ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – If you’re over 65…you have a 25 percent chance of falling and hurting yourself. Really hurting yourself. Prevent falls
One of five falls results in serious injury like broken bones. Conditions that increase risk include lower body weakness, medication side effects and hazards right around your home.
Jeanne Builder had climbed on this stool time and time again… she never thought a tiny bench could lead to such a big fall.
“I leaned to get it on that shelf and the bench fell away and then I fell,” Builder told Ivanhoe.
She broke her leg in three places. For months she used a leg brace, walker, and wheelchair to heal.
Builder is lucky. Every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall. To decrease your risk, stay physically active, discuss medication side effects, use non-skid shoes or socks, and always tell your doctor if you’ve fallen. Builder’s husband was nearby when she fell, but she fears how long she would have laid on the floor if he wasn’t home.
“That’s why now I have that phone with the strap on it, because women don’t have pockets in a lot of their clothes like men do,” she said.
She now knows to be more aware.
“It does make me realize that at this stage in the game, you can’t just be doing things and thinking about other things, you’ve got to pay attention to what you’re doing,” she continued.
Paying attention to prevent another fall.
The CDC estimates that over 86 thousand fall injuries occur every year from tripping over dogs and cats. Some tips to avoid this is to avoid exciting your dog when you come home, train them to give you space, know their sleeping habits, and avoid stepping over them. If your pet is sleeping in your path, wake them up to move instead of trying to step over them.
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
https://www.ncoa.org/news/resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/falls-prevention-facts/
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/prevent-falls-and-fractures
https://pets.webmd.com/news/20100423/tripping-over-pets-sends-thousands-to-er#2
https://www.kendalathome.org/blog/6-tips-for-preventing-falls-around-your-pets
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Hayley Hudson, Writer and Robert Walko, Editor.
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