Caring Homemakers

Preventing Falls Among Seniors

What YOU Can Do to Prevent Falls

Falls are not just the result of getting older. Many falls can be prevented. Falls are usually caused by a number of things. By changing some of these things, you can lower your chances of falling.

You can reduce your chances of falling by following these tips:

Begin a regular exercise program.

Make your home safer.

Have your health care provider review your medicines.

Have your vision checked.

Thousands of people fall victim to falls every year. Every second, even as you read this, someone is falling in their home, and suffering an injury or even death. Falls are the most prevalent among those over age 65. They are the reason for thousands of elderly deaths each year, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It has been estimated that over one million people received treatment for falls..

Though these statistics are troubling, there is hope. There are a number of things you can do to prevent yourself from falling. Follow these tips, and you will be well on your way to staying healthy and upright.

Practical Tips: What you need to consider

Before you implement steps to prevent your risk of falling, it is important to remember a number of things. First, falling can be caused by any number of things. These may include being confined to areas with a lot of clutter. Having too much furniture in your home makes you especially susceptible to falls. To prevent this, it may help to shop around for an accommodating living space, especially if you live alone. Also make sure that your living space is not crowded with tightly-packed furniture. These can make you more likely to fall.

Contrary to what the media would like you to believe, falling is the number one cause of death among the elderly, experts say. This far surpasses the elderly rate of other diseases. Of course, finding ways to keep yourself from falling is not difficult.

Physical Activity

Maintaining some level of physical activity is one of the best ways to prevent yourself from falling. Studies show that physical activity has a number of benefits, both physical and mental. People who exercise have a clearer head and a better attitude overall than those who are sedentary.

Getting yourself into a regular workout routine is one of the best ways to reduce your chances of falling. Not only does it improve your balance; it also helps you strengthen your body and joints. Exercise can also help women with osteoporosis, whose bones might be weakened.

Take a few moments out of each day to stretch. Even if you don't get into a rigorous workout, get out and move around. This gets blood pumping to your heart, which may make you more alert and aware of the obstacles around you.

Assistive devices

As people get older, they often find themselves in need of equipment to help them walk and stay stable. Experts at the Mayo Clinic stress the importance of placing assistive devices in your home. Installing rails around toilets, bathtubs, and showers will help you stay stable. The Mayo Clinic also recommends placing a rubber skid pad in the bathtub or shower.

.

The Elderly & Internet Dangers

Each and every day more and more elderly get on-line for the first time to experience the vast universe of the Internet. Often their own children have pushed this idea in an effort to enhance communications, send pictures of the grandchildren, etc... Unlike their younger counterparts, our elderly are usually not familiar with the dangers involved. Thankfully however, they are generally much more cautious about doing business without face-to-face contact whether it be over the phone or especially over the Web. I put together this article to help enlighten our elders as to some of the more common dangers they may face while exploring this brave new world. I don't mean to scare anyone, just inform them of the pitfalls. Knowledge is power.

Surfing The Web

ALWAYS have an up-to-date anti-virus / Internet security package running on your computer. It can pay for itself many times over in protecting you from illegitimate sites, viruses, "phishing" emails, and many other threats.

A few of the most popular are: Norton Anti-Virus, McAfee Anti-Virus, andTrend Micro .

Stay away from "bad neighborhoods". It may seem like a simple matter but you should be especially aware when searching for subject matter of less than main-stream topics and be particularly cautious about the sites you visit. Even popular topics can result in results that yield harmful sites. If you stumble across a questionable site that does not establish instant credibility, leave immediately. Simply viewing a "bad" site may expose you to extremely harmful viruses or other programs that can expose much of your private information if you are not protected.

Keep your operating system up-to-date. All modern operating systems have a mechanism to automatically update themselves as critical security updates become available. Use this feature!

Ordering On-Line

First and foremost, it is critical that you only deal only with reputable companies when purchasing products or services over the Internet. Often however, it may be difficult to determine the legitimacy of a particular company not to mention the methods they use internally to prevent identity or credit card theft.

Many people look at the way a site appears to give them a feeling as to the creditability of a particular company. This is a mistake. You cannot determine a company's credibility by the slick or professional appearance of their site. It is extremely easy to publish a credible looking site today with little effort. Some questionable companies employ "boiler plate" designs and reuse them with few changes over several domain names to appear credible and to support a variety of schemes.

One simple yet fairly effective technique to limit you risk is to call a company before providing any personal information. Do they have a phone number listed? Do they answer? Do they return your message? Do they sound credible? Can they provide you with a U.S. based phone number that is not toll-free? - toll-free numbers can be redirected to just about anywhere.

Caring Homemakers voices advocacy for missing children.May 27th is National Missing Children's day.Proclaimed by President Ronald Reagen in 1979.

www.findthekids.org