Preventing Falls

In healthcare, falls are a major issue. Falls can lead to complications such as bumps, bruising, broken bones, internal injuries, additional head injuries, or spinal cord injuries. Your body can feel overall disruption from a fall. There are additional risks of falls for individuals with neurological issues. Therefore, prevention measures should be used to prevent falls.

The risk of falling increases with advancing age, diseases such as heart conditions, diabetes, dementia, and urinary urgency, among others. Some medications can increase your risk of falling. In neurological conditions, proprioception, the ability to know where your body is in space, can increase your risk of falling. Anosognosia, a lack of awareness of the position of your body parts, such as after a stroke, brain injury, or SCI is also a risk. Overestimating your abilities is another risk factor.

Prevention is the best protection against falling. Some tips to prevent falling especially with neurological concerns are:

• Remove barriers that may impede your movement such as eliminating throw rugs and keeping electrical cords out of the way to keep from tripping or getting caught in your wheels.
• Teach your pets to stay away while you are moving.
• Use adaptive equipment such as a cane, walker, braces or splints, or wheelchair for safe mobility.
• Adapt your home with rails, especially in the bathroom and stairs.
• Look at the terrain for uneven surfaces or holes where you will be moving if walking, using assistive devices, or a wheelchair.
• Position your body for safety including head support if needed, arms placed safely, and feet on footrests. Check to make sure you are still in position.
• Wear supportive shoes with soles that grip the floor such as athletic footwear when walking, transferring, or positioning your feet.
• Use assistive devices for reaching.
• If stretching your body for example to perform pressure releases, have someone with you while you learn how far you can move without falling.
• Change positions slowly when elevating your head to avoid orthostatic hypotension (OA). You may need to use an abdominal binder and compression stockings until your body adjusts to your new blood pressure.
• Use a wheelchair seat belt if falling out of your chair due to increased tone (spasms) in your body or a lightweight seat belt as a reminder if impulsivity is a concern.
• If medication is affecting your mental acuity, be sure to tell your health professional about every drug or medication taken, prescribed or self-prescribed, to monitor for drug interactions and polypharmacy.
• Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs that cloud your judgment.
• Strengthen your body through exercise and a healthy diet.
• To help balance, turn on lights when moving especially at night, use your eyeglasses and hearing aids.
• Clean up spills immediately to avoid slipping. Be cautious in the kitchen and bathroom after showering where water may be on the floor.
• Think about safety in the kitchen by using protection from heated or frozen items as well as sharp utensils.
• Be sure you know how to move your body so you can do so carefully as well as to be able to instruct caregivers about your movement.