Caring for an elderly loved one with dementia has a lot of layers. There are wonderful, sweet moments you’ll get to experience together, but you also need to provide a safe, secure home for them to live in. Keeping your loved one safe as the disease progresses can seem all-encompassing and involve just about every aspect of their day, from the moment they wake up until well into the evening when they should be sleeping. Senior fall risk management services can help.
Why Fall Risk Increases as Dementia Progresses
Dementia is a progressive disease in which a person slowly loses their ability to accurately process what is happening in the world around them and how to react to it. Two key areas that people use every day to safely navigate the world are memory and abstract thinking, and dementia slowly erodes those abilities. The loss of those functions, as well as other side effects of the disease, can make many things much harder for your elderly loved one to do each day, and make staying safe a continual challenge.
When it comes to falls, dementia can increase the risk of falls in several ways, requiring assistance from senior fall risk management:
- They will have mobility issues, such as balance and maintaining core strength.
- They are more likely to become confused when trying to navigate an environment, even one that they have always been extremely knowledgeable about, like their home. This confusion can lead to less awareness of where they are stepping or walking.
- They might become confused by certain objects around the home, like mirrors on walls or stairs, and react unsafely around them.
- Medications can add to the problem by making them dizzy or drowsy, so that they aren’t able to process new information quickly enough.
Getting Help Making Your Home Safe
You may not know what areas could be unsafe for your loved one or how to adapt them in such a way that they become less dangerous for your elderly loved one. Many caregivers find that having a senior fall risk management team assist them in keeping their home safe for their loved one is one of the best steps they’ve taken for their elderly loved one.
A senior fall risk management provider can assess your home, offer recommendations, and help you find solutions for any possible problem spots, all while taking into account the needs of your elderly loved one and you. Senior fall risk management teams will examine all areas of the home, inside and out, to help you proactively protect your loved one as much as possible.
Some key areas that your senior fall risk management team will help you with may include:
- Finding solutions to keep walking paths clear from tripping hazards.
- Review handrails and offer advice on how to best install them if more are needed.
- Examine lighting. Making sure areas are well-lit for your elderly loved one, no matter which time of day or night they decide to walk around, can prevent tripping on an unseen item.
- In addition to adding light, reducing glare and confusing light around the home can prevent a fall. Your senior fall risk management team might suggest curtains on windows, covering mirrors, and removing wall art that has reflective surfaces.
Your senior fall risk management team will examine many places and work with you to help keep your home safe for your elderly loved one.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Fall Risk Management in Orinda, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care today at (415) 463-1400
Aviva In-Home Care provides exceptional senior home care in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Burlingame, San Mateo, Hillsborough, Atherton, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Berkeley, Lafayette, Orinda, and surrounding areas.
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