Falls happen to people of all ages, but falls are more common for older people. In fact, losing balance and falling down is probably the most common accident that happens to older adults. Although most people are not usually harmed when they fall, the more falls an individual has, the greater the chance of injury. If you do get hurt, the result can harm your health, your sense well being, and your independence.
Some people believe that falls are a normal part of aging, and as such are not preventable.But this is false. Falls usually are caused by certain health conditions (due to normal physical changes of aging or from illness) and/or environmental hazards in the home interfering with safety. In most xases, falls do not have to happen. Many of the causes of falling are preventable, but only if you take action. As obvious as it may sound, a lack of knowledge about the causes of falling and how to prevent them contributes to many falls.
Purpose of the Home Safety Kit
The aim of the Home Safety Kit is to increase your understanding of:
- Why falls happen
- Who is at risk of falling
- Ways to prevent falls
Contents of the Home Safety Kit
Why do Falls Occur?
Describes key risk factors of falling among older adults and important preventive measures to reduce the likelihood of falling.
Are Falls in Your Future?
A quick checklist to determine if you are at risk of falling.
Checklist for Spotting and Correcting Home Safety Hazards
A home safety checklist of 'good safety practices' for all older people regardless of medical conditions. Falls are often due to hazards that are easy to overlook but easy to fix. This checklist will help you find and fix those hazards in your home.
Self-Assessment of Fall-Risk in the Home
A home safety checklist that helps decrease your chances of falling by identifying any unsafe activities leading to risk of falls and, suggesting simple ways to eliminate any hazards or obstacles interfering with safety. The use of this simple checklist can help catch potential hazards.
Falls and Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
AD or dementia is a leading cause of falling. Describes why individuals with AD are prone to falling.
Fall Risk and Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
Describes key fall risk factors in people with AD.
Fall-Proofing Tips for Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
Describes a number of home safety tips for decreasing fall risk in AD.
Safety Products
List of products offered through seekwellness.com
Who is 'Dr Rein' and How Can He Help You?
Rein Tideiksaar Ph.D., PA-C (or Dr Rein as he is commonly called) is the president of FallPrevent, LLC, Blackwood, NJ, a consulting company that provides educational, legal and marketing services related to fall prevention in the elderly. Dr Tideiksaar is a gerontologist (health care professional who specializes in working with elderly patients) and a geriatric physician's assistant. He is the author of several books and multiple scientific articles devoted to the topic of fall prevention, and has spent more than 20 years working with older people and their caregivers in helping to prevent falls.
Over the years, Dr. Tideiksaar has conducted hundreds of in-home safety assessments. What he has learned is that fall solutions in the home are most effective when customized for each individual. Each person will have different fall risk factors based on their condition. While the Home Safety Kit does not include all solutions for falling, it does provide a starting point.
Posted May 2010
