So many different situations can increase the risk of a fall. Osteoporosis, blood pressure changes, ear infections, medication side effects, and arthritis pain are some of the common ones. After your mom’s fall, you need to make some decisions that limit the risk of another fall.
One of the things that can help prevent that second, third, or fourth fall is to make sure she has someone to help her with her daily activities. Home care helps with that and should be at the top of your list of how to stop subsequent falls.
Support During a Bath or Shower
Your mom’s fall happened while she was stepping out of her shower. You can make her bathroom safer by adding a rubberized non-slip shower mat inside the shower and a non-slip bath mat outside of her shower or tub.
Grab bars inside the shower are helpful, and they should also be on the wall outside of the tub or shower area. If she needs a shower seat or would benefit from being able to sit down while she showers, a shower seat with rubber suction feet is important.
Supervision After Taking Prescriptions
Do your mom’s prescription medications make her dizzy? Taking them before she gets into bed at night, if that’s possible, may help. If she wakes up to go to the bathroom and is dizzy because of her medications, she needs to wait until morning.
Once she takes them in the morning, she should sit down and stay seated until the dizziness passes. With a caregiver in her home, she has someone to get her drinks, snacks, and activities to do while she waits for the worst of the side effects to ease.
Companionship on Daily Walks
Your mom enjoys a daily walk with her dog, but since her fall, she’s been scared to go outside alone. Home care aides can accompany her on her walks. Instead of walking along, she has a caregiver with her to hold the dog’s leash if needed or support your mom as she walks down the road or around her yard.
Help With Light Housekeeping
Your mom’s fall happened after she climbed onto a chair to change a battery in a beeping smoke detector. If possible, get a step stool that has handrails. That will support her if she ever has to climb up to replace a bulb or change a battery.
It’s also helpful to have a caregiver stopping by each day. If there is a small issue like a lightbulb or smoke detector that needs correcting, your mom’s home care aide can take care of it.
Home care is one of the handiest services when it comes to helping older adults age in place. Your mom fell once, but she doesn’t have to fall again. With home care aides by her side, she’ll have someone to help her avoid previous situations that led to her fall. Learn more by talking to an expert.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Care in Spartanburg, SC, contact Heart of the Carolinas Home Care at 864-991-3116. Providing Home Care Services in Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, Anderson, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Seneca, Laurens, Charleston, Columbia and the surrounding areas.
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