Studies show that people who have Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are at a higher risk of falling. When a person has trouble with vision, depth perception, and balance it increases their odds of dementia-related falls. Unfortunately, many elderly people who have dementia will experience falls that lead to broken bones and head injuries. This is why it is important to learn all you can about how to prevent falls-related to dementia.
Keeping Exterior Areas Safer
As a family caregiver, you must ensure that you and the home care providers are addressing the exterior walkways of your elderly loved one’s home. This way they can get in and out of their home safely. Some issues to pay attention to when it comes to this area include the following:
- Make sure the walkway has adequate lighting
- Create a walkway that has no shadows
- Keep all pathways free of debris
- Paint outside steps with bright paint
- Paint the edges of the steps a different color
By doing these things, you can keep the exterior areas safer for your elderly loved one.
Improving Hallway and Bedroom Lighting
Many elderly people fall during the night. This is because they forget to turn the lights on when going to the bathroom or when walking to the kitchen for a drink of water. Some things you can do to prevent this from happening to include the following:
- Install glow in the dark light switches for bedrooms and hallways
- Put night lights in outlets located in bedroom, bathrooms, and hallways
- Place lights in closets
- Encourage your elderly loved one to keep their curtains open during the day to add natural lighting into their house
- Put the bathroom and kitchen lighting on a timer
These tips can help you to keep your elderly loved ones safer when they are in the hallways or in their bedroom.
Using Safety Devices and Color-Contrasting Items
Creating visual contrast can also help prevent falls from occurring in an elderly loved one’s home. You can start doing this by putting a non-slip bath mat in their tub. Make sure the mat is a different color than the tub. In addition, you can have contrasting toilet seats or covers installed in the bathroom, as well.
Conclusion
Using these tips can help your elderly loved one decrease their risks of dementia-related falls. Even if your loved one doesn’t have dementia, these tips can help you keep them safe and secure in their home.