How Much Do You Know About Falls in the Elderly?

Author: Zhong Lin Hezhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

Reviewer: Li Guode, Chief Physician, Hezhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital

As all body functions decline, people over 65 are at high risk of falling. There are many reasons for falling, such as slippery ground, dizziness in the morning, blurred vision when getting up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, osteoporosis, etc.

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Falls in the elderly can cause varying degrees of injury, and the treatment and rehabilitation time is long, which has a huge impact on their normal life. Therefore, the elderly should master ways to avoid falls in their daily lives and use scientific and effective means to avoid unnecessary injuries. So what are some ways to prevent falls in the elderly ?

1. Elderly people should try not to live alone . The home should be free of clutter and a clean and tidy route should be left for the elderly to walk around the home without obstacles.

2. Use a professional bathing chair when bathing . If there is no bathing chair, you can prepare a stool of suitable height and stability, and lay a non-slip mat in the bathroom.

3. Keep the room and bathroom dry . If the bathroom is humid, it is easy to fall.

4. Elderly people should not rush when getting out of bed to go to the toilet , but get up slowly; install handrails around the bathroom and toilet.

5. The elderly should wear non-slip shoes and try not to wear ordinary slippers; pants should not be too long to avoid falling due to stepping on the trouser legs.

6. The elderly should avoid standing on stools or ladders to reach objects at high places.

7. When the elderly feel dizzy, have palpitations, or blurred vision, they should lie in bed and not move.

8. For the elderly who are prone to falling out of bed, guardrails should be installed on the edge of the bed.

9. Carry out appropriate exercise on a regular basis, such as Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, jogging, walking, etc.

10. Get more sun exposure, pay attention to calcium supplementation, and drink an appropriate amount of milk every day.

11. Do not travel during bad weather such as wind, rain, snow, fog or haze. It is also not advisable to walk on steep slopes during normal travel.

**12. Once you fall, do not move on your own, call 120 immediately for emergency help. ** Do not move your limbs at will when you are in severe pain. You need to check whether there are any fractures. Some fractures, such as femoral neck fractures and spinal fractures, have no obvious symptoms except pain. If you stand up with forced support and move in an improper posture, the condition may be aggravated.

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In addition, if the elderly still cannot avoid falling, they should try to lean forward and use their hands to support the ground to avoid landing directly on their buttocks, otherwise it is easy to cause femoral neck fractures, or even worse, femoral trochanteric comminuted fractures. The older you are, the higher the risk of falling and being injured or dying.

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For the elderly, the company and care of their families are extremely important. We should pay more attention to the risk factors that may cause the elderly to fall, take active precautions, and let the elderly live a safe and secure life.