Falls Risk Factors
The Risk Factors Of Falls And The Causes
Various conditions increase your risk of falling, and these risk factors include: a vitamin D deficiency, problems with vision, lower body weakness, poor footwear, balance problems or difficulties walking, use of particular medications (inlcluding anti-depressants, tranquilizers, and sedatives), pain in the feet, as well as hazards in the home. Those hazards include clutter, throw rugs, uneven flooring, and broken steps. However, there are often multiple factors at play when it comes to falls. This may explain why we have such difficulting preventing them, even after we know it's a problem. The biggest factors, though, seem to be environmental as well as situational.
Still, despite all that we can narrow down the risk factors. Elderly people between the ages of 75 and 84 are at a particularly high risk when they require assistance in carrying out typical daily activities. If a senior has limitations in their ability to walk and balance then they're also …show more content…
more likely to experience a fall. Again, people who have already experienced a fall are twice as likely to fall again within a year of their first fall. Other risk factors include posture, neuromuscular issues, visual problems, sensory pathways, depression, motor function, slowed reflexes, impaired cognitive function, unstable joints, and speed of movement. Additionally, certain medical conditions can increase the risk of falls, those conditions include dementia, stroke, arthritis, incontinence, and cataracts.
Shifting the focus back onto environmental factors, it could be a case of a slip in the tub, a slippery floor, clutter, poor lighting, and flooring and stairs that are in a state of disrepair.
These hazards are present in every home, yet they offer no threat to the majority of us. When we reach a certain age, though, (or our family members do) it's important to look at a home through different eyes. It's a little bit like welcoming a baby into the home. As your baby threatens to crawl you take a look at the dangers in your home and do your best to mitigate them. When someone starts to lose their mobility or has other health issues, the home needs to be looked at for possible dangers. If there are rugs present, they should probably be removed. There are products available that will prevent them from slipping, however, the edge presents a trip hazard. Lighting is also important, as poor lighting will present a challenge in seeing any potential hazards that may be
present.
Of course, prevention there are other prevention menthods and these should start long before we are at risk of falls. However, it is never too late to make a change and there are plenty of ways you can try to prevent falls from occuring.
Various conditions increase your risk of falling, and these risk factors include: a vitamin D deficiency, problems with vision, lower body weakness, poor footwear, balance problems or difficulties walking, use of particular medications (inlcluding anti-depressants, tranquilizers, and sedatives), pain in the feet, as well as hazards in the home. Those hazards include clutter, throw rugs, uneven flooring, and broken steps. However, there are often multiple factors at play when it comes to falls. This may explain why we have such difficulting preventing them, even after we know it's a problem. The biggest factors, though, seem to be environmental as well as situational.
Still, despite all that we can narrow down the risk factors. Elderly people between the ages of 75 and 84 are at a particularly high risk when they require assistance in carrying out typical daily activities. If a senior has limitations in their ability to walk and balance then they're also …show more content…
more likely to experience a fall. Again, people who have already experienced a fall are twice as likely to fall again within a year of their first fall. Other risk factors include posture, neuromuscular issues, visual problems, sensory pathways, depression, motor function, slowed reflexes, impaired cognitive function, unstable joints, and speed of movement. Additionally, certain medical conditions can increase the risk of falls, those conditions include dementia, stroke, arthritis, incontinence, and cataracts.
Shifting the focus back onto environmental factors, it could be a case of a slip in the tub, a slippery floor, clutter, poor lighting, and flooring and stairs that are in a state of disrepair.
These hazards are present in every home, yet they offer no threat to the majority of us. When we reach a certain age, though, (or our family members do) it's important to look at a home through different eyes. It's a little bit like welcoming a baby into the home. As your baby threatens to crawl you take a look at the dangers in your home and do your best to mitigate them. When someone starts to lose their mobility or has other health issues, the home needs to be looked at for possible dangers. If there are rugs present, they should probably be removed. There are products available that will prevent them from slipping, however, the edge presents a trip hazard. Lighting is also important, as poor lighting will present a challenge in seeing any potential hazards that may be
present.
Of course, prevention there are other prevention menthods and these should start long before we are at risk of falls. However, it is never too late to make a change and there are plenty of ways you can try to prevent falls from occuring.