There seems to be a big gap with respect to caring for seniors in terms of reporting and screening for elderly falls. The responsibility for this failure falls to both the elderly experiencing the falls as well as their caregivers and healthcare providers.
Failure to Report
A study out of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows 12.6% of
California’s elderly population fall more than one time a year and most do not report it to their medical provider. When they do report the event, the healthcare professional treating them seem to neglect counseling them on fall prevention in 40% of the cases.
Fall prevention is critical to the elderly. Falling is the leading cause for injury and hospitalization among those 65 and older. This risk only increases as they age. One in 5 people 85 and older report falling more than once a year versus 1 in 10 of those between 65 and 74. The outcomes of a fall in the elderly are often fatal. Furthermore, they often have long-term consequences for performing their activities of daily living.
While it is incumbent on healthcare professionals to provide counseling to all their elderly patients, these providers must also be informed of any falls by those they treat. Elderly patients must be encouraged to report any falls so that they can be counseled how to prevent falls and to elder proof their surroundings.
Medications May Be Responsible
Also, they need to warn them about certain medications that can exacerbate their lack of balance which naturally declines as they age. Those medications include:
- anti-seizure drugs (anticonvulsants)
- hypertensive (high blood pressure) drugs
- sedatives
- tranquilizers
- anxiolytics (anti-anxiety drugs)
- aminoglycosides (a type of antibiotic)
- diuretics
- vasodilators
- certain analgesics (painkillers)
- certain chemotherapeutics (anti-cancer drugs).
Home Healthcare Can Help
David York Agency can direct caregivers as to how to manage the total care of your senior loved one. David York Agency provides skilled home health aide services for the elderly in New York in their homes and is abreast of all the latest guidelines for seniors. Our home health aides are certified and fully trained on how to safely care for the elderly. We would be happy to discuss your case with you. Please call us at (877) 216-7676 or visit our website. You can also like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
