By Carol A. Cates, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
chief nursing officer
Odessa Regional Medical Center
When it comes to accidental injuries in older adults, nothing scares me more than a fall. As a nurse, I have seen firsthand that among the statistics regarding falls, falls can cause very serious injuries and even death. I think when many people think of falls, they think of falling from heights, and yes, this does happen, but the reality is that any fall in an older person can result in serious injury or death. In fact, for older adults, falls from the same height are one of the leading causes of accidental death. The reason falls scare me so much is that when older people start falling, they tend to fall repeatedly. Repeated falls are a bit like Russian roulette in that people who fall repeatedly will eventually fall and cause serious injury or death.
Winter doesn’t help with falls either, and the statistics bear it out. More falls occur in winter than in other months of the year. One of the obvious reasons is that snow and ice can cause slippery surfaces, which can lead to falls. But other issues are less obvious. It’s not just ice and snow that contributes to more falls in the winter. Since the days are shorter and the sun is less intense even during the day, poor visibility can lead to falls due to unseen obstacles. Age-related changes don’t help either, as we lose muscle mass as we age, and older adults may develop balance problems related to changes in the inner ear, vision changes, and medications, making it harder to recover from an accidental slip on an icy surface or when encountering an obstacle in the dark without falling. We are also slow to react, and many people suffer from degenerative changes, neuropathy, and/or chronic pain in their joints, all of which also make it difficult to react quickly enough to repair themselves after a mistake.
Mistakes aren’t limited to the outdoors, there are dangers indoors too, like thrown rugs and clutter, and if your house is anything like mine, we rearrange the furniture a bit to make room for holiday decorations, which means there are extra obstacles in the living space, and “common” obstacles can block the proverbial path.
There are many things you can do to prevent falls and reduce the risk of serious injury if you fall. Start by discussing your risk of falls with your primary care provider and review your medications with them to see if any medications or combinations of medications that may increase your risk of falls can be modified to reduce that risk. Also ask your doctor about screening for osteoporosis. There are many treatment options available to reduce the risk of fractures from falls associated with osteoporosis.
Next, make sure you’re doing balance and strength exercises. Honestly, I admit, this is something I always harp on to my dad, go for walks, go to his gym, take balance classes. These things make a huge difference! Make sure to have your eyes checked annually and use any vision correction recommended by your ophthalmologist. If you use progressive lenses, talk to your eye doctor about purchasing a pair of glasses without progressive lenses. They can sometimes make walking, especially outdoors, more difficult because objects with a lower field of vision (meaning objects on the ground that could cause you to trip or slip) are harder to see.
At home, eliminate tripping hazards such as area rugs and make sure there are grab bars next to showers and toilets. If you have stairs, make sure there are railings on both sides that you can grab onto, and make sure there’s enough light to see by using brighter bulbs or adding light fixtures in dark areas (ones you don’t trip over).
As you age, take every precaution possible to prevent falls, and if you have a loved one who is older, discuss the risks of falls with them. Falls are mostly preventable, and even if they aren’t, there are ways to help reduce injuries. Make sure you include your primary care provider in these conversations as well, they are an excellent resource for making you and your loved ones safer in the event of a fall.
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