Fall Prevention

Risk Factors For Falling

Researchers have identified several major risk factors for fall-related accidents based on a combination of different health conditions and environmental surroundings. The benefits of in-home care provide your loved one with detailed care and assistance while maintaining their independence, reducing their risk of falling, and improving their overall health and quality of life. Here are some of the main conditions and risk factors that can be changed or modified to help prevent falls:

• Physical changes of aging: common health conditions in seniors increase the risk of falling such as arthritis, osteoporosis, vision loss, or the effects of a stroke. Stroke recovery is different for each person, but mobility and memory are most commonly affected. Our in-home care provided by home health aides and certified nurse assistants will help to reduce injuries, assist during recovery processes, and help seniors to adjust their daily lives to make home life safer.
• Weakness, low balance: weakness and the lack of mobility can lead to many falls. Seniors with Parkinson’s disease suffer from nerve damage in the brain which leads to debilitating tremors, muscle stiffness, and slow movement. Our in-home care services for Parkinson’s Disease work to help relieve your senior’s pain as the disease progresses.
• Hazards in the home: the home can become an environmental hazard if safety improvements are not in place; injuries such as tripping over the rug, falling on the stairs, or slipping on a wet floor can be a threat to seniors. Our caregivers can help by assisting with difficult tasks that may result in falls and by performing light housekeeping to ensure potentially dangerous home conditions are minimized at home.
• Medication side effects: use of medications, such as antidepressants, painkillers, drugs for blood pressure, and many others, can affect balance and increase the risk of falls.
• Inactivity: decreasing exercise and physical activity often leads to muscle loss and the ability to confidently do various activities around the house; most seniors fear falling again once they’ve experienced it and try to reduce ways to prevent it, which can lead to a stationary lifestyle.

It becomes challenging for our loved ones when they need outside support due to limited mobility or diminishing health that could lead to fall-related accidents. Jewish Family Home Care provides the support needed for your senior loved one with compassion and understanding.

How Our In-Home Care Can Help Your Senior

Our mission at Jewish Family Home Care is to help seniors live in a safe environment with dignity in the comfort of their own homes. Our in-home care services provide support with a compassionate and loving human touch which can eliminate the need to move to a nursing facility.

One type of home care services Jewish Family Home Care offers is live-in home care which is a form of care providing around-the-clock assistance from a caregiver. The two main types of home caregiver situations are 1) those who live in the client’s home, and 2) those who work extended shifts and rotate with another caregiver. This type of care is best suited for seniors who need non-medical daily living assistance during the day but have higher care needs during the night. Our live-in home care ensures your senior loved ones are well-taken care of without the worry of fall-related accidents that might occur.

Post-surgical home care is another type of home care service that Jewish Family Home Care offers. This type of care is needed following hospitalization or post-injury. Our gentle and attentive caregivers will assist with your loved one’s post-operative treatment plan, such as

• Meal preparation
• Fall prevention
• Re-learning daily tasks (such as how to eat, dress and swallow after suffering a stroke)
• Coping with new life-altering conditions (such as weakness, paralysis, inability to do certain things as you could before)
• Getting around safely without risk or fear of falling

Diet requirements and medications are usually part of the healing process and seniors may forget to eat properly or take their medications at the appropriate times. Your Jewish Family Home Care caregiver can help monitor medications, prepare meals and wash up, and assist with tasks if required medicines are giving your loved one side effects of dizziness or lack of steadiness of their feet. We can also help with a smooth recovery by driving to follow up appointments, picking up prescriptions, preparing meals according to dietary requirements, and other duties as needed. The overall benefit of post-surgical home care is making sure your loved one recovers as best and quickly as possible in the comfort of their own home, preventing re-admission to the hospital due to falling and reinjuring themselves.

Respite care is also another service provided by Jewish Family Home Care. If you’ve taken on the role of caring for your senior loved one, you know this can become time-consuming and difficult. If you are struggling with other life commitments such as work or family, you may be ready for some assistance. Whether it’s a few hours, a day, a week, or even a few weeks, you can take a break to handle these commitments without worrying about caring for your loved one and knowing they are in good hands. This is where our respite care comes in.