Around 36 million falls involving older adults are reported each year. That’s only reported falls. An older adult may fall and never tell anyone. It’s estimated that one out of every four older adults will fall during a 12-month period.

What’s one of the leading injuries in a fall? A hip fracture. If your mom falls and fractures her hip, it can greatly affect her mobility and even lead to the need for hip replacement surgery. Around 300,000 older adults end up being hospitalized after fracturing their hip.

You may not be able to guarantee your mom never falls, but you can take steps to prevent her from a second fall. A balance of physical therapy and daily exercises can help keep her from falling repeatedly. Make sure her physical therapist signs off on any activities she wants to do, as she may be limited by the severity of her hip fracture or surgical procedure.

Sit and Do Chair Stretches

Your mom can start building strength from a seated position in a chair. With her back straight against the back of a kitchen chair, she can raise a foot off the ground, hold it, and place it back down. She wants to repeat this ten times per leg and work up as she finds these knee and leg lifts easier to do.

Once she’s done the knee lifts, she should reach one arm up, pointing her fingers at the ceiling. Slowly lower that arm back down and repeat with the other arm. Do these ten times per arm and increase as she starts to find them easier to do.

Use a Chair for Support and Do Leg Lifts and Kicks

Have your mom hold a chair for support and lift one leg behind her. Slowly move it to the side and return it to the starting position. Repeat this with the other side. Do these in a series of ten per left. Eventually, she will no longer need the chair for balance.

Take a Daily Walk

A daily walk is a great way to build strength and improve stamina. Have a caregiver, family member, or friend join her. If she’s walking with someone else, she’s more likely to feel at ease and walk farther.

When choosing an area to walk, look for something that’s paved and relatively even. Gradual slopes are okay, but make sure it’s not extremely hilly. Trails in the forest, if they’re well groomed, are also helpful for improving mental health by being surrounded by nature.

If the weather is miserable, she can still take a daily walk. Invest in a treadmill and set it up somewhere that she can walk while watching a travel video. If she feels like she’s walking with others in another city or town, she’ll want to keep walking to see what else lies up ahead.

Make sure your mom is working with a physical therapist. Physical therapy helps your mom improve her muscle tone and balance skills that can help prevent future falls. Ask her doctor to get a referral to a physical therapy practice.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering Physical Therapy at Home in Aventura, FL please contact the caring staff at Specialized Nursing Services today. (305) 652-2799

Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/older-adult-falls/index.html