As we become older, falling involves far more risks than just shame. Millions of seniors over 65 fall every year, whether they live in retirement communities or in their own homes. The most frequent cause of injuries and hospitalization for seniors is falling, which can result in painful injuries that jeopardize one’s independence, render them disabled, or even result in death. In this article, we’ll cover how the services and features at West Greenville, SC Independent Living Apartments can help with fall prevention.
Risk Factors for Falling
Age-related factors, medication use and side effects, cognitive impairment, and sensory deficiencies are all risk factors for falls in older individuals living in retirement communities. Physical changes that affect our vision, strength, and balance as we age can also make us more likely to fall.
This can in turn cause moderate to severe injuries like hip fractures or head trauma.
How Falls are Prevented in Independent Living Apartments
The following preventative measures are suggested by the National Institute on Aging (NIH):
- Continue to be active.
- Get your hearing and eyes checked regularly
- Review the negative side effects of medicine
- Get adequate rest.
- Get up gradually.
- If you need assistance feeling stable while walking, use assistive equipment.
- Put on rubber-soled, non-slip footwear or lace-up shoes that provide full foot support.
The greatest senior communities proactively look for ways to reduce hazards before a resident falls. In order to target and decrease the number of falls, our community consults medical experts for suggestions that our senior living community members can apply.
Every employee in the independent living community is bestowed the ability and responsibility to report any changes they notice in a specific resident, such as disorientation and trouble standing or walking.
Employees will address possible issues before a fall occurs by conducting regular holistic reviews of each resident’s health and physical capabilities in retirement communities.
Preventative measures could involve modifying the surroundings by getting rid of clutter or providing lights. To help with safety, adaptive equipment like belts, mechanical transfer devices, or walkers may also be provided.
Combat the Fear of Falling
Even in the most active adult communities, a person’s fear of falling may lead them to reduce their activity, which over time can weaken their strength, balance, and endurance and actually raise their chance of falling.
Since it impairs quality of life, fear of falling is a risk that can be almost as harmful as a fall itself. Residents of retirement homes who worry about falling may limit their participation in activities and may feel socially isolated and lonely.
Our community encourages and offers retirement living residents the chance to keep or regain the abilities required to move securely from a sitting position to a standing position and back. Our Health and Fitness program offers a range of motion and muscular development exercises to address this.
Through on-site therapy and physical training, residents will be able to better prepare for and prevent falls, thereby maintaining their independence.
Independent living communities are all about empowering residents to live the retirement life they desire, while being able to tap on resources and services that support their individual needs, like fall prevention. Consider moving to an independent living community today!
