies for Convincing a Senior it’s Time to Give Up Driving

Over the many years we’ve worked with seniors and their caregivers and/or families, we’ve learned a handful of strategies that can ease the challenging transition from “driver to passenger.”

Keep a discreet list of your concerns

First and foremost, it’s important to be clear about why you think it’s time for a senior to put down their keys for good. Age, alone, is not a good reason to stop driving, so you’ll need to calmly and rationally explain your concerns. Take drives with them along their normal trajectory and keep a discreet list of things you notice or that worried you. This will help to direct the conversation and give you concrete points to address – and for the senior to ponder.

Enlist the help of their primary care provider(s)

If you don’t have a relationship with your elderly parents or loved one’s doctor, now’s the time to establish one. Based on vision tests, medical diagnoses and general observations, your doctor’s wise input can be a tremendous asset when it comes to the driving discussion. This step is particularly poignant if your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s, a diagnosis which should automatically trigger a no-driving lifestyle.

In almost all cases, seniors know deep down it’s time to give up driving, but they are understandably reluctant and may err on the side of defensive and combative when the topic is brought up by a loved one. However, seniors may take the information/recommendations much more graciously when it’s presented by their trusted healthcare provider, and backed up by black-and-white facts and statistics.

Read, Communicating with Your Elderly Parent’s Doctor, for more information.

Schedule an eye exam ASAP

Is it the senior’s vision that’s causing the most concern? For a while, prescription lenses will be enough. However, conditions like macular degeneration or cataracts will progress to a point where even glasses aren’t enough to pass the DMV’s eye exam.

Optimized vision is crucial for an independent lifestyle so seniors should already be prioritizing bi-annual exams with their optometrist. If you feel their vision is impeding their driving, or they’ve recently been involved in an accident, let the optometrist know and s/he can have an equally compelling conversation with your senior loved one about driving privileges.

Create alternative transportation options

Sure, giving up the keys means sacrificing autonomy. However, more importantly, it translates to a loss of social contact and the ability to get around where you want, when you want. Your loved one may take your concerns and advice to heart if they know there are alternative transportation options in place.

Examples include things like:

• Rides from family/friends attending similar events
• Volunteer drivers from local churches, religious communities, senior centers, etc.
• Using Uber or Lyft
• Public transportation, which offers affordable senior rates
• Senior-specific Public transportation options

This may also be a good time to get in contact with a licensed home care agency to schedule a free assessment. Home care providers always offer transportation and/or errand running as a service option. Creating a relationship now – when rides are the only thing required – makes it easier to increase support as needed down the road, adding services like companion services, meal preparation, housekeeping, and so on.

Treat the subject with respect, and expect it to take time

Unless the senior is very accepting or is so concerned him/herself that your conversation comes as a relief – you will be met with resistance. You may also be greeted with a very strong emotional response when confronted with the idea to give up driving, whether anger, sadness, grief, frustration, or all of the above.

For that reason, treat the subject (and your loved one) with the respect it deserves. Honor how difficult this is and how hard it would be for you to be in the reverse position. Remain calm and put a pause on the conversation if it gets heated, agreeing to come back to it at a scheduled time in the very near future.

Are you interested in working with a senior home care agency that offers driving and errand running services? Contact the team here at HomeAide Home Care to schedule a consultation or learn more about our senior-specific services.