Fortunately, this is false. Even though falls are a big risk for older Americans, they are not an inevitable part of aging. By taking preventative steps, everyone has the ability to reduce their risk and avoid falls. Here’s some tips on how you can avoid falls as you get older:
- Manage your medications carefully and understand their side effects such as dizziness, impaired vision and drowsiness. Be especially careful when taking a new prescription.
- Stay active and take part in an exercise program that features balance, strength training and flexibility exercises. The more sedentary you are, the higher likelihood you will experience falls. That’s why regular exercise is important.
- Make sure your home has safeguards in place that can help reduce the risk of a fall. A majority of falls actually happen at home. That’s why it’s important to take steps to make your home safer, including removing loose rugs you can trip over, making sure you have proper lighting, and adding handrails to stairs and hallways where needed.
If you do have a fall, be sure to let your primary care provider know. They can physically evaluate you and put you in touch with helpful resources such as a physical therapist. This can help prevent more falls from happening in the future.
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