42

National Institute on Aging

AgePage

2 3 4 5

Preventing Fallsand Fractures

A simple fall can change your life.Just ask any of the thousands ofolder men and women who falleach year and break (sometimescalled fracture) a bone.

Getting older can bring lotsof changes. Sight, hearing, musclestrength, coordination, and reflexesarent what they once were. Balancecan be affected by diabetes andheart disease, or by problems withyour circulation, thyroid ornervous system. Somemedicines can causedizziness. Any ofthese thingscan make afall morelikely.

Then theresosteoporosisa disease thatmakes bonesthin andlikely tobreakeasily.Osteoporosisis a major reasonfor broken bonesin women pastmenopause. It alsoaffects older men. When yourbones are fragile even a minorfall can cause one or more bonesto break. Although people withosteoporosis must be very carefulto avoid falls, all of us need totake extra care as we get older.

A broken bone may notsound so terrible. After all, it willheal, right? But as we get oldera break can be the start of moreserious problems. The good newsis that there are simple thingsyou can do to help preventmost falls.

Take the Right StepsFalls and accidents seldomjust happen. The more youtake care of your overall healthand well-being, the more likely

youll be to lower your chancesof falling. Here are a few hints: Ask your doctor about a

special testcalled a bonemineral density testthattells how strong your bonesare. If need be, your doctorcan prescribe new medica-tions that will help makeyour bones stronger andharder to break.

Talk with your doctor andplan an exercise programthat is right for you. Regularexercise helps keep you strongand improves muscle tone.It also helps keep your joints,tendons, and ligaments flex-ible. Mild weight-bearingexercisesuch as walkingor climbing stairsmayeven slow bone lossfrom osteoporosis.

Have your vision and hear-ing tested often. Even smallchanges in sight and hearingcan make you less stable. So,for example, if your doctororders new eyeglasses, taketime to get used to them, andalways wear them when youshould or, if you need a hear-ing aid, be sure it fits well.

Find out about the possibleside effects of medicines youtake. Some medicines mightaffect your coordination orbalance. If so, ask your doctoror pharmacist what you cando to lessen your chanceof falling.

Limit the amount of alcoholyou drink. Even a smallamount can affect yourbalance and reflexes.

Always stand up slowly aftereating, lying down, or resting.Getting up too quickly cancause your blood pressureto drop, which can makeyou feel faint.

Dont let your home gettoo cold or too hot . . . itcan make you dizzy. In thesummerif your home isnot air-conditionedkeepcool with an electric fan,drink lots of liquids, andlimit exercise. In the winter,keep the nighttime tempera-ture at 65 or warmer.

Use a cane, walking stick, orwalker to help you feel steadierwhen you walk. This is veryimportant when youre walk-ing in areas you dont know

well or in places where thewalkways are uneven. And bevery careful when walking onwet or icy surfaces. They can bevery slippery! Try to have sandor salt spread on icy areas.

Wear rubber-soled, low-heeledshoes that fully support yourfeet. Wearing only socks orshoes with smooth soles onstairs or waxed floors canbe unsafe.

Hold the handrails when youuse the stairs. If you must carrysomething while youre goingup or down, hold it in onehand and use the handrailwith the other.

Dont take chances. Stay awayfrom a freshly washed floor.And dont stand on a chairor table to reach somethingthats too highuse a reachstick instead. Reach sticksare special grabbing toolsthat you can buy at manyhardware or most medicalsupply stores.

Find out about buying ahome monitoring systemservice. Usually, you wear abutton on a chain aroundyour neck. If you fall or need

42

National Institute on Aging

AgePage

2 3 4 5

Preventing Fallsand Fractures

A simple fall can change your life.Just ask any of the thousands ofolder men and women who falleach year and break (sometimescalled fracture) a bone.

Getting older can bring lotsof changes. Sight, hearing, musclestrength, coordination, and reflexesarent what they once were. Balancecan be affected by diabetes andheart disease, or by problems withyour circulation, thyroid ornervous system. Somemedicines can causedizziness. Any ofthese thingscan make afall morelikely.

Then theresosteoporosisa disease thatmakes bonesthin andlikely tobreakeasily.Osteoporosisis a major reasonfor broken bonesin women pastmenopause. It alsoaffects older men. When yourbones are fragile even a minorfall can cause one or more bonesto break. Although people withosteoporosis must be very carefulto avoid falls, all of us need totake extra care as we get older.

A broken bone may notsound so terrible. After all, it willheal, right? But as we get oldera break can be the start of moreserious problems. The good newsis that there are simple thingsyou can do to help preventmost falls.

Take the Right StepsFalls and accidents seldomjust happen. The more youtake care of your overall healthand well-being, the more likely

youll be to lower your chancesof falling. Here are a few hints: Ask your doctor about a

special testcalled a bonemineral density testthattells how strong your bonesare. If need be, your doctorcan prescribe new medica-tions that will help makeyour bones stronger andharder to break.

Talk with your doctor andplan an exercise programthat is right for you. Regularexercise helps keep you strongand improves muscle tone.It also helps keep your joints,tendons, and ligaments flex-ible. Mild weight-bearingexercisesuch as walkingor climbing stairsmayeven slow bone lossfrom osteoporosis.

Have your vision and hear-ing tested often. Even smallchanges in sight and hearingcan make you less stable. So,for example, if your doctororders new eyeglasses, taketime to get used to them, andalways wear them when youshould or, if you need a hear-ing aid, be sure it fits well.

Find out about the possibleside effects of medicines youtake. Some medicines mightaffect your coordination orbalance. If so, ask your doctoror pharmacist what you cando to lessen your chanceof falling.

Limit the amount of alcoholyou drink. Even a smallamount can affect yourbalance and reflexes.

Always stand up slowly aftereating, lying down, or resting.Getting up too quickly cancause your blood pressureto drop, which can makeyou feel faint.

Dont let your home gettoo cold or too hot . . . itcan make you dizzy. In thesummerif your home isnot air-conditionedkeepcool with an electric fan,drink lots of liquids, andlimit exercise. In the winter,keep the nighttime tempera-ture at 65 or warmer.

Use a cane, walking stick, orwalker to help you feel steadierwhen you walk. This is veryimportant when youre walk-ing in areas you dont know

well or in places where thewalkways are uneven. And bevery careful when walking onwet or icy surfaces. They can bevery slippery! Try to have sandor salt spread on icy areas.

Wear rubber-soled, low-heeledshoes that fully support yourfeet. Wearing only socks orshoes with smooth soles onstairs or waxed floors canbe unsafe.

Hold the handrails when youuse the stairs. If you must carrysomething while youre goingup or down, hold it in onehand and use the handrailwith the other.

Dont take chances. Stay awayfrom a freshly washed floor.And dont stand on a chairor table to reach somethingthats too highuse a reachstick instead. Reach sticksare special grabbing toolsthat you can buy at manyhardware or most medicalsupply stores.

Find out about buying ahome monitoring systemservice. Usually, you wear abutton on a chain aroundyour neck. If you fall or need

42

National Institute on Aging

AgePage

2 3 4 5

Preventing Fallsand Fractures

A simple fall can change your life.Just ask any of the thousands ofolder men and women who falleach year and break (sometimescalled fracture) a bone.

Getting older can bring lotsof changes. Sight, hearing, musclestrength, coordination, and reflexesarent what they once were. Balancecan be affected by diabetes andheart disease, or by problems withyour circulation, thyroid ornervous system. Somemedicines can causedizziness. Any ofthese thingscan make afall morelikely.

Then theresosteoporosisa disease thatmakes bonesthin andlikely tobreakeasily.Osteoporosisis a major reasonfor broken bonesin women pastmenopause. It alsoaffects older men. When yourbones are fragile even a minorfall can cause one or more bonesto break. Although people withosteoporosis must be very carefulto avoid falls, all of us need totake extra care as we get older.

A broken bone may notsound so terrible. After all, it willheal, right? But as we get oldera break can be the start of moreserious problems. The good newsis that there are simple thingsyou can do to help preventmost falls.

Take the Right StepsFalls and accidents seldomjust happen. The more youtake care of your overall healthand well-being, the more likely

youll be to lower your chancesof falling. Here are a few hints: Ask your doctor about a

special testcalled a bonemineral density testthattells how strong your bonesare. If need be, your doctorcan prescribe new medica-tions that will help makeyour bones stronger andharder to break.

Talk with your doctor andplan an exercise programthat is right for you. Regularexercise helps keep you strongand improves muscle tone.It also helps keep your joints,tendons, and ligaments flex-ible. Mild weight-bearingexercisesuch as walkingor climbing stairsmayeven slow bone lossfrom osteoporosis.

Have your vision and hear-ing tested often. Even smallchanges in sight and hearingcan make you less stable. So,for example, if your doctororders new eyeglasses, taketime to get used to them, andalways wear them when youshould or, if you need a hear-ing aid, be sure it fits well.

Find out about the possibleside effects of medicines youtake. Some medicines mightaffect your coordination orbalance. If so, ask your doctoror pharmacist what you cando to lessen your chanceof falling.

Limit the amount of alcoholyou drink. Even a smallamount can affect yourbalance and reflexes.

Always stand up slowly aftereating, lying down, or resting.Getting up too quickly cancause your blood pressureto drop, which can makeyou feel faint.

Dont let your home gettoo cold or too hot . . . itcan make you dizzy. In thesummerif your home isnot air-conditionedkeepcool with an electric fan,drink lots of liquids, andlimit exercise. In the winter,keep the nighttime tempera-ture at 65 or warmer.

Use a cane, walking stick, orwalker to help you feel steadierwhen you walk. This is veryimportant when youre walk-ing in areas you dont know

well or in places where thewalkways are uneven. And bevery careful when walking onwet or icy surfaces. They can bevery slippery! Try to have sandor salt spread on icy areas.

Wear rubber-soled, low-heeledshoes that fully support yourfeet. Wearing only socks orshoes with smooth soles onstairs or waxed floors canbe unsafe.

Hold the handrails when youuse the stairs. If you must carrysomething while youre goingup or down, hold it in onehand and use the handrailwith the other.

Dont take chances. Stay awayfrom a freshly washed floor.And dont stand on a chairor table to reach somethingthats too highuse a reachstick instead. Reach sticksare special grabbing toolsthat you can buy at manyhardware or most medicalsupply stores.

Find out about buying ahome monitoring systemservice. Usually, you wear abutton on a chain aroundyour neck. If you fall or need

U.S. Department of Health andHuman ServicesPublic Health ServiceNational Institutes of Health

June 2004

7 8 96

emergency help, you justpush the button to alert theservice. Emergency staff isthen sent to your home. Youcan find local medical alarmservices in your yellow pages.

Most medical insurance com-panies and Medicare do not coveritems like home monitoring systemsand reach sticks. So be sure to askabout cost. You will probably haveto pay for them yourself.

Make Your Home SafeYou can help prevent falls bymaking changes to unsafe areasin your home.

In stairways, hallways, and pathways:

Make sure there is goodlighting with light switchesat the top and bottom ofthe stairs.

Keep areas where youwalk tidy.

Check that all carpets arefixed firmly to the floor sothey wont slip. Put no-slipstrips on tile and woodenfloors. You can buy thesestrips at the hardware store.

Have handrails on bothsides of all stairsfrom topto bottomand be suretheyre tightly fastened.

In bathrooms and powder rooms: Mount grab bars near

toilets and on both theinside and outside of yourtub and shower.

Place non-skid mats, strips,or carpet on all surfacesthat may get wet.

Keep night lights on.

In your bedroom:

Put night lights and lightswitches close to your bed.

Keep your telephone nearyour bed.

In other living areas:

Keep electric cords andtelephone wires nearwalls and away fromwalking paths.

Tack down all carpets andarea rugs firmly to the floor.

Arrange your furniture(especially low coffee tables)and other objects so they

are not in your way whenyou walk.

Make sure your sofas andchairs are a good height foryou, so that you can get intoand out of them easily.

For More InformationMany states and local areas haveeducation and/or home modifi-cation programs to help olderpeople prevent falls. Check withyour local governments healthdepartment or division of elderaffairs to see if there is a programin your area.

For more complete infor-mation on simple, inexpensiverepairs and changes that wouldmake you home safer, contactthe U.S. ConsumerProduct SafetyCommission.Ask for a freecopy of thebooklet,Home SafetyChecklist forOlder Consumers.

Consumer ProductSafety CommissionWashington, DC 202071-800-638-27721-800-638-8270 (TTY)www.cpsc.gov

National Center for InjuryPrevention and ControlCenters for Disease Controland PreventionMailstop K654770 Buford Highway NEAtlanta, GA 30341-37241-800-311-3435www.cdc.gov/ncipc

The National Institute on Aginghas information on health andaging, including an Age Page onosteoporosis and a booklet onhome safety for people withAlzheimers disease. Contact:

National Institute on AgingInformation CenterP.O. Box 8057Gaithersburg, MD 20898-80571-800-222-22251-800-222-4225 (TTY)E-mail: niaic@jbs1.comTo order publications online:www.niapublications.org

Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov(www.nihseniorhealth.gov),a senior-friendly Web sitefrom the National Instituteon Aging and the NationalLibrary of Medicine. The site,which features popular healthtopics for older adults, haslarge type and a talkingfunction that reads thetext aloud.

10

U.S. Department of Health andHuman ServicesPublic Health ServiceNational Institutes of Health

June 2004

7 8 96

emergency help, you justpush the button to alert theservice. Emergency staff isthen sent to your home. Youcan find local medical alarmservices in your yellow pages.

Most medical insurance com-panies and Medicare do not coveritems like home monitoring systemsand reach sticks. So be sure to askabout cost. You will probably haveto pay for them yourself.

Make Your Home SafeYou can help prevent falls bymaking changes to unsafe areasin your home.

In stairways, hallways, and pathways:

Make sure there is goodlighting with light switchesat the top and bottom ofthe stairs.

Keep areas where youwalk tidy.

Check that all carpets arefixed firmly to the floor sothey wont slip. Put no-slipstrips on tile and woodenfloors. You can buy thesestrips at the hardware store.

Have handrails on bothsides of all stairsfrom topto bottomand be suretheyre tightly fastened.

In bathrooms and powder rooms: Mount grab bars near

toilets and on both theinside and outside of yourtub and shower.

Place non-skid mats, strips,or carpet on all surfacesthat may get wet.

Keep night lights on.

In your bedroom:

Put night lights and lightswitches close to your bed.

Keep your telephone nearyour bed.

In other living areas:

Keep electric cords andtelephone wires nearwalls and away fromwalking paths.

Tack down all carpets andarea rugs firmly to the floor.

Arrange your furniture(especially low coffee tables)and other objects so they

are not in your way whenyou walk.

Make sure your sofas andchairs are a good height foryou, so that you can get intoand out of them easily.

For More InformationMany states and local areas haveeducation and/or home modifi-cation programs to help olderpeople prevent falls. Check withyour local governments healthdepartment or division of elderaffairs to see if there is a programin your area.

For more complete infor-mation on simple, inexpensiverepairs and changes that wouldmake you home safer, contactthe U.S. ConsumerProduct SafetyCommission.Ask for a freecopy of thebooklet,Home SafetyChecklist forOlder Consumers.

Consumer ProductSafety CommissionWashington, DC 202071-800-638-27721-800-638-8270 (TTY)www.cpsc.gov

National Center for InjuryPrevention and ControlCenters for Disease Controland PreventionMailstop K654770 Buford Highway NEAtlanta, GA 30341-37241-800-311-3435www.cdc.gov/ncipc

The National Institute on Aginghas information on health andaging, including an Age Page onosteoporosis and a booklet onhome safety for people withAlzheimers disease. Contact:

National Institute on AgingInformation CenterP.O. Box 8057Gaithersburg, MD 20898-80571-800-222-22251-800-222-4225 (TTY)E-mail: niaic@jbs1.comTo order publications online:www.niapublications.org

Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov(www.nihseniorhealth.gov),a senior-friendly Web sitefrom the National Instituteon Aging and the NationalLibrary of Medicine. The site,which features popular healthtopics for older adults, haslarge type and a talkingfunction that reads thetext aloud.

10

U.S. Department of Health andHuman ServicesPublic Health ServiceNational Institutes of Health

June 2004

7 8 96

emergency help, you justpush the button to alert theservice. Emergency staff isthen sent to your home. Youcan find local medical alarmservices in your yellow pages.

Most medical insurance com-panies and Medicare do not coveritems like home monitoring systemsand reach sticks. So be sure to askabout cost. You will probably haveto pay for them yourself.

Make Your Home SafeYou can help prevent falls bymaking changes to unsafe areasin your home.

In stairways, hallways, and pathways:

Make sure there is goodlighting with light switchesat the top and bottom ofthe stairs.

Keep areas where youwalk tidy.

Check that all carpets arefixed firmly to the floor sothey wont slip. Put no-slipstrips on tile and woodenfloors. You can buy thesestrips at the hardware store.

Have handrails on bothsides of all stairsfrom topto bottomand be suretheyre tightly fastened.

In bathrooms and powder rooms: Mount grab bars near

toilets and on both theinside and outside of yourtub and shower.

Place non-skid mats, strips,or carpet on all surfacesthat may get wet.

Keep night lights on.

In your bedroom:

Put night lights and lightswitches close to your bed.

Keep your telephone nearyour bed.

In other living areas:

Keep electric cords andtelephone wires nearwalls and away fromwalking paths.

Tack down all carpets andarea rugs firmly to the floor.

Arrange your furniture(especially low coffee tables)and other objects so they

are not in your way whenyou walk.

Make sure your sofas andchairs are a good height foryou, so that you can get intoand out of them easily.

For More InformationMany states and local areas haveeducation and/or home modifi-cation programs to help olderpeople prevent falls. Check withyour local governments healthdepartment or division of elderaffairs to see if there is a programin your area.

For more complete infor-mation on simple, inexpensiverepairs and changes that wouldmake you home safer, contactthe U.S. ConsumerProduct SafetyCommission.Ask for a freecopy of thebooklet,Home SafetyChecklist forOlder Consumers.

Consumer ProductSafety CommissionWashington, DC 202071-800-638-27721-800-638-8270 (TTY)www.cpsc.gov

National Center for InjuryPrevention and ControlCenters for Disease Controland PreventionMailstop K654770 Buford Highway NEAtlanta, GA 30341-37241-800-311-3435www.cdc.gov/ncipc

The National Institute on Aginghas information on health andaging, including an Age Page onosteoporosis and a booklet onhome safety for people withAlzheimers disease. Contact:

National Institute on AgingInformation CenterP.O. Box 8057Gaithersburg, MD 20898-80571-800-222-22251-800-222-4225 (TTY)E-mail: niaic@jbs1.comTo order publications online:www.niapublications.org

Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov(www.nihseniorhealth.gov),a senior-friendly Web sitefrom the National Instituteon Aging and the NationalLibrary of Medicine. The site,which features popular healthtopics for older adults, haslarge type and a talkingfunction that reads thetext aloud.

10