subject: Safe Homes For Happy Families [print this page] It is a stunning statistic that over one third of all falls in a home are preventable and caused by environmental factors. The first step to prevention when it comes to accidents in the home is identifying the causes that occur most often.
Securing your home as a safe environment can prevent devastating injuries for the elderly loved ones in your life. The reason that these injuries can be so severe is that as we age, the bone density in our body decreases. Loss of bone mass in combination with weaker muscles and less exercise increases the risk of injury. Many of the risk factors that we will discuss are preventable and taking steps to prevent these factors from coming into play in your home will help to ensure the safety of your family. Call Houston Home Care Assistance for further tips on securing your home and wellbeing.
Osteoporosis is a common condition that causes bones to become more brittle and susceptible to fracture and breakage. Hormonal changes and deficiencies in certain vitamins lead to this condition. Houston Orthopedic Care assistance has shown that the brittle bones, when submitted to excessive pressure can break and cause a fall. Eating and drinking sufficient levels of calcium can fight off this condition. Vitamin D is also beneficial in aiding the body to quickly adsorb the calcium.
Impaired vision is another large concern when it comes to preventing falls in the home. Depth perception and peripheral vision abilities decrease as we age. There is also a greater weakness when it comes to avoiding glare. These drawbacks seriously limit one's ability to navigate their environment safely. To help avoid injury in these cases, install handrails and assistance bars in particularly dangerous locations. It is also helpful to mark them with bright or contrasting colors. Stairs are hazardous areas of the home that receive consistent use. Houston Elder Care aids urge all their clients to mark the top and bottom step with bright tape so as to be aware of changes in the level of the floor.
Poor lighting, loose rugs, and unsteady furniture also present hazardous situations in the house. To avoid dangerous falls caused by these obstacles you can tape down carpets. Also avoid throw rugs or other loose fabrics that have the potential to tangle. Reducing clutter and securing loose furniture legs reduce the risk of injury significantly. Should injury actually occur in the home it is imperative to have emergency numbers listed by each phone in large, legible print.
