Falling Down and Related Injuries Questions
83 Question and Answer Results
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Are Bed Rails Safe or Not?
You are right to be concerned with this situation and I am pleased that you are working to address these recurrent falls. Yes, bed rails can be dangerous, especially at night if your father were to attempt to climb over them. -
What's the best way to lower someone to the floor if they are falling?
Thank you for your inquiry – you are right to be concerned since lowering someone incorrectly to the floor can result in injury to both of you. -
Mom forgets to use her walker and keeps falling. Help!
Ouch! You are so right in acknowledging the dangers of an elderly person falling; fractured bones or sprained ligaments are usually the grave result. Older persons are more fragile and less sure-footed than their younger version and adding memory loss to this scenario can cause the concern that you have expressed... -
What is the safest way to aid a frail senior using a walker?
Thank you for your request seeking information to aid a frail senior who is using a walker. You are right to be concerned. While walkers seem to be simple assistive devices, between 2001 and 2006, over 47,000 Senior Citizens per year were treated in emergency rooms because of falls associated with walkers... -
How can I convince my spouse to see a doctor?
This is a tough problem! Some men just do not want to see a doctor, and there are numerous reasons why this could be happening with your husband. Maybe he is afraid to hear that something is wrong. Maybe he doesn't want to be told he will have to use a cane or walker. Or, he may be distrustful of the health care system itself... -
What could be the reason for the metallic taste in my mouth?
Please see your doctor to discuss this concern. There are several things that can cause a lingering taste or odor in the mouth including gum or dental conditions, medications, diet, eating habits, and intestinal conditions. It's possible your head injury played a role. You need to see a medical doctor for an examination and diagnosis... -
Should I be concerned that I sometimes have trouble walking after waking up?
Being 36 years old myself, I would be concerned if this was happening to me too! Several things to think about: Are you dizzy when this happens? Does this go away after you have been up for a few minutes? Do you always have problems with the same side... -
What would cause sudden falling?
You are right to be concerned. Falls are not a normal consequence of aging and the research evidence tells us a history of falling is a good indication of a heightened risk for additional falls. We also know sooner or later repeated falls will result in an injury. -
How can I convince my mom to start using a cane?
You pose an interesting and far too common question that pointed out individual perceptions of what it means to be old. Or perhaps she is just afraid of using a cane, which is also not uncommon. Let me share a few thoughts about the use of a cane and falls: the [CDC] (http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2009/r090629... -
Will tail bone pain ever go away?
Since you've had this tailbone (coccyx) pain for years, I doubt at this point in your life it will go away on its own. It sounds as though you may have injured the bone and/or damaged the nerves in that area when you fell 5 years ago. At this point, you have chronic pain, which is very different than acute pain... -
How can I help my father get up from a fall without causing injury to him or me?
It sounds like your father is certainly dealing with a difficult combination of medical issues. I can't recommend highly enough that you and your dad see a physical therapist to help him learn safe ways of moving. A physical therapist can also teach you how to safely assist him... -
What are the nutritional needs of an 83 year old woman recovering from a broken hip?
If your mother is suffering from weight loss, and the cause of the weight loss is not known, then she needs to have it looked into by her health care provider. They need to make sure certain diseases are not contributing to her weight loss, such as diabetes, cancer, or thyroid conditions. -
Does Mom's nursing home hold responsibility for her fall? And can we take her for a weekend?
Injuries and diagnoses being what they are, it would be difficult for you to prove that the nursing home caused or was even responsible for the hip fracture that seems to have been a setback for your mother. -
Which bed alarms are the best?
The bed alarm that is available through Simply-Home has the capability to not only alert your sister that your mother has gotten out of bed during the night but keeps a record of how often and for how long she has gotten out of bed. In addition, you can install a whole range of other sensors that can... -
When is the right time to put my mother in law in a wheelchair?
When to use a wheelchair to prevent falls in what seems to be an increasingly frail older adult is a difficult question to address without having observed the older adult in various settings. First off, let me extend kudos to you for obtaining a physical therapy consultation and for helping your mother-in-law follow-up on the prescribed exercises... -
How do I get my mother-in-law to stop climbing on cabinetes before she hurts herself?
Thank you for your inquiry about risky behavior taking by your mother in law. You are right to be concerned with her climbing on cabinets and the potential for fall related injuries. A number of questions and suggestions come to mind from your brief but obviously frustrated inquiry. First I am assuming she is living with you now... -
Can head injury cause stroke?
Yes. It depends on how bad the fall was and how hard your mom hit her head, but it's a definite possibility. Strokes can occur after a significant trauma, usually because a blood vessel gets torn, which is called a dissection. If a fall is bad enough, the lining of a blood vessel can tear and cause the vessel to close, resulting in a stroke... -
How do I get my great grandfather to wash his body?
When I hear of this type of situation, my first thought is that your great grandfather probably needs more skilled support, either to help him bathe or to re-teach him bathing skills. Activities like showering are considered "activities of daily living," and an occupational therapist is very skilled... -
Is there an adult crib that will prevent my father from getting out of bed and reinjuring his broken hip?
I empathize with your situation. It's very difficult to keep someone safe who has good physical mobility but poor cognition. There are different kinds of "restraints" that can help to keep your dad safe, that are commonly used in medical settings... -
My father refuses to accept professional home care. How can I get him to accept more help?
It is such a worry when a parent is alone at night unable to be helped. But many people are afraid of nursing homes, especially at night. Others hate to pay caregivers to sleep.
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