According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injuries in people age 65 and older. Common injuries due to falls include shoulder and forearm fractures, spine fractures, pelvic fractures, hip fractures, and head injuries. Falls can happen anytime, anywhere, at any age. However seniors fall more easily and more often. What’s worse, the severity of fall-related injuries also increases with age because osteoporosis, which is common in older people, makes bones more brittle and prone to fractures.
Dina Griffith, Director of the Rehabilitation & Inpatient Physical Therapy at MarinHealth Medical Center, discusses the role of fall prevention in helping seniors to maintain their independence as long as possible. Whether you are caring for an aging loved one or concerned about your own risk of falling, learn what steps you can take to help prevent falls.
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Tips for Helping an Aging Parent
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about MarinHealth Medical Center Rehabilitation & Inpatient Physical Therapy
Dina Griffith
Dina Griffith is the Director of Rehabilitation & Inpatient Physical Therapy at MarinHealth Medical Center.Learn more about MarinHealth Medical Center Rehabilitation & Inpatient Physical Therapy
Transcription:
Bill Klaproth (Host): Falls can happen anytime and anywhere to people of any age; however, as people get older, the number of falls and the severity of injury resulting from falls increases. Here to talk with us about helping aging parents is Dina Griffith, director of rehabilitation and inpatient physical therapy at Marin General Hospital. Dina, thank you for your time today. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injuries in people age 65 and older. So, what are some of the common injuries you see from falls?
Dina Griffith (Guest): Well, unfortunately we see a lot of them -- both on the inpatient and the outpatient side. Usually, the first fall -- this sounds awful -- the first fall is a wrist injury. Sometimes it’ll be a hip, but usually that's what we see, and sometimes before it actually is a fall, someone will twist an ankle, but the fractures and more severe injury is going to be a wrist or a hip.
Bill: And what are the ways people can take to help prevent falls? Are there lifestyle choices they can improve or modify?
Dina: Well, this is a multimedia approach, and there are many, many, many things people can do. I think probably the most important is to keep active and that would be keeping strong throughout your lifetime whether it's your knees, your hips, your ankles, walking, jogging, bicycling, going to exercise classes. Strength is probably the biggest component to changing people's stability, and then there's balance, which it gets integrated with exercise programs where you're moving. The other thing that is a concern is that once people start to be afraid of falling, they start self-limiting, and once that starts to happen, they lose the ability to do their regular activities, or they slow down. So, I think that fear is one of those elephants in the room that we don't talk too much about.
Bill: So Dina, those are really good tips: keep active, staying strong is very important, activities like walking, jogging, cycling, and then work on balance, and don't self-limit. So, someone starts to feel a little uneasy, or a little "Gosh, I’m kind of losing my balance a little bit here -- I'm a little shaky" -- is that the time somebody should start -- ok, I really need to start working on an exercise plan?
Dina: I would say yes, and it might be a time to -- if you haven't already joined a community exercise class where you have support and have some fun, and actually a scheduled time to go and make sure that you go; maybe you have an exercise buddy. Hopefully, you would be doing this before you started having problems, but if not, that's always a good warning sign. Our bodies tell us when they're worried about us. The other thing that we can notice if we do try something that makes us lose our balance or we trip, pay attention what the circumstances were. Maybe you were hurrying. Maybe you were distracted. Maybe there's a rug that's starting to curl on an edge, but pay attention to what it is that actually causes you to lose your balance.
Bill: Ok, speaking of the home, are there safety modifications in the home, and what about getting an in-home risk assessment?
Dina: So, it can be difficult to find someone who could do an in-home risk assessment; most likely someone would have to pay out of pocket to get a professional to come in and look, but a lot of it is common sense. The first thing we usually do is pull up throw rugs everywhere. Wall-to-wall carpeting is different, but throw rugs are always a concern. Good lighting around bathrooms and in stairways and stairwells as well as handrails everywhere. Stairs both sides, handrails in the bathroom, in the tub and shower area. Some people have animals that like to be around their feet when they're being fed. Sometimes you can adjust -- feed the animal before you let them in to come eat. Our pets can -- as wonderful as they are -- they can be a hazard. So, lighting, flooring, sometimes the area -- the threshold into a room or stepping into the house, the little threshold -- anything where there's surface changes in texture or height. Those areas can be trip hazards.
Bill: And what about falls monitoring devices?
Dina: I think the Lifeline is a spectacular invention. Many, many people who are living alone at home who have concerns about falls should have one of these things. It is a connection to the outside world, so you can get help when you need it. No one wants to be on the floor for any period of time without help. There are whole different health issues around that. My aunt and uncle -- actually one of them is wheelchair-bound and the other is the caretaker, and they're in their late, late 90's, and he has one of those because if something happened to him, his wife could not help him. So, people living alone or people who are the caregiver who may be at risk, I think they are really, really important devices.
Bill: And if a parent needs an extra level of help, can you briefly talk about caregivers and in-home support?
Dina: So, there are a multitude of agencies that can help provide in-house support. There are also private providers, and they come in all levels. You can have someone come in once a week. You can have someone come in a couple of times a week. You can go anywhere from a few times a week to 24 hour care. I will tell you it is a very, very expensive endeavor when you start to look into it, but it can keep people independent and living in their homes longer.
Bill: And lastly, Dina, are there other resources we should know about?
Dina: So, I think that a couple of the things that are sort of elephants in the room -- particularly for elders who are trying to stay in their homes, maintain their independence, which, you know, most all of us hope for that-- is to beware of the isolation, and family members can help with that. Community programs are there and available. Churches can help with that because I think the isolation impairs people's cognitive maintenance, their mental health, in terms of how they feel about their situation, depression, and all those things get in the way from feeling good and healthy and happy and doing the most that they can with their lives. Whistlestop can bring food through the Meals on Wheels Program. They also have a lot of exercise and classes and programs at their downtown office. There's a Marin group -- I'm sorry I can't think of the name -- where volunteers who are also in their seniors can help and visit, take people to appointments. I think that staying in touch with the outside world is critical for people. Sometimes, it's a friend that calls every day. Sometimes, it's a family member that calls on a regular basis, but staying in contact with the outside world is really, really important.
Bill: Well, Dina, thanks for your time today. For more information, visit maringeneral.org. That's maringeneral.org. This is the Healing Podcast brought to you by Marin General Hospital. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Bill Klaproth (Host): Falls can happen anytime and anywhere to people of any age; however, as people get older, the number of falls and the severity of injury resulting from falls increases. Here to talk with us about helping aging parents is Dina Griffith, director of rehabilitation and inpatient physical therapy at Marin General Hospital. Dina, thank you for your time today. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injuries in people age 65 and older. So, what are some of the common injuries you see from falls?
Dina Griffith (Guest): Well, unfortunately we see a lot of them -- both on the inpatient and the outpatient side. Usually, the first fall -- this sounds awful -- the first fall is a wrist injury. Sometimes it’ll be a hip, but usually that's what we see, and sometimes before it actually is a fall, someone will twist an ankle, but the fractures and more severe injury is going to be a wrist or a hip.
Bill: And what are the ways people can take to help prevent falls? Are there lifestyle choices they can improve or modify?
Dina: Well, this is a multimedia approach, and there are many, many, many things people can do. I think probably the most important is to keep active and that would be keeping strong throughout your lifetime whether it's your knees, your hips, your ankles, walking, jogging, bicycling, going to exercise classes. Strength is probably the biggest component to changing people's stability, and then there's balance, which it gets integrated with exercise programs where you're moving. The other thing that is a concern is that once people start to be afraid of falling, they start self-limiting, and once that starts to happen, they lose the ability to do their regular activities, or they slow down. So, I think that fear is one of those elephants in the room that we don't talk too much about.
Bill: So Dina, those are really good tips: keep active, staying strong is very important, activities like walking, jogging, cycling, and then work on balance, and don't self-limit. So, someone starts to feel a little uneasy, or a little "Gosh, I’m kind of losing my balance a little bit here -- I'm a little shaky" -- is that the time somebody should start -- ok, I really need to start working on an exercise plan?
Dina: I would say yes, and it might be a time to -- if you haven't already joined a community exercise class where you have support and have some fun, and actually a scheduled time to go and make sure that you go; maybe you have an exercise buddy. Hopefully, you would be doing this before you started having problems, but if not, that's always a good warning sign. Our bodies tell us when they're worried about us. The other thing that we can notice if we do try something that makes us lose our balance or we trip, pay attention what the circumstances were. Maybe you were hurrying. Maybe you were distracted. Maybe there's a rug that's starting to curl on an edge, but pay attention to what it is that actually causes you to lose your balance.
Bill: Ok, speaking of the home, are there safety modifications in the home, and what about getting an in-home risk assessment?
Dina: So, it can be difficult to find someone who could do an in-home risk assessment; most likely someone would have to pay out of pocket to get a professional to come in and look, but a lot of it is common sense. The first thing we usually do is pull up throw rugs everywhere. Wall-to-wall carpeting is different, but throw rugs are always a concern. Good lighting around bathrooms and in stairways and stairwells as well as handrails everywhere. Stairs both sides, handrails in the bathroom, in the tub and shower area. Some people have animals that like to be around their feet when they're being fed. Sometimes you can adjust -- feed the animal before you let them in to come eat. Our pets can -- as wonderful as they are -- they can be a hazard. So, lighting, flooring, sometimes the area -- the threshold into a room or stepping into the house, the little threshold -- anything where there's surface changes in texture or height. Those areas can be trip hazards.
Bill: And what about falls monitoring devices?
Dina: I think the Lifeline is a spectacular invention. Many, many people who are living alone at home who have concerns about falls should have one of these things. It is a connection to the outside world, so you can get help when you need it. No one wants to be on the floor for any period of time without help. There are whole different health issues around that. My aunt and uncle -- actually one of them is wheelchair-bound and the other is the caretaker, and they're in their late, late 90's, and he has one of those because if something happened to him, his wife could not help him. So, people living alone or people who are the caregiver who may be at risk, I think they are really, really important devices.
Bill: And if a parent needs an extra level of help, can you briefly talk about caregivers and in-home support?
Dina: So, there are a multitude of agencies that can help provide in-house support. There are also private providers, and they come in all levels. You can have someone come in once a week. You can have someone come in a couple of times a week. You can go anywhere from a few times a week to 24 hour care. I will tell you it is a very, very expensive endeavor when you start to look into it, but it can keep people independent and living in their homes longer.
Bill: And lastly, Dina, are there other resources we should know about?
Dina: So, I think that a couple of the things that are sort of elephants in the room -- particularly for elders who are trying to stay in their homes, maintain their independence, which, you know, most all of us hope for that-- is to beware of the isolation, and family members can help with that. Community programs are there and available. Churches can help with that because I think the isolation impairs people's cognitive maintenance, their mental health, in terms of how they feel about their situation, depression, and all those things get in the way from feeling good and healthy and happy and doing the most that they can with their lives. Whistlestop can bring food through the Meals on Wheels Program. They also have a lot of exercise and classes and programs at their downtown office. There's a Marin group -- I'm sorry I can't think of the name -- where volunteers who are also in their seniors can help and visit, take people to appointments. I think that staying in touch with the outside world is critical for people. Sometimes, it's a friend that calls every day. Sometimes, it's a family member that calls on a regular basis, but staying in contact with the outside world is really, really important.
Bill: Well, Dina, thanks for your time today. For more information, visit maringeneral.org. That's maringeneral.org. This is the Healing Podcast brought to you by Marin General Hospital. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.