Aging in America
Debbie Denmon reports.
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When you think of making sure your home is safe for someone, generally the first thought is to protect young children.
What you might not know is that falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among older adults.
Those injuries and many others can be prevented.
Charles Statton, 68, has a hard time walking due to problems with his hip. He says the smallest thing can throw him off balance.
"You know how you trip? Well, when I trip, I go down," he said.
When he tripped over the legs of his favorite chair, he broke his arm. "When I fell, I hit my elbow on the floor in the kitchen," Statton said.
This was a signal to his wife of 41 years that they needed help senior-proofing their home.
"The chair was over here, so it's been moved over to this side so he won't trip over it," said Magarita Calada from Home Health Services of Dallas.
Calada offered a free service, advising the Stattons to replace rugs with rubber-backed mats that adhere to the floor, since Charles has now fallen a total of ten times.
"It can be pretty serious... it can be fatal," Calada warned.
Calada is a physical therapist and is teaching the Stattons how to rearrange cabinets, moving items that are used more often to a lower shelf so that they are easily within arm's reach.
The Centers for Disease Control says falling down is one of the main problems with people 55 and over, which is why she recommends installing "grab bars" inside the bath tub along with a hand-held shower device.
She also suggests removing small things like electric cords that could trigger an accidental spill.
Statton was grateful for the advice. "I think it's been very beneficial," he said.
Physical therapy helped Statton regain the use of his once-broken arm, and senior-proofing his home helped him gain back his confidence.
Home Health Services of Dallas will send someone out to senior-proof your home for free.
