At Complete Care Shop, we always want you to feel safe and confident, and we provide products to help ensure that. There are many ways you can reduce the risk of falling, including investing in products that could help prevent falls or be used to support you if you do fall. In this guide, we’ve put together a list of tips to be safer around your home and 9 product recommendations and how they could help to prevent falls, particularly for elderly people.
Ways to prevent falls at home
It can be easy to fall or trip at home as there are more hazards than you realise. Here are some tips for making your living space safe to prevent falls:
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Immediately clean up any spills
Even if it’s tiny water drops from an umbrella or a glass of water, they could become a slip hazard if you forget about it. -
Removing trip hazards
Tidy away any loose cables, extension leads, or clutter your foot could accidentally catch on. Also make sure all carpets and rugs in your home lay flat. -
Watch out for furry friends
Make sure your pets aren’t around your feet as you walk around the house, as they could increase your risk of tripping or falling. -
Suitable footwear
Wear suitable, good-fitting footwear around your home, like non-slip socks and slippers, to reduce your risk of slipping or sliding on smooth surfaces.
Keeping your home safe keeps you safe and can prevent falls or accidents. However, they aren’t completely avoidable, so here are some products that could help.
1: Invisible Hearing Amplifier
Studies have suggested a connection between hearing loss and an increased risk of falls.1 Understanding how to prevent falls is vital, and addressing your hearing loss is one step toward reducing that risk. If you’re finding it increasingly difficult to hear what’s happening around you, you should consider getting your hearing checked and perhaps getting a hearing aid to help turn up the volume in your day-to-day life. The Invisible Hearing Amplifier is lightweight, convenient, and a great option if you also wear glasses as it doesn't need to hook over your ear. It has different mode settings and controls so you can adjust it to your needs.
2: NRS Combi-Reacher
A common cause of falls for the elderly is having to bend over and reach for things. If your balance isn’t what it once was, it’s easy to stumble or trip. A great way to avoid this is using a reaching aid such as the NRS Combi-Reacher. It extends your grip to easily pick up the items you want, reducing your need to stretch. With an easy-to-hold handle and lightweight trigger that's designed for use by those with limited grip strength, it can get into those harder-to-reach areas.
3: Flexyfoot Premium Oval Handle Walking Stick
The main cause of falling for the elderly is a lack of balance or difficulty when walking.2 To help prevent falls during your walks, we recommend a mobility aid such as a walking stick. The Flexyfoot Premium Oval Handle Walking Stick is practical and stylish, helping to support you while getting from A to B. Its oval-shaped handle helps to spread the impact of using it more evenly, reducing the stress on your joints. It also comes with a Flexyfoot ferrule – a special shock-absorbing ferrule that gives you 50% more grip than a traditional ferrule.
4: Breeze Indoor Rollator
Need more help than a walking stick can provide? If you're exploring mobility aids to help prevent falls in the home, consider a rollator. The sleek design of the Breeze Indoor Rollator features a large, lipped tray and a storage bag to help you carry items around the house. It also has height-adjustable handles so you can make sure it’s set to the perfect height for you and a brake system that can be operated with just one hand.
5: Offset Steel Grab Rail
A strategically placed grab rail at the right points around your home can help give you support when you need it most, whether that’s a reassuring handhold as you enter and exit your home or an aid to hold onto on a slippery bathroom floor. This versatile Offset Steel Grab Rail can be used indoors or outside and comes in white or brown. It’s available in sizes from 455mm up to 760mm.
The bathroom can be a hazardous place. Bathroom aids such as the Bath Step Stool with Handrail can make it easier and safer to get in and out of the tub or give you a boost if you need to reach something from a high shelf in the bathroom. It gives you a stable and secure surface to step onto and somewhere to hold onto while you use it. It has a non-slip rubber surface on the step to give you a safe grip and ferrules on the bottom of its feet to stop it from sliding.
7: Etac Swift Shower Chair with Arm Supports
Worried about slipping and falling when using the shower? The Etac Swift Shower Stool with Arm Supports gives you a comfortable place to sit and rest while you shower, reducing your risk of slipping over. It’s lightweight and can be moved around your bathroom as needed. It also has a unique design and flexible seat and can be used on uneven floors. Ferrules are included on each leg to give it a good grip on slippery surfaces and, when used with a grab rail, will offer more security when in the shower area.
8: Perching Stool with Armrests
Standing for prolonged periods can be painful for your back and legs, making it difficult to get things done. The height-adjustable Perching Stool with Armrests helps to take some of the weight off your feet and support you while you get on with whatever tasks you need to do. It has angled legs with rubber feet to help prevent it from slipping, making it suitable for use around the home. It also helps to reduce your risk of falling as you have a place to rest when needed.
9: Motion Sensor Light
Poor lighting could raise your risk of falling, so if you find that you get up in the night to get a drink or go to the bathroom, then you may want to consider the Motion Sensor Light. Even if you know your way around the house like the back of your hand, there can still be obstacles you can’t anticipate, like a sleeping pet, abandoned toy, or dropped towel. The Motion Sensor Light turns on as soon as it senses any movement, shining an ultra-bright light on your path that will stay on for 30 seconds after the movement has stopped.
Further fall prevention guidance
Complete Care Shop prides itself on providing quality products to help enable your independence every day and keep you safe. If you're looking for how to prevent falls in the elderly, browse our full range of fall prevention aids, and don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.
1 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/falls/#:~:text=Older%20people%20are%20more%20likely,vision%20loss
2 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/falls/#:~:text=Older%20people%20are%20more%20likely,vision%20loss