All You Need To Know About Fall Prevention Among Older Adults

These valuable hacks will help you to prevent falls among older adults

Falls are very common among older adults and can cause injury, several other complications and could be fatal too. According to Dr Arvind Kasthuri, Professor of Community Health, Mentor, Senior Citizen Health Service at St. John’s Medical College, falls in the elderly are preventable. Dr Kasthuri provides an insight on how to tackle falls and most importantly, prevent them. 

Why falls are a major problem among older adults?

Fall is called a geriatric syndrome and it is called so as it is fairly common in elderly people and has multifactorial reasons why it happens. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 28 per cent to 35 per cent of older adults experience a fall each year that makes up almost 1 in 3 older adults. Also, the incidence of falls, globally, increases with age, with as much as over 40 per cent of people above 70 years susceptible to them.

“While falls often result in minor injuries, many falls can lead to serious injury resulting in illness, disability and more,” says Dr Kasthuri. 

What is a fall?

A fall is defined as an event that makes you come to rest inadvertently on the ground or at a lower level suddenly. 

Why do older people fall?

1. Visual Problems
2. Hearing Impairment
3. Muscle Weakness
4. Arthritis
5. Walking Difficulty, Unsteadiness
6. Not using a stick or walker as required
7. Floor slippery, loose rugs and carpets
8. Clutter on floor, stairs, toys , pets
9. Poor lighting
10. Health related issues like sudden falling of blood pressure when one gets up from the chair
11. Side effects of certain medications
12. Neurological diseases like Parkinson's, Dimentia etc.

What happens when older people fall?

In an interactive talk with Silver Talkies, Dr Kasthuri said that 13 per cent of falls lead to no consequences but 62 per cent of them can result in injury among older adults and 25 per cent of them can cause fracture which is severe. 

“Fracture or other injury can cause difficulty in walking around, a fear of falling and hesitation to walk around among older adults. This results in less mobility that leads to muscle weakness and makes them more prone to falls. At times the hesitation to walk may make them mentally withdrawn too. For caregivers, a fall means an increase in expenditure on healthcare. They may need to hire a nurse that involves quite a bit of work. Also, the older person may need to be admitted to a facility,” says Dr Kasthuri. Keeping this in mind, fall prevention or at least working towards it is important, especially for older adults above 60.

What should you do if you fall accidentally?

1. Don't panic. A fall is not necessarily a life threatening thing
2. You continue lying down and then check yourself - face, neck, arms, hands, torso, hips and legs
3. Try to get help - could be a phone call, switching on light, getting a chair and call a person
4. Try crawling to the nearest help point.
5. Turn over and go on hands and knees if no injury
6. Reach out for help 

What should bystanders/caregivers do?

1. Don’t panic
2. First and always, speak reassuringly
3. Call for help — family member, neighbour, if it appears serious, then call an ambulance
4. As the person continues lying down, loosen clothes if wearing a tight belt or something similar.
5. Check for injury in face, neck, arms, hands, torso, hips and legs. 
6. If legs are okay, raise them about 1 foot to 2 feet above the ground on a pillow or other support. will help blood circulate back to the central part of the body. 
7. If injury/bleeding, compress the wound with a clean cloth, apply ice around the wound
8. If unable to move a limb, do not force movement and wait till you get appropriate help.  

How do we prevent fall among older adults

Tips on prevention of fall should be divided into four domains: home, bathroom, healthcare and lifestyle, diet and activity

 At home

1. Be careful with threshold and steps at the entrance
2. Have good lighting
3. Maintain non-slippery floor, use handrails when needed
4. There shouldn’t be any loose rugs on the floor, clutter and wires
5. Use beds and chairs that are easy to get on and off - must be of such a height and accessibility that’s easier for seniors
6. Be careful about pets coming in and out of the way

Bathroom

1. Should be well-lit, easy switch to access
2. Grab rails/bars all around the bathroom, especially near the commode or bathing area
3. Do not keep high shelves
4. Maintain non-slippery floors
5. Use a raised toilet seat
6. Be careful with mat and rug outside

Healthcare

1. Check vision and hearing
2. Review with doctors about remedications, do away with unnecessary medications to escape major side effects
3. Report for joint pain, arthritis
4. Report if dizziness, unsteadiness
5. Report for depression, excessive forgetting, lack of concentration
6. Check feet, use good footwear 

Lifestyle, diet and activity

1. Use stick/walker or other assisted device if needed. There shouldn’t be any stigma around it.
2. Ensure physical activity for 30 minutes a day
3. Do muscle strengthening exercise once or twice weekly
4. Do exercise for balance, practice Tai Chi and other balance exercises, consult a physiotherapist if need be. 
5. Do not smoke and take less alcohol
6. Go for a high calcium diet like dairy, greens
7. Take Vitamin D supplements as they help in enhancing bone strength 

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