According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-fourth of Americans 65 and older experience a fall each year.
Leacey Brown is a gerontology field specialist at South Dakota State University who says getting older adults to report what happened is part of the challenge.
“Older adults are afraid to tell anyone that they’re experiencing falls because they might get placed in a facility or taken out of their home.”
Brown says in a rural state such as South Dakota, it might be harder to locate a home modification professional, but there are options to turn to.
“The 211 Helpline Center – they have a database that has some of the home modification providers listed Dakota at Home is another service that somebody living in a rural community could contact.”
Brown says families and caretakers shouldn’t rush to move a loved one out of their home after a fall, and prevention efforts should be tried first if the situation allows. She says reviewing medication usage with your doctor, strength and balance programs and installing grab bars and better lighting in the home could all help reduce the risk of falling.
The National Council on Aging’s Jennifer Tripken says falling shouldn’t be accepted as being a normal part of the aging process. She says individuals should feel empowered to take action if there are warning signs.
“There’s a lot of different reasons why someone falls. The good news is there’s a lot of different things that we can do to offset and minimize those risks.”
Another option is a free online assessment on the National Council on Aging’s website, which offers a falls risk score and resources to prevent falls.
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