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Basically you can’t stop falls . As we age balance issues are the most common reason people start falling and continue to fall . After a while even balance exercises no longer are effective.
Also if there is significant cognitive decline they can no longer follow directions to do any PT exercises correctly .
Then of course there is muscle atrophy as we age that eventually wins and PT no longer is effective in maintaining or gaining any strength. Elders legs just buckle.
Falling is frequent for elderly and is a common way to die from hitting their head . My grandmother died this way of a subdural hematoma . Or a big fall ( ie …broken hip ) causes a significant immediate step down and acceleration in decline in general towards death .
I see that your Dad is in his 90’s has been falling a lot . I’m sorry . But we can’t fix old . Is he willing to sit in a wheelchair ? Is he able to self propel in a wheelchair using his feet and/or hands pulling on the large wheels ? A transport chair with small wheels is not appropriate to sit in for long periods and the person sitting in it can not wheel themselves around to get anywhere .
How to stop falls? You can't. There are some things you can do to make things safer. But you literally cannot stop falls.
I think for the most part we all fall at some point in our lives, even when young and healthy. But you add in advanced age, vision and hearing problems, balance problems, neuropathy, loss of strength in hands and feet and legs, equilibrium and dizziness, and a lack of being able to safely catch themselves - the risk of falls increases exponentially.
As @way mentioned - if there is dementia involved, you are likely to see increased falls as well - as the ability to coordinate their minds and bodies together is lacking.
You can mitigate the risk by having them use wheelchairs or canes or walkers to help support. You can ensure that there are no tripping hazards (rugs or furniture or anything laying in their typical path. You can add grab bars where they need them most. You can make sure they aren't bathing or showering without assistance. There are a whole host of "fall proofing" things you can do.
But even if you do every single one of them, they are just going to fall. There is no way to eliminate it entirely. And the older they get, the more likely they will fall more often.
BlueEyedGirl94, you said exactly what I would have said.
I would add one more thing; some elders, especially with dementia, may stubbornly refuse to use a walker or wheelchair. And yes, they will fall. There is not much you can do.
Get the person one of those "Life Alert" pendants to wear around their neck, so at least if they fall and can't get up, or are hurt, they can call for help instead of laying there waiting for someone to find them.
Depending on the overall health and condition of your LO, you can talk to his/her primary doctor about possible PT to improve balance and strengths (or go to an ortho clinic) but at his/her advanced age you will need to have a therapist who is experienced in working with someone that old, and also have tempered expectations for improvement/participation.
My Mom is 95. About 3 years ago she was bothered by how weak and painful her back had become (she has osteoarthritis in her spine). We were referred to a really good therapist who himself was older and also had a physical disability. She was doing great but then one session there was a sub who was very young and she had my Mom do inappropriate exercises and weights and it injured her, so my Mom never went back.
My Mom lives in a house next to mine. It has a full flight of stairs to go to the basement to get to the garage and also laundry room. Because she daily goes up and down these stairs she's probably in better condition than most seniors her age. Elders, especially ones with dementia, tend to shuffle when they walk rather than picking up their feet, and this contributes to falls.
In my experience with my dad, falls became inevitable, some even happened when I was standing right next to him. Over his 80’s his legs became increasingly weak, many rounds of physical therapy were done with minimal success (some of that I’m sure attributable to his lack of enthusiasm) and the slow, shuffling gait Geaton referred to set in. We were blessed there was never a broken bone in any of the falls. Encourage use of a rollator and make sure there’s an alert pendant if/when he’s alone. Sorry you’re watching this, it’s a helpless feeling
I'm sorry but I actually had to chuckle to myself when I read the heading of your post. You don't and can't "stop" falls. All you can do is to try and ensure that you don't have any fall hazards in your house such as rugs that slide, or too much stuff in the walkways. I would be more concerned as to why a person is falling, like do they have dementia, Parkinson's, having seizures or is there too much crap in their way, than how to stop them.
I would encourage you to take your Person to see their Primary Care Physician as soon as Possible and discuss the Falls and ask for a script for PT . Also See If you Can Get a CNA ( Certified Nurse assistant ) to Help with Bathing if that is a issue . He Can also order you a sliding chair for the Shower so that Dont Fall . Get a Rollater where they Can Lean On that when walking or a walker .
My dad would tumble out of his recliner when just reaching down to tie his shoe. Same when he was outside weeding the garden when sitting on a short step stool. Plus he was no longer steady on his feet.
Dad didn't like using those grey walkers that only had wheels on the back, so he would use his cane which was no help at all. Then I bought Dad one of those Rollator walkers, one that has hand brakes, seat, and a basket. Oh my gosh, you'd think I had bought him a Shelby Mustang, he loved it, and used it all the time. That cut down on his falls when walking around :)
It is interesting you mentioned the rollator. Unfortunately, it did not work out well for my father. Although his physical therapist recommended it as a good replacement for his walker, it actually made things worse. He struggled to remember to engage the brakes, which made him more unstable on his feet. Over the course of just one week, he fell five times, including a particularly severe fall that required stitches on his forehead. He went back to using the regular walker, which was a much better solution for him.
My mother fell 95x over the course of 7.5 years, with tons of precautions in place. She was 88 to 95 years old with neuropathy and dementia. She used a walker for 5 years and was wheelchair bound for 2.5 years and fell 50x.
Moral of the story: there is no way to stop falls.
It is a rare senior who doesn’t fall. It is so prevalent and common that after a certain age, it will be a routine question asked when going to the doctor. Have you had any falls?
Some things are accidents waiting to happen. Throw rugs, uneven flooring, poor lighting, ill fitting shoes, not using needed mobility aid, foregoing physical therapy when needed, rushing to the bathroom, eyeglasses that need attention, cataracts, deafness, medications that cause dizziness, untreated dizziness. Osteoporosis. Clutter in pathway, uneven ground, pets, slippery floors, tubs, casters on chairs, stairs, steps up or down, stepping backwards in order to look up, dehydration, lack of sleep, small children…these come to mind.
I had a yoga teacher who was in her mid-80s and still able to do headstands, the crow, and other difficult poses. She dinned it into us that we MUST keep our upper body strength, and she emphasized poses that would help us do that. The reason? Falls are inevitable, and even though we might not be able to keep ourselves from falling as we age, we can make sure we're able to get up. That could make the difference of life or death.
It's so obvious that we must remain strong, and we don't need a PT to do it FOR us. We can sit watching TV and exercise our arms with hand weights. We can do push-aways from door frames. We can do our own housework (I had a PCP who insisted that pushing a vacuum was aerobic exercise).
Start paying attention especially to upper body strength when you're younger. Be consistent. Be able to get to a phone and call for help when you fall. Teach your elders what my yoga teacher told her classes. A 90-year-old man in a wheelchair can lift light hand weights. A 90-year-old woman can get off the floor by herself.
It's impossible to prevent every fall. People fall at all ages, but it's the elderly who suffer the most as a result of falling.
I escort my 97 year old mother - with her walker - every step she takes, and there have been a couple of times that she has either taken her hands off of the walker and gone backward, or tripped over a threshold in the doorway between tile and hardwoods and gone forward. Both times I tried to catch her to ease the fall, but she still went down.
Outside of constant escorting, there are some simple things that can be done to minimize falls.
**Refer to Fawnby's Post - it's 100% accurate.
1. Widen the feet when standing or walking. The closer together the feet are, the more narrow your base, the less balance you have. Walking with a wider stance will provide more stability.
2. Hold handrails going down stairs. Most falls on stairs occur going down, so hold on and go one step at a time if necessary.
3. Don't walk one way and look the other way. I see this a lot.
4. Practice balance. Stand on one foot - work up to 1 minute. Stand heel-to-toe. Work up to 1 minute.
5. Practice simple exercises like getting up and down from the floor, standing to sitting on a chair, rising onto tiptoes to strengthen the calves.
6. Strength train. If you don't know how, then find a good trainer to teach you proper form to avoid injuries.
We do balance & strength therapy twice weekly for 89 yr Mom. It rally helps. She has Positional Vertigo plus a host of health issues including Diabetic feet. She still thinks she can just get up & go. She forgets to stand for a few seconds to stabilize before she moves. If she looks up, she starts stumbling backwards. If she looks down then up, she can stumble forward or backwards. She uses a Rollator outside her apartment. There is little room for it inside. She says she does her Vertigo therapy at home, but we really can’t see any results.
Is this an elder? Ask your health care professional.
Can balance be improved in old age?
And although some age-related decline in balance is inevitable, most people can preserve—and even gain—balance with regular, targeted exercises.
Which daily activity can improve your balance?
Stand up from a seated position without using your hands. Or try walking in a line, heel to toe, for a short distance. You also can try tai chi — a form of movement training that may improve balance and stability and lower the incidence of falls.
There are likely hundreds of exercises / articles on the website about what to do.
It also may not be a matter of 'stopping' falls. The key may be lessening, becoming more aware in moment, with each step.
Who is this person? How old? History of falling? Medication? Feeling dizzy? Mobile / ambulatory?
For more targeted / informative responses, you need to give us more information.
I agree with the concept you cannot totally prevent falls, but you can seek to mitigate the chance of them.
In addition to the good ideas below (throw rug which my mom fell on five years ago and broke her pelvis) she now fell as the soft bottomed slippers she was wearing sort of balled up under her foot. Stiffer bottom slippers are better.
I’ve just attended an exercise class for seniors, which said that many many falls for ambulant seniors occur turning corners. The person crosses the leg outside the corner across the inside leg, all their weight is on the crossed legs, and they lose their balance. You need to balance your weight on both feet, spread apart. If you can’t cope with rails everywhere, something to hold onto while turning the corner (a mini rail or even a piece of furniture) can avoid a surprising number of problems.
The most important thing is to avoid hitting the head, which is most vulnerable when you fall full length. I have a balance problem myself, and I try to bend my knees and collapse straight down without tilting forwards, sideways or backwards. Another woman in the class (she spent her youth falling off horses) says ‘roll when you hit the ground’, which is another way to guard your head. The teacher had major experience teaching tennis players to avoid falling by making a very wide step forwards or sideways, which kept the body weight balanced in the middle.
What the class made clear to me is that there are good habits we can all work on, but that it’s worth analysing just how and where we and our LO fall, and thinking whether or not there are any things to avoid or to put in place.
Is this for you or someone you are caring for. Response would be somewhat different for you than another. For you. Take exercise classes or even better Yoga. Both will help with balance. Remove all throw rugs Pick up shoes, and any other objects that might be left on the floor. If you have stairs, hand rails. And close the hand rail at the top and bottom so the rail is not open, they tend to catch sleeves. Make sure the hand rails are secure. Remove or secure extension cords. Wear comfortable shoes.
For someone else. All of the above but... If they need an aid like a cane, walker make sure they are used. And make sure they are fitted properly. And realize and accept that falls WILL happen.
For you... Know how to properly help someone fall, do NOT try to prevent a fall. Doing that may injure you as well as the person you re trying to help.
Some senior Centers have programs that will give you tips and ideas on how to prevent falls. Ask around your area.
My husband's physical therapist stressed standing all the way up and getting good balance before trying to go forward, turn left or right. Trying to stand and pivot at the same time causes loss of balance.
One thinks, often, that falls are due to weakened muscles, tendons and etc. but the sad truth is that it is a matter of balance, and balance goes with age. Balance exercises are great if they are DONE regularly; they train the brain to keep calibrating as you move. You might ask the MD for at PT evaluation and a set of balance exercises. This may help a bit but the sad truth is that the elderly are certain to fall, and sadly enough falls are often the beginning of the end. This was the case for my own mom in her 90s. I, at 81, am acutely aware of my balance issues and do exercises, but I remain a feather in the winds on a moving bus, and I had better hang on, quite literally for dear life. Good luck.
The PT person at the first NH my husband was at told him that when he was walking (using his walker or cane), look at where he was going - not down and don't try to talk and walk at the same time. He has lewy body and doesn't pay attention. So far he hasn't paid much attention to this advice, he has recently started falling fairly frequently but now he can only take a few steps so maybe it doesn't matter. His falls are mostly trying to get in bed from wheelchair or out of bed into wheelchair. He's not supposed to do it but insists he can and it doesn't end well. You really can't stop the falling, just encourage to be cautious.
The only way to stop the falls is to harness the person. You need to run track on the ceiling everywhere the person is likely to go that essentially maintains their balance. Still you have resting in bed then standing up. If you can maintain a proper sleeping position you can use a bungee cord to create slack and trap it under the legs. As the person starts getting up that slack will give way and make it very hard for a fall as they rise to stand.
No amount of exercise as they age with dementia or what not is going to improve balance. Still, without exercise balance will digress quicker. Somehow you have to find a way to exercise someone prone to falling. Consider dancing instead of walking. Dancing allows to you take on some of their weight to improve the balance during the exercise. I did this with my Mom daily when she suffered late stage dementia.
Still late stage dementia sneaks up on you. I went to get her up and found her lying on her bedroom floor. There were two major injuries before I took preventive action. One was a fracture on her arm and the other was a bump on her head. The preventive action was filling her bedroom with empty cardboard boxes. They were sturdy enough to cause her to think about trying to get up on her own and provide some cushion if she were to fall. There were no major injuries after that.
My Dad could not walk and standing was limited. So I used a harness attached to the top of a door to keep him up whenever I had to clean up a mess. The harness made it easier for him to stand longer and empty card board boxes were used to cushion him if he should lose it and fall into the door.
One needs to be careful: restraining someone is still illegal even when done in private homes by family caregiver. And the law decides what is "restraint". If someone else saw this (a visiting nurse, for example) who is a mandated reporter, you'd get reported.
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I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
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APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
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Also if there is significant cognitive decline they can no longer follow directions to do any PT exercises correctly .
Then of course there is muscle atrophy as we age that eventually wins and PT no longer is effective in maintaining or gaining any strength. Elders legs just buckle.
Falling is frequent for elderly and is a common way to die from hitting their head . My grandmother died this way of a subdural hematoma . Or a big fall ( ie …broken hip ) causes a significant immediate step down and acceleration in decline in general towards death .
I see that your Dad is in his 90’s has been falling a lot . I’m sorry . But we can’t fix old . Is he willing to sit in a wheelchair ? Is he able to self propel in a wheelchair using his feet and/or hands pulling on the large wheels ? A transport chair with small wheels is not appropriate to sit in for long periods and the person sitting in it can not wheel themselves around to get anywhere .
I think for the most part we all fall at some point in our lives, even when young and healthy. But you add in advanced age, vision and hearing problems, balance problems, neuropathy, loss of strength in hands and feet and legs, equilibrium and dizziness, and a lack of being able to safely catch themselves - the risk of falls increases exponentially.
As @way mentioned - if there is dementia involved, you are likely to see increased falls as well - as the ability to coordinate their minds and bodies together is lacking.
You can mitigate the risk by having them use wheelchairs or canes or walkers to help support. You can ensure that there are no tripping hazards (rugs or furniture or anything laying in their typical path. You can add grab bars where they need them most. You can make sure they aren't bathing or showering without assistance. There are a whole host of "fall proofing" things you can do.
But even if you do every single one of them, they are just going to fall. There is no way to eliminate it entirely. And the older they get, the more likely they will fall more often.
I would add one more thing; some elders, especially with dementia, may stubbornly refuse to use a walker or wheelchair. And yes, they will fall.
There is not much you can do.
Get the person one of those "Life Alert" pendants to wear around their neck, so at least if they fall and can't get up, or are hurt, they can call for help instead of laying there waiting for someone to find them.
My Mom is 95. About 3 years ago she was bothered by how weak and painful her back had become (she has osteoarthritis in her spine). We were referred to a really good therapist who himself was older and also had a physical disability. She was doing great but then one session there was a sub who was very young and she had my Mom do inappropriate exercises and weights and it injured her, so my Mom never went back.
My Mom lives in a house next to mine. It has a full flight of stairs to go to the basement to get to the garage and also laundry room. Because she daily goes up and down these stairs she's probably in better condition than most seniors her age. Elders, especially ones with dementia, tend to shuffle when they walk rather than picking up their feet, and this contributes to falls.
You don't and can't "stop" falls. All you can do is to try and ensure that you don't have any fall hazards in your house such as rugs that slide, or too much stuff in the walkways.
I would be more concerned as to why a person is falling, like do they have dementia, Parkinson's, having seizures or is there too much crap in their way, than how to stop them.
Dad didn't like using those grey walkers that only had wheels on the back, so he would use his cane which was no help at all. Then I bought Dad one of those Rollator walkers, one that has hand brakes, seat, and a basket. Oh my gosh, you'd think I had bought him a Shelby Mustang, he loved it, and used it all the time. That cut down on his falls when walking around :)
Moral of the story: there is no way to stop falls.
The end.
Some things are accidents waiting to happen. Throw rugs, uneven flooring, poor lighting, ill fitting shoes, not using needed mobility aid, foregoing physical therapy when needed, rushing to the bathroom, eyeglasses that need attention, cataracts, deafness, medications that cause dizziness, untreated dizziness. Osteoporosis. Clutter in pathway, uneven ground, pets, slippery floors, tubs, casters on chairs, stairs, steps up or down, stepping backwards in order to look up, dehydration, lack of sleep, small children…these come to mind.
We got rid of all moms throw rugs
It's so obvious that we must remain strong, and we don't need a PT to do it FOR us. We can sit watching TV and exercise our arms with hand weights. We can do push-aways from door frames. We can do our own housework (I had a PCP who insisted that pushing a vacuum was aerobic exercise).
Start paying attention especially to upper body strength when you're younger. Be consistent. Be able to get to a phone and call for help when you fall. Teach your elders what my yoga teacher told her classes. A 90-year-old man in a wheelchair can lift light hand weights. A 90-year-old woman can get off the floor by herself.
Exercise to keep PT away .
Like an apple a day keeps the doctor away. 🍎
I escort my 97 year old mother - with her walker - every step she takes, and there have been a couple of times that she has either taken her hands off of the walker and gone backward, or tripped over a threshold in the doorway between tile and hardwoods and gone forward. Both times I tried to catch her to ease the fall, but she still went down.
Outside of constant escorting, there are some simple things that can be done to minimize falls.
**Refer to Fawnby's Post - it's 100% accurate.
1. Widen the feet when standing or walking. The closer together the feet are, the more narrow your base, the less balance you have. Walking with a wider stance will provide more stability.
2. Hold handrails going down stairs. Most falls on stairs occur going down, so hold on and go one step at a time if necessary.
3. Don't walk one way and look the other way. I see this a lot.
4. Practice balance. Stand on one foot - work up to 1 minute. Stand heel-to-toe. Work up to 1 minute.
5. Practice simple exercises like getting up and down from the floor, standing to sitting on a chair, rising onto tiptoes to strengthen the calves.
6. Strength train. If you don't know how, then find a good trainer to teach you proper form to avoid injuries.
Even an electric ride to sit in while going upstairs.
Always using a walker - or cane.
Gena / Touch Matters
We do not have any / enough information to tell this person what might be best / could be helpful.
Ask your health care professional.
Can balance be improved in old age?
And although some age-related decline in balance is inevitable, most people can preserve—and even gain—balance with regular, targeted exercises.
Which daily activity can improve your balance?
Stand up from a seated position without using your hands.
Or try walking in a line, heel to toe, for a short distance.
You also can try tai chi — a form of movement training that may improve balance and stability and lower the incidence of falls.
There are likely hundreds of exercises / articles on the website about what to do.
It also may not be a matter of 'stopping' falls. The key may be lessening, becoming more aware in moment, with each step.
Who is this person?
How old?
History of falling?
Medication?
Feeling dizzy?
Mobile / ambulatory?
For more targeted / informative responses, you need to give us more information.
Gena / Touch Matters
🛳😁
In addition to the good ideas below (throw rug which my mom fell on five years ago and broke her pelvis) she now fell as the soft bottomed slippers she was wearing sort of balled up under her foot. Stiffer bottom slippers are better.
The most important thing is to avoid hitting the head, which is most vulnerable when you fall full length. I have a balance problem myself, and I try to bend my knees and collapse straight down without tilting forwards, sideways or backwards. Another woman in the class (she spent her youth falling off horses) says ‘roll when you hit the ground’, which is another way to guard your head. The teacher had major experience teaching tennis players to avoid falling by making a very wide step forwards or sideways, which kept the body weight balanced in the middle.
What the class made clear to me is that there are good habits we can all work on, but that it’s worth analysing just how and where we and our LO fall, and thinking whether or not there are any things to avoid or to put in place.
Response would be somewhat different for you than another.
For you.
Take exercise classes or even better Yoga. Both will help with balance.
Remove all throw rugs
Pick up shoes, and any other objects that might be left on the floor.
If you have stairs, hand rails. And close the hand rail at the top and bottom so the rail is not open, they tend to catch sleeves. Make sure the hand rails are secure.
Remove or secure extension cords.
Wear comfortable shoes.
For someone else.
All of the above but...
If they need an aid like a cane, walker make sure they are used. And make sure they are fitted properly.
And realize and accept that falls WILL happen.
For you...
Know how to properly help someone fall, do NOT try to prevent a fall. Doing that may injure you as well as the person you re trying to help.
Some senior Centers have programs that will give you tips and ideas on how to prevent falls. Ask around your area.
One thinks, often, that falls are due to weakened muscles, tendons and etc. but the sad truth is that it is a matter of balance, and balance goes with age.
Balance exercises are great if they are DONE regularly; they train the brain to keep calibrating as you move. You might ask the MD for at PT evaluation and a set of balance exercises.
This may help a bit but the sad truth is that the elderly are certain to fall, and sadly enough falls are often the beginning of the end. This was the case for my own mom in her 90s.
I, at 81, am acutely aware of my balance issues and do exercises, but I remain a feather in the winds on a moving bus, and I had better hang on, quite literally for dear life.
Good luck.
No amount of exercise as they age with dementia or what not is going to improve balance. Still, without exercise balance will digress quicker. Somehow you have to find a way to exercise someone prone to falling. Consider dancing instead of walking. Dancing allows to you take on some of their weight to improve the balance during the exercise.
I did this with my Mom daily when she suffered late stage dementia.
Still late stage dementia sneaks up on you.
I went to get her up and found her lying on her bedroom floor. There were two major injuries before I took preventive action. One was a fracture on her arm and the other was a bump on her head. The preventive action was filling her bedroom with empty cardboard boxes. They were sturdy enough to cause her to think about trying to get up on her own and provide some cushion if she were to fall. There were no major injuries after that.
My Dad could not walk and standing was limited. So I used a harness attached to the top of a door to keep him up whenever I had to clean up a mess. The harness made it easier for him to stand longer and empty card board boxes were used to cushion him if he should lose it and fall into the door.
They lay peacefully still as their worldly life is over.