Talk to your elderly family member about whether she’s experiencing any anxiety around falling. If she is, you may have noticed that she’s not as mobile as she used to be or she only walks when she has someone to hold onto.
Her Anxiety Makes Sense
There are a lot of reasons that your senior’s anxiety about falling absolutely makes sense. If she were to fall, she is twice as likely to fall again. People who fall often sustain mild to serious injuries, and sometimes those injuries have lifelong effects. If your elderly family member is experiencing severe anxiety about even the idea of falling, she might be spending a lot of time and energy avoiding doing things she used to do. This can create what’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which she makes a fall more likely.
Find a Way for Her to Be More Active
If your aging family member isn’t very active right now, that’s a problem. Talk to her doctor about what she can do to start exercising and becoming more active in a way that is safe for her abilities and conditions. Then help her to stick with that plan. She doesn’t have to do anything extreme at all. What you’re aiming for is for her to regain some confidence in her ability to move, as well as some strength and some balance.
Look for Safety Hazards
Do a safety sweep of your senior’s home. Look for anything that could be a tripping hazard or that could contribute to a fall. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, get some help. Senior care providers have experience spotting potential safety issues and they can help you to see what you need to change. They can also help your senior to do some of the things around the house that she’s been avoiding. Having assistance with mobility and with personal care tasks can be part of what helps your elderly family member to move a little more.
Seek Help for the Anxiety
There’s probably still going to be some anxiety. Talk to your elderly family member’s doctor about what else you can do to help your senior to resolve this issue. There may be other treatments that her doctor can recommend, like occupational or physical therapy. Talk therapy may even be a beneficial route to take.
Getting past her fear about falling is important for your senior to do, but it may not be an easy task.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elderly Care in Encino, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Help. Serving All of Los Angeles County. Call Us Today (888) 989-7388
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