Assisted Living: Slip Trip and Fall Prevention Tips

Assisted Living: S>

Slip, trip, and fall prevention are vital for older adults because they have less mobility than younger people. Bone and muscle loss is common among elders. There's a greater chance of a bone fracture or pulling a muscle.

Worsening eyesight and decreased hearing make it hard to spot or hear trip hazards. Reaction times decline in people's older years too. Studies show that hip fractures from falls can be potentially fatal for adults 65 and older.

But how can you prevent slip hazards in assisted living homes? There are many elderly care safety measures you can take to keep residents safe and healthy. Below are assisted living safety tips to prevent accidents.

Assess Patient Medications

Many assisted living patients take various medications for their conditions. Some medications may affect balance or reaction time as a side effect. Sometimes interactions between drugs can increase the chances of falling.

Medical staff should review patient medications to ensure they aren't taking anything to increase their chances of falling. There may need to be changes in doses or medication.

There may be instances where a drug is required for a patient's health. If patients can't change medications or dosages, staff members can do other things to ensure resident safety.

Add Vitamin D to Resident's Diets

It's harder for older adults to get vitamin D. This is bad because lower levels can affect muscle and bone health.

Sunlight is a main source of the vitamin. However, people either don't go outside as much or it's harder to convert sunlight into vitamin D when they get older.

The kidneys also don't convert vitamin D into a usable form as efficiently when you're older. Assisted living care staff can mitigate this by adding more vitamin D to residents' diets.

Milk, yogurt, cereal, orange juice, cheese, and fatty fish are great sources of vitamin D. Supplements can increase vitamin D within the body too.

Practice Good Housekeeping and Maintenance Standards

Quality housekeeping goes far in preventing falls in senior living communities. Staff should immediately clean spills and keep obstacles out of residents' way.

Indoor and exterior walkways should be wide and clearly established -- they must be visible and easy to navigate. Your community needs railings for people to grab along hallways and staircases.

There should be grab bars and slip-proof flooring in the showers. Any cracks or protruding floor tiles need immediate repairs so residents don't trip.

Lighting needs constant maintenance so people can see. Never wait until a light has died to change it. Signs a light is dying, include flickering, delays between the switch and light, and a burning smell.

A hazard checklist can help you find issues that need addressing. Employees can walk through an area before their shift and mark off loose carpeting or things left on the floor.

Mark off hazardous areas with signs and barricades. For example, put up a "Slippery Floor" sign while moping. Workers should barricade areas where staff are doing maintenance.

Properly Train Staff Members

Discussing fall prevention for the elderly is pointless if the staff can't employ it. They need training on potential hazards and how to correct them. Housekeepers should know how to clean and sanitize properly.

Everyone should know slippery surfaces are an enormous hazard for residents. Repair teams should be able to identify and fix issues. Staff should know where signs and barricades are to warn people quickly.

Consider Chair and Bed Alarms

Chair and bed alarms have pressure sensors that audibly alert staff when they sense pressure changes. They're common in hospitals and come in various forms:

Pull string alarms
Room motion monitors
Floor pressure sensor mats
Chair sensor pads and exit alarms
Bed sensor pads with wireless monitors
Motion sensors with in-room exit alarms

These devices are very noisy, which is the point. This can be an issue if a resident simply moves on their bed or chair. The loud noise can shock some into falling, thus defeating their purpose.

You can set certain chair and bed alarms to sound in the nurses' station. Remember, they won't prevent falls but are part of an established fall prevention plan. They add an extra layer of alertness.

Note that not every patient will need these warning systems. Some patients, like those in respite care, are more "at risk" than others.

Keep Residents Active and Healthy

Keeping residents active is a great form of lip, trip, and fall prevention. A sedentary lifestyle increases the chances of accidents because people aren't strengthening their muscles and balance.

Encouraging vision correction is another way to prevent falls in assisted living homes. We mentioned older adults have visual issues that make spotting hazards more difficult.

Assisted living communities should motivate residents to fix their vision issues. The solution can be as simple as getting glasses or surgical correction.

Support, Supervise, and Report Issues

It may help to offer residents assistive devices like walkers, wheelchairs, and canes. This will make it easier for more mobile people to get around while reducing their chances of falling.

Generally, staff must be vigilant in their elderly care safety measures. Communities need enough people to supervise all residents, especially those with an extra risk of falling.

Group walks and aerobics classes need a nursing assistant on hand. Staff should feel comfortable reporting any safety issues. Rapid and accurate reports make it easier for other staff members to fix these problems.

Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention at Lakehouse Sheboygan

Elderly care safety measures are vital to keeping any assisted living community running. Slip, trip, and fall prevention is an involved, but possible process with staff support and communication.

The Lakehouse Sheboygan staff will keep an eye on your loved ones to prevent accidents from happening. We also provide medication management, personal care supportive services, and housekeeping.

Lakehouse Sheboygan does its utmost to keep your loved ones safe and comfortable. We offer tours if your parents are interested in joining our community.