 Summer is over and the flip flops will soon be
confined to the back of the wardrobe. And a
good thing too if you are getting into later life.
Falls in the
home are not uncommon among older people, and one clear reason is wearing slippers or
loose fitting shoes, including said flip flops.
The charity Help the Aged is so concerned about this that they have a
Falls Manager, Pamela Holmes, whose job it is to make people aware of the potential
dangers of wearing sloppy shoes.
How worried
should we be about having a fall?
At
50-plus, if we fall, we usually recover quickly, but it’s downhill as we get
older, and anyone with elderly parents needs to know the worst and how to avoid it. |
Falls are the most frequent and serious type of
accident among the over 65 age group. A fall,
reminds Pamela Holmes, can destroy confidence, reduce independence and increase isolation. Nearly a third of people over 65 living in the
community will fall in a year. This rises to
around half of those aged 85 and over.
Half of hip fracture patients
lose their ability to live independently and up to 33% of hip fracture patients die
within one year of their accident. Falls are a
major factor leading to premature admission to permanent residential care.
Simple ways to help a relative (or yourself) avoid a slip, trip or broken hip
Get active to improve balance,
strength and co-ordination. Yoga is good for
strength and coordination, but any exercise helps.
Get any medicines checked regularly by the GP or pharmacist
Make the home a safer place by removing clutter and keeping it well lit,
especially in halls and on stairs
Eat plenty of Vitamin D and calcium to keep bones healthy
Take advantage of free eye tests if you are over 60 but watch out if
using bifocal and varifocal glasses outside - they can more than double risk of a fall.
Best to have separate pairs of
glasses for reading and for distance.
Free leaflets offering simple and practical information to help reduce chance of having a fall are available from
the DTI Publications Orderline on 0870 1502 500 or via the Help the Aged website www.helptheaged.org.uk .
 Free Banana
Skins Video
A limited number of Banana Skins videos,
giving simple and practical advice on avoiding falls are available free of charge by
emailing emma.spragg@helptheaged.org.uk
For more practical tips, visit the Help the Aged website www.helptheaged.org.uk/adviceinfo/slips+trips.htm
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| laterlife interest
The above article is part of the features section of laterlife.com called laterlife interest. laterlife interest contains a variety of articles of
interest for visitors to laterlife.com written by a number of experienced and new
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