Stay on your feet
Every year thousands of people end up in the emergency room as a result of a fall: black and blue, with head injuries or even broken bones. Fortunately, you can do a lot to prevent falls.
Don’t wear socks
Simple adjustments ensure that the chance of falling at home is much smaller. For example, remove loose rugs so that you don’t slip or trip. Install a handrail along the stairs. Replace the bath with a shower cabin that you can easily get in and out of. Make sure there is enough light in the stairwell (people often fall in the dark) and turn on the lights when you go to the toilet at night. Also avoid slippery floors as much as possible and don’t walk in socks. Anti-slip strips on slippery steps or tiles provide more grip. And with an extra intercom for the doorbell or an extra handset for the telephone, you don’t have to run.
Watch out with progressive glasses
Being able to see well is also important to prevent falls. As you get older, you see less depth and contrast. That is an extra challenge for the balance. However, new glasses are not always the solution. Because it turns out that people with new glasses fall more often. This is because the eyes have to get used to the glasses. It also appears that multifocal glasses (with which you see both far and near) entail an extra risk of falling. It affects the depth perception. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, regular single-lens glasses – which allow you to see clearly either near or far – are a better idea.
Brush your teeth on one leg
As we get older, our sense of balance diminishes. Low blood pressure, diabetes and memory problems also make us less stable and therefore have a higher risk of falls. The best way to get a better balance: build stronger muscles and bones. You do that by moving. Experts recommend 20 minutes of ‘moderately intensive’ exercise every day (for example by brisk walking or cycling) and doing exercises twice a week for more balance and stronger muscles. You don’t have to go to the gym for this; you can also do a lot at home. Think of gardening, cleaning and everyday chores where you can move a little extra. For example, brush your teeth on one leg and bend your knees a few times when loading and unloading the dishwasher.
For decades, the Netherlands was ready at five past seven in the morning at the radio for the daily morning gymnastics with Ab Goubitz; now you can participate in the TV program Nederland in Beweging. Would you rather move under professional guidance? You can go to many community centers and sports clubs for exercise lessons or participate in a fall prevention course. Specialized physiotherapists also provide Otago and In Balance courses. Here you can learn how to prevent falls. Anyone who uses a rollator to walk is advised to have it checked regularly. For example, do the brakes still work well? Many hospitals and healthcare institutions organize a ‘rollator-apk’.
Be careful with the medicines
Some medications affect the sense of balance. This applies, for example, to sleeping pills and medicines that lower blood pressure. Water tablets and antidepressants also increase the risk of falling. Do you take different types of medicines? Consult with the doctor or pharmacy whether you can cut back on some. Because it is precisely the mix of different medicines that works. Also be careful with eye drops and eye gel as they affect vision.
Take vitamin D
What is good to add to your medicine cabinet is vitamin D. It ensures strong bones and muscles and has a beneficial effect on balance. We make vitamin D in our body under the influence of sunlight. If you don’t get out much, you can easily develop a vitamin D deficiency. Research shows that people who take both vitamin D and calcium are significantly less likely to suffer a broken hip. You can buy vitamin D at the drugstore. If you are not sure whether you have a deficiency, have it tested by your doctor.
Facts About Falling
- Every 5 minutes, a person over 65 reports to the emergency department of the hospital after a fall. This is 96,000 per year.
- In 11 percent, the fall causes brain damage.
- In 14 percent, the fall leads to a broken hip.
- Life is often not the same after a serious fall, even if it is possible to pick up again after rehabilitation. Cooking yourself, shopping, taking a walk: sometimes that is no longer self-evident.
- Falls at home often turn out worse than on the street.
This article previously appeared in Plus Magazine November 2018. Not yet a Plus Magazine subscriber? Becoming a subscriber is done in no time!
Sources):
- PlusMagazine
