Board of Commissioners Declare March 2008 as Fall Prevention Month

To view the proclamation made by the commissioners, click here. 

How You Can Prevent Falls

Presented by Emily Best for the Girl Scout Gold Award

Importance of Fall Prevention

• Every year, one in three senior citizens is injured by a fall.
• In U. S., more than $20 billion dollars is spent for treatment of injuries to older people after falls. The majority of this cost is for hip fracture care which averages $35,000 per patient.
• Women are more likely to have nonfatal fall injuries.  However, the rate of fall-related fractures is twice as high for women than men. On the other hand, men are more likely to have fatal fall injuries.
• Falling is not a normal part of aging.
• A fall can injure one’s self-confidence causing him/her to stop being active for fear of falling again.

Medicine

• The more medicine that you are taking the more likely you are to have side effects such as losing balance, becoming drowsy, dizzy or weak which can result in a fall.
• Don’t change or stop any medication without talking to a doctor.
• Keep a list of the medicines that you are taking and bring it with you to the doctor.
• Prescription medicine can interact with over-the-counter medicine so talk to the pharmacist.
•  Store medications in a well lit area so you can read the labels.
•  If taking medicine for high blood pressure, if you have heart problems, or if you are ever dizzy or light-headed, you should get out of bed slowly. First, dangle your legs over the side of the bed for a few minutes and then stand up. After sitting down, stand up slowly.
• See a doctor to get medication for bladder problems so you will not fall rushing to the bathroom.

Eyes

• Get your eyes checked at least once each year by an eye doctor.
• If you have eyeglasses, wear them and clean your eyeglasses daily.
• Do not wear and use your reading glasses for walking.
• Use sunglasses with UV protection to reduce glare outside.
• Remove sunglasses when entering a building and take a few minutes to adjust your eyes to the light.
• While walking, keep your line of vision clear.  Do not carry anything that may block your vision.

Ears

• Have your hearing checked every two years. Dizziness and balance problems can occur with hearing loss.

Feet

• Trim toe nails regularly, cut straight across, not too short and not down at the corners.
• If you have difficulty reaching your toe nails or vision problems and cannot clearly see your toenails, go to a podiatrist, home health nurse, or get a pedicurist to assist.
• Wear comfortable, low-heeled supportive shoes that tie with a fairly snug fit and non-slip soles, not thick heavy soles.
• Avoid going barefoot or walking in socks or hose.
• Do not wear nightgowns or bath robes that are long and keep robes tied.

Diet

Half the women and one-fourth of the men over 50 years old develop osteoporosis, a disease which weakens your bones making them more likely to break.  Osteoporosis is known as the silent disease because you may not know that you have it until a bump, strain, or a fall causes a bone to break. You can determine if you have osteoporosis by having a bone mineral density test. Your body needs sunlight to make vitamin K which helps you absorb calcium.  Calcium and vitamin D will help your bones stay strong.  So your diet should include dairy, dry beans, green leafy vegetables such as turnips or collards, broccoli and almonds.

Exercise

Everyone needs to be active at least 30 minutes a day. Set a realistic goal, and start by walking 5-10 minutes at a time and work up to 30 minutes.

You are more likely to fall if you cannot stand on one leg for five seconds according to the Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Balance and Strength Exercises 

While holding on to the back of a steady chair, sink, or counter, do exercises 1, 2 and 3:

1)  -Stand on one foot for 30 seconds and then the other foot.  Slowly   

          increase the time.

         -try to balance on one foot without holding on and then the other.

         -try to balance on one foot with your eyes closed and then the other.

2)  Stand on toes for count of 10 then rock back on heels for count of 10.   

          Do 10 times.  Rest for a minute and repeat.

3)  Make a big circle to the left with the hips and then to the right without  

          moving your shoulders or feet.

4) Stand up and sit down from a chair that is not too low and has arms 10   

    times, rest one minute and repeat.  If it is too difficult, start at a lower

    number and gradually increase.  It is better to do this exercise without

    using your arms and hands to push yourself up but use them if you need to 

    until you are strong enough to do it without them.

5) Using a chair for support, stand heel-to-toe.  Put your heel in front of the   

    toes of your other foot.  Your heels and toes should touch or almost touch. 

     Hold for up to 30 seconds.  Change feet.

6) Walk heel-to-toe.  Position your feet as you did standing heel-to toe, but  

     step forward with one leg leading with your heel.  Follow through rolling  

     on the bottom of the foot.  Continue for five steps. Do the above heel to

     toe walking on an uneven surface such as a mat.

7) Side step over an object and then in reverse.

8) While seated in a chair with feet flat on the floor, raise your toes 5 to 10  

     times.  Rest for a minute, and then repeat.  Also while seated, make ankle  

     circles with one foot to the left 5 times, then to the right 5 times.  Repeat

     with the other foot.

Home Safety

60% of falls occur in the home. There are certain things you can do to make your home safer to prevent falls.

• Remove clutter such as books, magazines, newspapers, shoes, boxes and toys from the floor, stairs and hallways.
• Remove throw rugs or add no-skid backing or double-sided tape to the back of throw rugs.
• Use non-skid mat or decals in the bath tub and shower.
• Turn lights on ahead of you as you move through the house and up and down the stairs.
• Have rails on both sides of the stairs.
• Make sure carpet is not loose or frayed on stair steps.
• Mark bottom step with high visibility tape or a different color paint
• Have switches at every door and at the top and bottom of the stairs.
• Use photocell night lights that come on automatically in bedrooms, halls, and bathrooms.
• Use the brightest bulb approved for each lamp or fixture. Replace burnt out bulbs promptly and use the new energy efficient, longer life bulbs.
• Keep a flashlight beside bed.
• Keep electrical and telephone cords out of pathway (coil or tape wires next to wall so don’t trip over them).  Use cordless telephones.
• Be careful not to trip over pets.

Living Area –Safety

• Arrange furniture so that you do not have to walk around it.  Have an open pathway between rooms.
• Remove low tables, foot stools, ottomans-may not see and trip over them.
• Remove caster wheels from furniture.
• Avoid sitting on low furniture.  Chairs with arms make it easier to get up.
• When picking up objects from the floor, move the object closer to something sturdy to hold on to.

Kitchen Area-Safety

• Avoid climbing and reaching to high shelves.
• Use a stable step stool with handrails.
• Use a reach stick to reach very lightweight items only.
• Arrange storage at counter level.
• Clean up spills as soon as they happen.

Bathroom Area-Safety

• Mount liquid soap dispenser on bath tub or shower wall.
• Install a portable, hand-held shower head.
• Add padded bath or shower seat. Also, install a raised toilet seat.
• Do not use the soap bar or towel holder as a grab bar or hand rail.  It was not designed for the weight of a human being. Install safety bars at toilet, shower and tub areas.
• Air dry bath mats so rubber backing does not crack.

Outdoor Areas-Safety

• Plan trips so that you don’t have to go out in bad weather such as rain, sleet, or snow.
• If you have a cane or walking aid, please use it.
• Be aware of cracks in the sidewalks and change of elevation.
• When you see a tree ahead of your path, look for low hanging branches, tree roots, or fallen debris on the ground.
• Keep your yard and pathway free of hoses and garden tools.
• Light the path to the garage/carport and other out buildings.
• Put handrails on all steps no matter how easy they are to climb and how many times you have been up and down them.

What To Do If You Do Fall

Try to prevent breaking a bone. Try to fall forwards or backwards to prevent breaking a hip or grab something to break the fall. DO NOT PANIC! Slide or crawl to the nearest couch or chair and try to get up. If you cannot get up, call for help. If you are alone, try to crawl to the telephone and call 911 or relatives.

I welcome questions or comments about my presentation at the information provided. You may contact me at:

Emily Best

1601 East Walnut Street

Goldsboro, N.C.  27530

Telephone:  919-736-2677

Email:  emilybest@earthlink.net