Older adults at higher risk for falls in winter months
Written by: Carol A. Cates, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
Odessa Regional Medical Center
When it comes to accidental injuries in older adults, few things scare me more than falls. As a nurse, I have seen this with my own eyes, and I see statistics on falls that lead to very serious injuries, even death. I think when most people think of falling they assume they are falling from heights, and yes they do happen, but the truth is that in older adults any fall can cause serious injury or death. In fact, falls at the same level are one of the leading causes of accidental death in older adults. The reason falls scare me so much is that when older adults start falling, they tend to fall again and again. Falling over and over again is a bit like Russian Roulette, the person who falls over and over again will eventually experience a fall that will cause serious injury or kill them.
Winter months are not very helpful when it comes to falls, and statistics confirm this. More falls occur in winter than in other months of the year. One of these reasons is quite obvious; Snow and ice can cause slippery surfaces, which can lead to falls. But other problems are not so obvious. It’s not just snow and ice that causes more declines during the winter months. Poor visibility due to shorter days and lower intensity of the sun even during daylight can lead to falls due to encountering invisible obstacles. Age-related changes don’t help either, because we lose muscle mass as we get older, and older adults can experience balance issues related to changes to the inner ear, vision changes, and medications that cause us to accidentally misstep on an icy surface or across an obstacle in the dark, making it much harder to recover from a fall. Our reflexes also slow down and many people experience degenerative changes in joints, neuropathies and/or chronic pain; All of which makes it difficult to react quickly after a misstep.
Missteps aren’t just limited to the outdoors, there are dangers indoors too, like rugs and clutter, and if your house is like mine, we rearrange the furniture a bit to make room for holiday decorations, which means living spaces have additional obstacles and the “usual” ones can get in the way of well-trodden paths.
There are many things you can do to prevent falls and limit your risk of serious injury if you do fall. First, talk to your primary care provider about your risk of falling and review your medications with them to see if any medications or combinations of medications that may increase your risk of falling can be changed to reduce that risk. Also talk to your doctor about getting screened for osteoporosis. Many treatment regimens are available to reduce the risk of fracture in falls due to osteoporosis.
Afterwards, be sure to do balance and strengthening exercises. I must honestly admit that I’m constantly nagging my dad about this, getting out and walking, going to the gym, and taking balance classes. These things make a big difference! Be sure to have your eyes checked every year and use vision correction methods recommended by your eye doctor. Also, talk to your eye doctor about getting glasses without progressive lenses if you use them. They sometimes make walking more difficult, especially outdoors, because objects within the field of view of your glasses (i.e. things on the ground that would cause you to trip or slip) are harder to see.
Get rid of tripping hazards such as carpeting at home, and make sure there are grab bars in the shower and near the toilet. If you have stairs, make sure there are handrails on each side that you can hold onto, and make sure there’s plenty of light by using brighter bulbs or adding light fixtures (that you can’t walk over) in dark areas.
Please take every precaution you can to protect against falls as you get older, and if you are a loved one of an older person, talk to them about fall risks. Falls are often preventable, and even if they aren’t, there are ways to help reduce injuries. Be sure to include your primary care provider in these conversations; these are a great resource to make you and your loved ones safer when it comes to falls.
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