living safely as we age

Living Safely

Your home should be a safe and comfortable environment for you to live in.

Hazards can be found inside and outside of your home.

When these hazards combine with other factors such as poor vision, weak bones, unsafe footwear and the side effects of medicines, the risk of having a fall increases.

​Lets take a look....

Hazards in the home can come in a variety of forms, so it is important to check your home for hazards regularly to avoid a fall. 

Home check list 

• Remove rugs, mats, slippery tiles and objects on the floor.
• Ensure you have enough lighting and you turn lights on.
• Clean up spills immediately.
• Move your furniture to create larger walkways.
• Keep everyday objects in easy to reach areas.
• If you need any equipment, speak to your GP / District Nurse or Occupational Therapy Department 
• If you have a fall always make sure you let someone know.
• keep a mobile phone close to you - even better invest in a bum bag or place it in your pocket   / you can also apply for a pendant alarm to go around your neck or wrist if you are at high risk of falls. 

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Check Your Eyesight

As we age, our vision begins to change and deteriorate.

Remember any of these changes can be very gradual, so this can go unnoticed.

Our vision helps us to maintain our balance and notice hazards and obstacles we may need to avoid

It is important that we get our eyes tested every year and we should speak to a optician if we notice any changes in our eyesight this could be clouded vision, sensitivity to light, difficulty with vision at night and dry or watery eyes.

As we age the main eye conditions we may come across are;
Macular Degeneration,
Diabetic Retinopathy,
Glaucoma 
Cataracts.

Home check list 

• Ensure there is good lighting in the house.
• Avoid patterned carpets and furniture.
• Put yellow tape on the edge of stairs, and to any changes in floor surfaces and on shelves to help you see the depth.
• When moving into an area with different light (e.g. when going from inside to outside), stop and hold onto a steady object while your eyes adjust to the new light.
• Clearly mark glass doors at eye level using a sign printed on yellow paper/ or use yellow tape.

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​Wear Suitable Footwear and visit a Podiatrist regularly

We need good shoes to support our feet. Our shoes are the direct contact with the ground, the shoes we wear can affect our posture, stability, balance, safety and gait.
If we are not well supported we can't move around safely.

The main functions of shoes are to support our feet and protect them from hazards in the environment, injury, and to support us with daily activities.
Shoes that do not fit well can cause discomfort, injury and permanent foot problems. Wearing shoes which hurt our feet can alter our walking and cause us to be off-balance. 

As we age our feet change. We may begin to suffer with bunions or arthritis, People with foot complaints will often alter the way they walk to take the pressure off the painful part of the foot.
This can have an effect on our walking gait and balance, which can cause a fall.

It is important to have your feet measured frequently as the bones in your feet change with age. Where possible ask for your feet to be measured when buying shoes.
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It is also very important to see a Podiatrist regularly.  

Podiatrist will check the nerve and blood supply to your feet. This is very important as if this deteriorates it can lead to falls. 

Stay Safe, thanks for reading 

Emma Louise McGlen x