The Big Connection Between Memory Care and Fall Prevention
For older people, even a slight stumble can lead to a fall resulting in serious injury. From steep stairs and slippery bathroom floors to tangles of electrical cords, dangers are everywhere. And the consequences of falling can be dire. The fact is, in 2022, over 3.5 million seniors who were 65 and older had to go to the emergency room to be treated after preventable falls and more than 40,000 of them died of their injuries.
While falls are the biggest health risks to seniors, people coping with the challenges of dementia like Alzheimer’s disease are especially vulnerable. Those seniors are 4 to 5 times more likely to fall than those who don’t have memory impairment. And those who fall are 5 times more likely to be hospitalized than seniors who don’t have dementia.
Why is that? In addition to balance and vision problems that come with normal aging, there are many reasons that seniors with memory impairment are at a higher risk for falling. Among these are:
- Judgment and ability to reason
- Being able to understand and communicate their needs
- Processing sensory input such as visual cues, touch, and sounds
- Coordinating the desire to move with muscle activation, making it hard to carry out everyday activities
- Understanding conditions in the surroundings such as brightness of light, depth, patterns, and color
- Motivation to begin new tasks which can lead to inactivity
- Ability to remember and learn new things.
Because the chances are high that a loved one struggling with dementia will fall and that the consequences will likely be serious, it’s essential to do everything you can to prevent falls in the first place. Measures like keeping walkways clear of trip hazards (i.e., area rugs and electronics cords) are easy to do for a senior living at home or even in an assisted living community, but they are often not enough.
That’s where the big connection between memory care and fall prevention comes in. In addition to keeping seniors with cognitive impairment safe with 24/7 supervision and security measures, memory care communities are specially designed to minimize the risk of falling by providing:
A Secure Living Area Designed to Prevent Falls
- Safe and simple furniture – While that king, queen, or even double bed may have been a great choice earlier in life, having to struggle to the edge and stand up may now be too much for a senior with dementia. Memory care communities feature rooms with single beds that make them easy to get in and out of. Bedside tables may come with rounded corners. Dressers with few drawers will reduce confusion. Chairs with arms let seniors more easily lift themselves. Add storage pieces that put everything within easy reach from a sitting or standing position.
- Specially equipped bathrooms – From grab bars and shower seats to non-slip mats that help seniors stay on their feet, bathrooms in memory care communities put safety front and center.
- Room to maneuver – Rooms and common areas are designed to accommodate two- or four-wheeled walkers and wheelchairs as well as multiple caregivers there to help.
Fall Prevention Exercise Classes
Even simple, everyday activities like getting up from a chair, walking across the room, or squatting down to retrieve an object can make your loved one feel unsteady and cause a fall. Although people with dementia have trouble learning new things, with some support they can do simple exercises to improve balance and increase strength.
Memory care communities help them do that by offering professionally-led group exercise classes where residents stand or sit in chairs arranged in a circle. This way staff members can be close by if needed and residents can look at others for visual cues on what to do. In addition to building strength and improving balance, exercise has been shown to stimulate the brain and support cognition.
Occupational Therapy That Keeps Seniors Steady.
The goal of occupational therapy for those with dementia is to improve overall health and well-being by providing strategies to more easily accomplish everyday tasks like eating, dressing and bathing. Occupational therapists at memory care communities teach simple techniques that improve the ability to concentrate, remember, plan and prioritize. In addition, they can provide things like adaptive cutlery to make it easier to eat as well as visual aids like signs for drawers and closets that help residents locate clothing and belongings.
Caring for a loved one with dementia and preventing injuries caused by falls are challenges that memory care communities are uniquely designed to meet in an environment that gives families peace of mind and residents the best quality of life possible.
Warmhearted, Compassionate Memory Care at MorningStar
If your loved one lives far from family and friends, it could be time to move into a memory care community near their adult children where they’ll have the companionship of fellow seniors and a compassionate service team. At MorningStar Senior Living, a 24/7 team is dedicated to offering care and hospitality services that meet each resident’s social, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. Curious? Contact us to learn more to see for yourself the finest memory care community MorningStar offers.
