In my work with seniors and their families, I cannot count the many times I will walk into a senior’s home and I instantly voice concern about the hazards that can cause falls in their home. Yes, I get that a home to a senior is their personal reflection of who they are. Their home also reflects memories of their lives, and their own “comfort” that they have been familiar with over their lifetime.
Yet, did you know that:
- About one third of the elder population over the age of 65 falls each year, and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age.
- At 80 years, over half of seniors fall annually.
- Documented statistics fall short of the actual number since many incidents are unreported by seniors and unrecognized by family members or caregivers.
- Frequent falling. Those who fall are two to three times more likely to fall again.
- About half (53%) of the older adults who are discharged for fall-related hip fractures will experience another fall within six months.
I am the last person who wants to take away these things from a senior. Instead, I would hope that we can find a way to still honor them and keep them safe from falls in their home, because I have seen all too well — the devastation that can happen from a fall.
It was 2005, and I will say that my life changed because my mother fell. She was living independently, but due to the fall, she broke her pelvis. From that day onward, she lived out the rest of her days in assisted care- moving on to skilled care. Her body deteriorated due to pain and circulation issues to life in a wheelchair.
We as a family did not take the proper precautions before things happened. We realized all too well that maybe some things could have been done beforehand until her life went spinning out of control, and part of me blames myself for not interceding in advance so that she never would have had to live out her days like she did.
According to a 2015 study at Yale University, 1.6 million seniors are treated in the ER and hospitalized due to a fall- likely because of a broken hip or other.
Falls can be the beginning of a downward spiral that, had they been prevented it would make the difference in the quality of their aging years. Take the time to declutter and prevent your home from the hazards that exist. It could mean all the difference.
