Here are home safety tips that can help prevent someone from falling down
Falls happen most often in the home as a result of hazards that interfere with safely moving throughout the home. There are many ways to prevent these falls from happening.
University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center’s physical therapy department provides information about falls, ways to stay strong in order to protect yourself from falls and a telehealth program that can assess your home for fall risk.
What are some of the best ways to prevent falls?
Pay attention to surroundings. Take a few seconds to stand still when you stand up and assess where any clutter is. Get your bearings
Remove rugs, cords, clutter
Ensure there is adequate lighting
What are some home modifications that help prevent falls?
Remove rugs
Update lighting
Add grab bars in bathrooms
Add railing to any stairs inside or outside
Strength and balance and some simple exercises
How does strength and balance influence falls?
Falls usually happen when you are off balance or when your legs give out
Leg weakness is a common cause of imbalance
As you practice balance activities, your body gets better at balancing
Ankle strength and proprioception (sense of body location or movement) help your body know when you are falling. As you age this becomes worse. Physical therapy can help improve both strength and proprioception.
What are some simple exercises that can be done at home to help prevent falls?
Sit to stand five times in a row, then 10 times in a row
Tandem stance (stand heel to toe). Do 30 seconds with each leg, alternating leg in front position
Standing hip flexion, abduction, extension with knee straight
Kick leg forward, to the side, back with knee straight. Maintain straight back.
Keeping the environment free of dangers at home is an excellent way to prevent falls. Some people are unsure what they need to do in their own homes to make mobility easier and safer. University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center now offers telehealth therapy visits including an assessment of the home with recommendations for adaptations to help prevent falls. For more information our therapy staff answered a few questions.
Telehealth: Qualifications, modifications, contact information
Can you explain the telehealth program for home assessments?
The home safety assessment would be done by an evaluating therapist who would have the patient or spouse/family/friend use a smart phone, tablet or laptop that is mobile take the therapist on a tour of their home to see what could be improved in their home to make it safer. The idea is to reduce falls before they occur. This could be for patients post hospital stay, for patients becoming weaker, those fearful of falling, or those just wanting to make sure their home is safe.
Who qualifies for this program?
Anyone can elect to use telehealth over an in person physical therapy visit; however, insurance may not cover it.
Our physical therapy office can call the insurance provider to verify it is covered. We do know Medicare is covering telehealth through December and all Medicaid products are covering it indefinitely. They would need a prescription for PT for a home safety assessment from their physician for most instances. If on a commercial insurance we could see them through approval process. A home safety assessment requires a physician’s order in most cases.
What are some modification recommendations that may be made?
Grab bar type and best placement
Removal of bathroom rugs or ways to secure them differently
Furniture modifications-elevation of recliner/couch to make transfers easier
Lighting changes
Cords/clutter removal
Bedroom modifications (bedrails, movement of furniture, etc.)
Home equipment recommendations (elevated toilet seat, bedside commode, walker, railings on stairs)
Who would someone contact to have this done?
For more information or for assistance scheduling a telehealth visit, talk to the therapist who is already visiting the home or call UH Samaritan’s physical therapy department at 419-281-1330.
Staying strong and keeping the environment safe from fall hazards doesn’t prevent every fall. It happens, and in some cases serious injury can occur. University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine has providers who provide the highest quality care to patients with a variety of injuries, including falls. Dr. Robert Leb, an orthopedic surgeon, is the most recent provider to join the UHSMC Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Practice and is accepting patients. To make an appointment call 419-207-2663 or visit uhhospitals.org.
Christina Vanderpool is the community outreach and communications and development specialist at University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center in Ashland.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Prevented falls by using common sense, simply safety actions at home
