Elderly Parent Keeps Falling: What to Do

Every year millions of seniors will experience a fall — and the consequences can be serious. An older person falling down can lead to injuries that seriously reduce their quality of life. According to the CDC, there are roughly 3 million emergency room visits for older adults who have fallen every year. Of those, 1 million will require hospitalizations.

If your elderly parent keeps falling, it’s time to take action. In this post, we’ll explore causes of recurrent falls in the elderly, and what to do when an elderly parent keeps falling.

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Causes of Recurrent Falls in Elderly

Research has identified a set of common “risk factors” that contribute to older people falling down. They include:

• Difficulties with walking or balance
• Footwear that is loose fitting or lacks proper traction
• Foot and leg pain
• Hazards in the home like broken or uneven steps, throw rugs, or clutter that can be tripped over
• Use of medicines like tranquilizers, sedatives, or antidepressants.
• Use of recreational drugs or alcohol
• Vision problems making it difficult to identify tripping hazards
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Weakness in the lower body

What Does it Mean When an Elderly Person Keeps Falling

When an elderly person falls it likely means that there are a number of unchecked risk factors in their home that need addressing. Most falls are caused by a combination of the risk factors outlined above, meaning that the more risk factors that can be found in the home the more likely a senior is to experience a fall.

What to Do if an Elderly Person Keeps Falling

If you’re unsure what to do when your elderly parent keeps falling, your best course of action is to start identifying risk factors. Whether your parents are living with you or on their own — go through each room of their home and create a checklist of risk factors that need your attention. If necessary, replace or repair items in the home that could lead to an accidental fall.

If you believe a health problem could be causing frequent falls in your elderly parents, schedule a visit with their primary care doctor to review common fall risk factors. Their doctor should be able to help develop a medical plan that includes strategies like physical therapy to strengthen the body and improve balance, or supplements to help a vitamin D deficiency.

If you have concerns that medicines your parents are taking may be having adverse effects, schedule a medication review to confirm that you aren’t seeing signs of overmedication.

When to Intervene with Elderly Parents Who Keep Falling

Regardless of the cause or causes, if your elderly parents experience a fall, it is already past the time for you to intervene. Falling once doubles your chances of falling again — and every fall runs the risk of serious, potentially life-long injury.

If you need support with what to do when a parent keeps falling, contact our caregiving team today at 1-800-GRISWOLD, find a Caregiver near you, or get in touch to learn more about our home care services.