Falls in the Elderly

Falls in the elderly area serious concern. Falls are one of the primary causes of injuries in the elderly, including head injuries, soft tissue injuries, fractures, muscle breakdown, pressure sores and even kidney damage. The incident of an initial fall can trigger fears of experiencing further falls. This might result in limited mobility and a loss of independence in seniors. 

Major causes of senior falls

There are several reasons why seniors are more likely to have a fall, but the main reasons include the following:

• Chronic health conditions, such as dementia, heart disease and hypotension, which can cause dizziness.
• Impairments, such as poor vision or weak muscles.
• Illnesses can greatly affect balance and flexibility, such as labyrinthitis, Acoustic neuroma, and even a head cold can dizziness and vertigo.
• Lack of exercise, which is the main cause of immobility.
• Side effects of certain medications can also upset your body balance.

Other causes include:

•    Improper foot wear
•     Incorrect use of walking aids
•     Improper lighting in the house
•    Uneven floor and clutter

What works?

Learning some fall prevention tips is essential for the older adults to keep themselves safe. Here are some prevention tips seniors should be aware of: 

• Make sure that the home is as safe as possible. Be sure it is well lit, night bulbs are installed in the kitchen, bathrooms and other places travelled in the late evening, and that grab bars are installed properly in the bathrooms.
• Avoid wearing loose clothes. 
•  Exercise is really important to avoid falls. There should be a proper routine of exercising so that flexibility, balance and coordination are maintained and there is a smaller risk of falling due to such issues.
• Maintain your blood pressure.
• Visit your doctor for regular eye checkups.

For any help regarding senior care, contact Always Best Care. They are a senior care firm that has been helping seniors and their families by providing excellent Senior Care Solutions In Vancouver. To learn more about their services, feel free to call (778) 945-3010.

Home Improvement Ideas for Seniors

Falls are the one of the leading causes of injuries among seniors. Serious falls lead to severe pain, paralysis, bone fractures, and in some cases, even death. We usually think that our home is the safest place for our senior loved ones, but that is not always true. Seniors accidents occur at home all the time. However, with some precautions, it is possible to avoid some risks of such a mishap happening.

Here are some home improvement ideas to increase the safety of seniors at home.

1. Floors and surfaces: Make sure that the floors are non-slippery. Non-skid, non-plush mats should also be placed in risk prone areas such as near the bath tub or shower or in front of the kitchen sink. For bathroom floors, non-slip or patterned tiles should be used to reduce or avoid falls from moisture. 
2. Doorways: Choose door hardware with a lever handle rather than a door knob. The lever handle requires less force to operate, making it much easier for seniors.
3. Emergency and safety devices: To increase your senior loved one’s safety at home, home safety alarms should be installed. These include gas detector alarms, smoke detector alarms, fire alarms, water detector alarms and several others. Make sure to regularly check the battery in each.
4. Lighting: Proper lighting should be placed in the bathroom, bedroom, hallways, staircase and other risk prone areas. Light switches should be easily reachable.
5. Grab bars: Grab bars are essential for seniors to avoid accidental falls. They should be installed in areas such as bathrooms or staircases.
6. Remove unnecessary furniture: Do not keep any unnecessary furniture. This will largely help in avoiding falls as seniors will have more space to walk without tripping over anything. 
7. Remove rugs: Either remove rugs or tack them down to ensure the senior doesn’t slip or trip on them. 
8. Declutter the house: Remove clutter and rearrange furniture to have a clear walking path. Make sure that the items your senior loved one frequently uses are within reach and doesn’t require a step ladder.

If you are unable to take care of your senior loved for whatever reason, hire a caregiver who will help them remain at home and help manage their day to day tasks, including their health, medication and meals. Contact Always Best Care for the best In Home Senior Caregivers in Vancouver. For more information, call (778) 945-3010.

Seniors: When Should You Retire?

Some seniors can’t wait to retire, and still others never want to retire. While working through retirement years may seem to some like the way to stay physically active and maintain a social network, retiring can make these things easier through more time and resources available. Many seniors struggle with the idea of when to retire, so here are a couple of factors to consider when thinking it through:

• Mental Preparedness. Like most people, you’ve probably put 1/3 or more of your life into working. Along with this brings a sense of purpose, social attachments, and a certain amount of stress. Being retired means eliminating the stress, but also, possibly, that sense of purpose that you’ve held dear for the past 30-40 years of your life. To be mentally prepared for retirement, find a new sense of purpose beforehand – could be volunteering, a creative outlet, etc., and also find a way to connect socially. This could be by joining a gym or the YMCA, the local senior community center, or by schedule lunches and dinners with friends. One of the biggest factors to retirement is the possible loneliness, knowing this, create avenues to combat it.
• Financial Stability. Ideally, a senior should be able to live in the manner they’re accustomed to for 20-30 years when they retire. Think about how much it will take to buy food, buy medications, pay for utilities, etc., and also for entertainment and hobbies (as you don’t want retirement to be boring!)

Staying Busy During Retirement

Retirement can mean the very best years of your life because you have the time, and the financial means to pursue dreams you never could before. Here are some ways to stay busy and have fun during your retirement years:

• Travel
• Join a sports program for seniors
• Join a club: book, theater, art, photography, movie, etc.
• Move to another city
• Volunteer
• Remodel your home

Always Best Care has been in the senior care giving industry for the past 20 years. If you are a senior in the North Vancouver area, and would like information about their home care services in West Vancouver, or other options surrounding senior living in North Shore, call the Always Best Care North Vancouver location at 778-945-3010 today to set up your free care consultation. They look forward to discussing your bright future with you!