What to Do If the Person in Your Care Falls

Excerpted from The Comfort of Home: A Complete Guide for CaregiversTM

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When you suspect a broken bone, follow these steps:

  • If the person cannot move or use the injured limb, keep it from moving. Do not straighten a deformed arm or leg.
  • Support the injured part above and below the site of the injury by using folded towels, blankets, pillows, or magazines if the person cooperates.
  • If the person is face down, and breathing is adequate, leave the person in the same position.
  • Keep the person warm with a blanket and make the person as comfortable as possible.
  • Call 911.

If you suspect the person in your care has fainted:

  1. Do not try to place the person in a sitting position. Instead, immediately lay him down flat.
  2. Cover him with a blanket if the room or floor is cold.
  3. Do not give fluids.
  4. Call 911 if person is having difficulty breathing, not breathing, or not responding to your voice and touch.

NOTE

If you fall, you may not be able to rely on a person with AD to help you or to call for help. You may want to consider enrolling yourself in an emergency response service, that you can activate in such an emergency.

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