Falls Prevention Week - falls are not an inevitable part of aging

It’s Falls Prevention Week this week and we’re promoting how you can educate patients, friends and family to help prevent falls. Falls are not an inevitable part of aging. While our risk of falls increases with age and frailty they do not need to lead to injury, fear of falling or a long lie. There are some simple things that you can do to reduce your risk of falling, from talking about falls, keeping active, reviewing medication, getting eyes and ears tested yearly and having the right footwear. Alice Kilby, consultant therapist Falls Prevention and Management explains more...


Falls are not an inevitable part of aging. While our risk of falls increases with age and frailty they need not lead to injury, fear of falling or a long lie. There are some simple things that you can do to reduce your risk of falling.

Talk about falls
Sometimes a fall can be a sign that there is something wrong, often that something is easily treated, so it’s important that falls are reported to your GP or healthcare professional. It might help to keep a note of what you were trying to do at the time of the fall, how you felt before you fell, what direction you fell in and if you were able to get up again. Your GP, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or nurse will ask you more questions to do with the fall.


Keep active
As we age we lose muscle strength. However this can be prevented through regular physical activity. Increasing you physical activity even just a little bit could impact almost every area of your life. Activities such as walking, gardening, dancing can help maintain muscle strength. If you have fallen or have noticed that your walking has slowed or changed, or if you struggle to get out of an armchair, you may benefit from strength and balance exercises and or seeing a physiotherapist.

There are six simple exercises that you can do to help improve your strength and balance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8s-8KtfgFM&feature=youtu.be

Daily practice of these exercises will improve your strength and balance. Strength and balance exercises will help improve your physical health but they can also help improve your mental health. If you have a fear of falling, taking part in strength and balance exercises classes can improve this fear.

Join a group to help keep you motivated and meet other people like you, there are groups all over Nottinghamshire:https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/care/health-and-wellbeing/falls-fractures/strength-balance-classes


Medication
If you take more than four medications then your risk of falling is increased. It’s really helpful to have your medication reviewed by a GP, pharmacist, or other appropriately training health professional. Some medications can make us feel dizzy, sleepy, cause blood pressure to drop or cause us to lose balance. If you suspect one of your medications is making you feel this way, don’t just top taking it, make an appointment with you GP to discuss this. A yearly medication review (or every 6 months if you're over 75) can help you and your doctor determine what medication could be causing these symptoms and if you should still take it.


Do you rush to the toilet?
One of the most common areas to fall in your own home is in the bathroom. If you need to rush to the loo, or don’t manage to get there in time there are things that you can do to help. You’re not alone, it’s estimated that 3 to 6 million people in the UK have urinary incontinence. Exercises might help; a continence assessment will help determine what treatment is best for you.

Eyes and ears
Deterioration in vision or hearing is not just inevitable as we get older. Our eyesight and hearing form a vital part of keeping us upright (along with muscle strength, joints and brain). Getting your eyesight checks yearly – its free if your over 60 will help maximise your vision and reduce your falls risk.


Look after your bones
As we age our bones get weaker, that means if we do fall we could be more susceptible to breaking a bone.

Learn more about osteoporosis here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhFK6DyQs84

Getting enough calcium in our diet, through milk, cheese, yoghurt and other diary sources will help look after your bones. As well getting enough vitamin D. The best sources of vitamin D is the sunshine, so getting outdoors in summer month’s is vital. The government recommends that we take a supplement of vitamin D in winter months as the UK doesn’t get enough sunshine. If you have darker skin or need to cover up when in the sun, you should take a vitamin D supplement all year round.

Weight bearing activity, such as walking, dancing or tai chi will help look after your bones too. The Royal Osteoporosis Society has good information on how you can exercise safely if you have weaker bones. https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/living-with-osteoporosis/exercise-and-physical-activity-with-osteoporosis/


Think about feet

Your foot wear can have a big impact on your walking and balance. Here are some top tips for ensuring you have the right footwear if you feel wobbly:

· Make sure your shoes fit well and don’t have a tendency to slip off.

· Well-cushioned shoes offer comfort and support.

· Avoid sandals with little support and shoes with high heels.

· Wear slippers that have a good grip and that fasten and stay on properly.

· Always wear shoes or slippers, and never walk indoors in bare feet, socks or tights.

If you have painful feet or have difficulty looking after your feet, there are services available to help you care for your feet. A podiatrist can help if you have problems with your feet.


Make a plan

If you do fall think about what you are going to do to get up off the floor.

It's best to lie still for a minute and check for any injuries if you are unhurt and think you can get up.
If you're not hurt and you feel strong enough to get up, don't get up quickly.  Roll on to your hands and knees and look for a stable piece of furniture, such as a chair or bed.  Hold on to the furniture with both hands to support yourself and when you feel ready, slowly get up. Sit down and rest for a while before carrying on with your daily activities.

Practice make perfect! Practice getting down onto the floor and back up again, if you are worried about doing this a physiotherapist can help, as will attendance at a strength and balance exercise class. You can also use this skill to get down to the floor to do fun thing, like play with grandchildren!

If you can’t get up or are hurt in a fall follow these steps:

- Attract attention, this could be by using a pendant alarm or banging or the wall , floor or radiator or shouting.

- Use a phone to call 999, consider carrying a cordless or mobile phone with you

- Stay warm, cover yourself with whatever you can reach or find, this could be a coat a blanket or a table cloth

- Get comfy by putting a cushion or rolled clothing under your head.

- If you have been incontinent and can move try to move away from areas that are wet

- If you can, try to keep your body gently moving, by moving your limbs or rolling

- Keep your fluids up if you can, by taking a drink as able