Is the Risk of Falling in Your Future?

Here Are a Few Practical Tips for Your Aging Loved Ones

It’s likely. Sad to say, but falls are very common. As we age, we suffer vision loss, a loss of muscle strength. And so these combined... well, we just fall down - fall down the stairs or trip over the rug. There's an easy way to prevent falls, and it's important that we do this for ourselves.

And if you aren't at risk of falling, well, think about your parents or grandparents. Number one, make sure there's good lighting in the room, activated by motion sensors so that you can see where you're walking. Eliminate area rugs because the transition from wood floor or tile floor to an area rug, well, that creates something you can trip over, leading to a fall. Add handrails. Put them in bathrooms, put them in any room where you might need to steady yourself. Wear non-skid footwear so that you're less likely to slip. Have an emergency alert system, a necklace, a bracelet, or a clip so that if you do fall, you can immediately and easily call for help. And paint your stairs - the top and bottom steps, a different color than the rest of the floor and the rest of the stairs to help remind you you're reaching a point of different elevation. These kinds of steps can go very far to helping you step fairly and safely and avoid falling.