To avoid senior loved ones slipping and falling in their yard, check it first for slippery areas that could pose a fall risk. Make sure if they have arthritis and want to garden that they have electric pruning shears, as well as light folding stools to help them sit while gardening. Local volunteer groups may be available nearby to help seniors clean up winter debris in their yards. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne Newman on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about senior safety outdoors now that spring is blooming.
Can your senior loved one get outside easily? Would handrails help? Composite decks can get slippery. Make sure they take breaks, stay hydrated, any have any type of life alert button so they can get help immediately if they fall.
Dr. Shawn says, “My grandmother was 85. I will never forget, she lived down in the hollers of Virginia and she was one of those strong Southern women, which is what kept her going as long as she did into her 90s. She’s up on her ladder at 85, taking down the Christmas lights in the spring, like it didn’t matter. She was going to do it. Nobody is going to tell her not to do it. That’s a little extreme, but you have to use really good safety judgment. If they live alone and haven’t been active during the winter, have somebody take a survey [of the yard]. Do you have loose gravel, is the driveway gravel or is it paved? Are there wet leaves? Some people still have Christmas stuff up or they might have cords outside… Those little things are really risky, especially if they’re covered up.”
In May, Dr. Shawn will be hosting “Stand Up, Keep Up,” a two-session Zoom course covering not only steps for fall prevention, extrinsic and intrinsic factors, but also digging deeper to find the root causes of why they might be at a high fall risk. Answers for Elders viewers and listeners can get special pricing. Click here for more information or to register.
Visit Rockstar Seniors.net to learn more or to set up a free discovery call with Dr. Shawn Weiss to get answers to any questions or concerns. Hear more podcasts by Dr. Shawn here.
Check out our affiliate podcast Alzheimer’s Speaks.
