Are you Headed for a FALL?
By Jennifer A Dwight
Everyone deserves a safe and comfortable home. As we age, our home needs to adapt to us. Many of the areas in our homes, that have been fine for years, may now need a closer look.
Here is a link to a home safety checklist published by AARP. It’s quite comprehensive and might be too much for some individuals to complete on their own. An Occupational Therapist can do an assessment, which is especially useful if you will be needing durable medical equipment.
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Also from AARP:
“Among people 65 years and older, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. Each year in the United States, nearly one-third of older adults experience a fall. The majority, 55 percent, of fall injuries among older people occurs inside the home and an additional 23 percent happen outside, but near the house. Many of these falls, and the resulting injuries can be prevented by taking steps to eliminate or fix potential hazards in and around the home.”
Fall prevention should be a priority for everyone and it requires some attention to physical surroundings as well as physical health. Balance and fall prevention exercises are increasingly important as one ages. A good physical therapist can design a program to optimize balance in anyone noticing deterioration of this function.