Older adults don’t always recognize the hazards in their everyday routines that can lead to falls—until it’s too late.
Comfy slippers that easily slide on can also easily slide off and cause a senior to trip and fall. Clutter on the floor, an unlit path from the bedroom to the bathroom, even a loose throw rug in the kitchen all pose the same risk.
Fortunately, small changes like wearing gym shoes indoors instead of slippers, keeping floors clear of clutter, illuminating dark hallways with motion lights, and holding throw rugs in place with gripper pads can make a big difference in preventing falls—which remain a serious problem among seniors.
“Falls are the leading cause of injury and accidental death in older adults aged 65+, but falls can be prevented,” said Laurie Rockwell-Dylla, MS, OTR/L, CAPS with Northwestern Medicine Palos Home Health during a recent webinar sponsored by Pathlights, a social service agency for older adults in Illinois. In honor of “Falls Prevention Awareness Week” Sept. 18 to 24, Rockwell-Dylla’s virtual presentation, “Staying Active & Falls Free with Occupational Therapy,” highlighted the role occupational therapy plays in reducing the risk of falls.
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy uses everyday activities – referred to as “occupations” – as part of the therapy process to help people of all ages remain as independent as possible despite an injury, illness or disability, Rockwell-Dylla said.
“When someone has been injured, an OT will help them problem-solve the best way to care for themselves—dress themselves, tend to their garden, shop for food, and stay in the community and continue to do their favorite hobby.”
OTs also work with seniors on building strength and balance. In terms of fall prevention, an OT will go room to room looking for potential fall hazards in an older adult’s home and recommend safe alternatives or modifications.
An OT will go room to room looking for potential fall hazards in an older adult’s home and recommend safe alternatives or modifications.
Falls can indicate health troubles
“A fall may be the first sign of an acute problem, such as a heart issue, onset of a chronic condition like Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, or signal the onset of age-related changes in our bodies like a change in vision,” she explained. “In most cases, falls are caused by several risk factors coming together and interacting.”
Those risk factors fall into three categories:
- Physical: Changes in the body that increase your risk for falls, such as impaired balance or vision
- Behavioral: Actions we do or don’t do that increase our fall risk, like not using a handrail while walking down the stairs
- Environmental: Hazards in the home that get in our way, such as pets and clutter
The risk of falling increases with the number of physical, behavioral and environmental risk factors present. Rockwell-Dylla compares it to building a tower of bricks, with each brick stacked on top of the next representing one risk factor.
“As the tower gets taller, it becomes more unstable,” she said. “Likewise, as your risk factors stack up, the risk of falling increases.”
While some risk factors we cannot change, like getting older, many others we can. The goal is to reduce that tower down to more manageable risk factors—and that’s where occupational therapy can help.
“We look at what people want to do, what physical and other challenges are interfering with it, and determine strategies to do it safely,” she explained. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. You have to tailor it to the individual.”
Simple solutions like improving lighting, reducing tripping hazards like clutter and cords, and installing grab bars in the bathroom by the toilet – as well as outside and inside the shower – can help keep seniors safe at home. Shower seats and handheld showerheads are other ways of preventing falls while maintaining independence and performing activities of daily living.
Reducing the risk of falls requires older adults to do their homework
Begin with a semi-annual medication review by a pharmacist. Rockwell-Dylla emphasized that some medications can interact and cause health problems that increase the risk of falls. A pharmacist can work with your physician to offer alternative solutions and game-changing information. For example, did you know that taking certain medications at particular times of day and with specific foods can help prevent falls? Pharmacists do, and they’ll let you know upon reviewing your medications.
Other ways to reduce the risk of falls include:
- Staying hydrated – Medications can cause dehydration, which can result in dizziness and falls.
- Maintaining good balance – Improve balance through exercises like tai chi that involve moving for better balance.
- Managing chronic illnesses or conditions – When not managed properly, chronic illnesses can cause other conditions that increase your risk of falls. Take workshops or classes at a local hospital to learn how to keep the symptoms of your medical condition at bay.
- Getting regular eye exams to preserve vision – Seeing clearly helps in avoiding tripping hazards.
- Eliminating faulty habits – Use a step stool with handlebars to reach something on a high shelf instead of standing on a wobbly chair. Or, even better, delegate the task to someone else.
- Completing the CDC’s home safety checklist – It will help you identify those changes that need to be made.
“In some cases, concerns about falls can lead to seniors cutting back on activities that they are physically and mentally capable of performing,” Rockwell-Dylla warned. “Inactivity can increase the risk of falling.”
Her advice: Stay active, keep physically fit and engaged in life.