A fall can happen anywhere in the home and to people of all ages, but some people are at an increased risk of a fall. The senior age group is the group that is most at risk not only of a fall, but also of a serious injury, so preventing falls among seniors is imperative. The area of the home that is most dangerous to a senior is the stairs, with the majority of all serious falls happening on the staircase.
Falls on the stairs often result in very serious complications for a senior. With osteoporosis, which causes the bones to become brittle, very common among seniors even a short fall can cause a fracture. These fractures can be hard to recover from and often result in the necessity of multiple surgical procedures. In the event of a broken hip, it might be necessary for hip replacement surgery.
In addition to the physical complications that can occur as the result of a fall, there are quite often physiological effects as well. A senior that has experienced a fall often looses confidence and becomes withdrawn.
Since there are so many complications that can result as of a fall, preventing them is very important. All areas of the home should be made safe, but special attention needs to be paid to the stairs, because this is the most common area of the home to result in a fall.
The overall safety of the stairs should be the first consideration. Steps that are loose or uneven distances between steps are often leading causes of falls, so this should be one of the first things inspected.
A sturdy handrail is also essential. The handrail should be solidly secured to the wall and should not be too large that it can not be grabbed easily and comfortably. It is generally recommended that the handrail should be no more than 6.25 inches around. A rough handrail, such as one of unfinished wood, can also be dangerous and whenever possible, two handrails are better than one.
A slippery staircase can also cause problems. Many people install carpet runners onto the stairs to provide a better surface. These runners, which can consist of a solid piece of carpet that runs the length of the stairs or individual pieces placed on each step, should be short and well secured to the stairs.
Some companies sell carpets with non-skid surfaces, advertising that it doesn’t need to be physically secured to the stairs, but this can be unsafe. Instead the runners should be physically secured to the steps using carpet tacks whenever possible. Loose carpet can slip or the corner can become turned up, which makes it easier to trip over.
The steps, and for that matter all areas of differing elevation, should be clearly marked and well lit. Tape that is textured and brightly colored can be used on the steps. This makes it easy to both see and feel the steps. It is a good idea to use a different color on the top and bottom of the stairs, so that the senior can tell just by looking at the tape when they are at the top or bottom.
Sometimes, despite all efforts to make the stairs themselves safe, the senior is simply not able to safely climb the stairs. This could be caused by painful joint inflammation, such as from osteoarthritis, or cognitive disorders, like Alzehiemer’s. Often, especially when the staircase is longer than ten steps, the senior will become tired as the climb the stairs, increasing the risk of a fall. In these cases, it might be a good idea to consider installing a stair lift.
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