Fall Prevention is NOT a Balancing Act - How Staying Healthy Prevents Falls

We recently talked a little bit about making home a little safer for seniors. Making sure your loved ones are navigating an obstacle course at home every day can go a long way towards preventing a bad fall, but overall health and strength are really important, too.

The older we get, the more we have a tendency to just take it easy when we have some down time - I know I do! But sitting around, or being fearful of getting active can actually make mom & dad more prone to falling. Let’s look at some healthy lifestyle tips that can help prevent falls:

Regular exercise. An exercise program builds strength and stamina – from heart and lungs to muscle strength. Exercise also boosts energy and helps with depression. Whether it’s physical therapy, a few steps a day, light weight training or just stretching, exercise helps sharpen our natural balancing skills and improves our reflexes – at any age!

Diet. A healthy diet, supplemented with vitamins, can still help keep bones and muscles in good condition, even when we get older. Eating right isn’t just for kids! Don’t let dad have ice cream for dinner – make sure he gets some broccoli before he hits the Blue Bell. Vitamin D and extra Calcium can help as well.

Eye exams. Take mom and dad to get their eyes checked at least once a year – and more often if there is a noticeable change or problem with their vision. Wearing the wrong glasses can result in tripping over objects, misjudging distance or becoming a little disoriented – and all can lead to a fall.

Medications. Many meds have subtle side effects – including blurred vision or dizziness. Many older people also take multiple medications – both prescription and over the counter – that can interact to produce side effects as well. Make sure your loved ones’ primary physician knows ALL the medicines mom and dad are using on a regular basis and how they can affect them.

Medical conditions. Chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and COPD can cause dizziness and shortness of breath – which make us unsteady on our feet. Being aware of these conditions and taking extra precautions can help prevent an unnecessary fall.

In addition keeping a close eye on the overall health and well-being of the seniors in your care, you may want to think about an alarm system for a little peace of mind in case there is a fall. Alert Response offers the Personal Emergency Response Service (PERS), giving emergency help 24 hours a day. Staying as active as possible, eating right and seeing a doctor regularly can make a big difference, but it’s nice to know that extra help is there when we need it most.

Before the Fall – Simple Tips that Can Help Prevent Falls in the Home

I hate to admit it, but I’m a little clumsy – sometimes I get in too much of a hurry, and sometimes I just throw myself at the ground and miss. Fortunately, most of the time I can just pick up and dust off, but for older adults, falling is no laughing matter. Did you know that each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls?

As we get older, a fall can mean a serious injury resulting in hospitalization and a long recovery – but the good news is that many falls are very preventable. If you or your loved ones are striving to live independently, here are some simple tips to make home a little safer and help prevent a bad fall.

1. Have you ever noticed that your home is an obstacle course? Make sure that seniors have a clear walkway throughout every part of the house. Move furniture, cords, plant stands – any object that makes you swerve, step over or step around.

2. Take care that area rugs don’t slide or bunch up – either get rid of them, or secure them to the floor with a sticky backing or double sided tape.

3. Light it up! Older adults should not have to feel their way through the dark – replace light bulbs, use nightlights, and keep light switches and lamps within easy reach.

4. It’s ideal if the home is one level, but if mom’s house does have stairs, keep the steps well-maintained – no loose or uneven boards. Keep handrails secure and tight – and if the staircase doesn’t have rails, install them now.

5. Put the stepladder in storage and move hard-to-reach items down to eye level. Stools and ladders are just a bad idea, even if they seem rock-solid.

6. The bathroom gets an honorable mention here – we already know the bathroom is hazardous, with wet floors and hard edges everywhere. I’ll go ahead and remind you to put non-slip mats and safety strips in tubs and showers, and to install grab bars everywhere.

Even with good precautions, accidents can – and do – happen. It’s a good idea to have an alarm device handy. Alert Response offers the Personal Emergency Response Service (PERS), giving emergency help 24 hours a day with the push of a button. Above all, make sure everyone is patient and careful – that’s the best way to stay safe!

Get Smart About Senior Care Costs

There are a variety of options available for any budget.

It's never too early to plan care for an aging loved one.
Before their health begins to decline, you and your family
need to agree on the kind of care they need, and how it will
be paid for.

To get an idea of the average costs of popular senior care
options, see below. And keep in mind that while your loved
one may be fine with occasional care now, they could need
more serious and expensive care in the future.

So, How much does it cost?

In-Home Technology
Personal Emergency Response (Medical Alarm)
Allows your loved one to age in place while having the ability to summon help 24 hours a day in the event of an emergency.
Cost:$37 per month.

Medication Management via a monitored medication dispenser
Dispenses medication up to 4 times per day. In the event of a missed dosage the unit notifies a live operator who then notifies family members or caregivers of the missed dosage.
Cost :47 per month.

In-Home Care
Enables your loved one to stay at home throughout every stage
of aging.
Cost: $29 per hour on average, but costs vary. (Source: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services).

Assisted Living
Offers your loved one an independent lifestyle, with trained
personnel on the premises to attend to their needs.
Cost: $36,372 per year (Source: MetLife Market Survey of
Nursing Home and Assisted Living Costs).

Nursing Homes
For elders who cannot care for themselves or have
significant medical issues that require round-the-clock
care.
Cost: Private room, $77,380; semi-private room, $69,715
(Source: MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home and
Assisted Living Cost).

Occasional Care
Periodic assistance with lawn care, transportation, and
grocery shopping. Cost varies according to need.

Thank you ElderCarelink

Medication Management

They say that the memory is the second thing to go. What's the first? Well the truth is I can't remember. Let's face it, the older we get the harder it is to remember the simple things. Whether it's where you left your car keys or the name of that actor from a movie you saw last weekend last, it happens to all of us. Usually my mother calls me by my brothers name first then quickly corrects herself and calls me by my dads name and then again corrects herself and finally calls me by my name. Every once in a while she might even throw the dog's name in there if it is a really rough day(The dog's been gone for 17 years). It's easy to forget simple things, especially when it comes to medication.

Medication mismanagement is one of the leading causes of hospitalization for the elderly population in our country. Experts say that more than half of the elderly population mismanages their medication. Although people over the age of 65 represent about 13% of our population, they consume about 1/3 of all medication perscribed in the United States.

So what can we do to make med management easier? The good news is that there are few choices depending on the severity of a clients noncompliance issues.

For someone who might just be a little forgetful a simple pillbox might be the solution. They are inexpensive or even free if you know where to look and are simple enough to use that they should stop a lot of the confusion.

Now for someone who might be suffering from dimentia or alzheimer's, a more advanced approach is probably needed. There are a lot of options for pill dispensers. What's important is to figure out which options are right for the user. Some people might need to have the dispenser under lock and key due to medication overdose. Some people might want to be notified if a pill is missed. The iMD Alert Response medication dispenser is the cadillac of the industry. It provides medication to a client up to 6 times a day and is monitored by a live person 24 hours a day. If the client misses a dose then immediately the monitoring center will call them and and/or the family and notify someone there might be an issue. The iMD cuts noncompliance issues by 98%. But remember that research is key in a situation like this. A quality medication dispenser can keep a client independent and in there home for a longer period of time but you need to make sure you choose the right one for your loved one.

A third and the most costly option is a live in or visiting nurse, or an assisted living facility where the client can be monitored more closely. For clients with severe dimentia this may be the only option. If you do have to go this route make sure that you interview multiple nurses or facilities to find the one that will best take care of your loved one.

If you do have any questions feel free to view our website and contact us. We might not have the service you need but more than likely we can point you in the right direction. http://www.alertresponse.com/