Fear of falling is extremely common amongst older adults, and it can actually lead to a fall. Getting around this fear is crucial.
Talk about What’s Going On
Elder Care Peachtree Corners GA – Five Ideas for Helping Your Senior Over Her Fear of Falling
Talk to your senior about what she’s experiencing and how she’s feeling. When you and she leave things unsaid and unexamined, it’s a lot easier to pretend that there’s no problem. But that can be dangerous, especially with something like a fear of falling. Unexamined, that fear grows until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Do a Safety Assessment of Her Home
Once you and your senior have had an honest talk, take a look at her home together. Look at what could possibly contribute to a fall and make some changes. Everything from lighting to flooring needs to be examined closely. Most of the changes you can make to fall-proof your senior’s home are a lot easier than you would expect.
Formulate a Plan with Her Doctor
Talk to your senior’s doctor about her fall risk and what’s causing her to be concerned about falling. There may be some specific answers that her doctor has that can alleviate a lot of the stress your senior is feeling. You can also get clearance for solutions like exercising a little more regularly.
Help Her to Get Stronger
Your senior has a better chance of avoiding a fall if her muscles are strong enough to support her. Fear of falling can often cause aging adults to become less physically active, which leads to losing more muscle mass much faster. Gradually building up muscle tone again can be a huge help. Your senior may need some assistance, though, which may mean working with a physical therapist for a little while.
Set Goals that Are Achievable
The really important factor is setting goals for your senior that are achievable. If the goals that she’s setting are too difficult to reach, that can cause her to give up and to believe that her first instincts about dealing with her fear of falling were the right ones. Make sure she has the tools that she needs to achieve her goals, whether that means using a walker for now or hiring elder care providers to assist with mobility.
There is such a thing as being overly confident about avoiding falls, but you and your senior need to get to a happy medium. That’s going to allow her to be strong enough to be mobile and to be aware of what might cause a fall.
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Talk to your senior about what she’s experiencing and how she’s feeling. When you and she leave things unsaid and unexamined, it’s a lot easier to pretend that there’s no problem. But that can be dangerous, especially with something like a fear of falling. Unexamined, that fear grows until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
