How to Prevent Injury in the Elderly
Joannie Sfera
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It can be very difficult to live with an elderly and disoriented loved one. There are so many different things that one has to worry about; slips, falls, and broken bones. It is enough to make a persons head spin! How can you keep them safe without having to sit by their bedside every moment of ever 
y day?
There are many factors that can cause disorientation. Age is one of the biggest. The older we get, the more forgetful and unsteady we seem to become. That's not to say that every single person will become debilitated in his or her lifetime, but age continues to be factor number 1 nonetheless. Another major reason may be dehydration. Not having enough water and electrolytes in your body can cause an internal imbalance and make you very unsteady on your feet. Another factor is oxygen. Oxygen given to an individual can cause vasoconstriction, which can cause blood pressure to fall drastically. This shift in pressure will often cause dizziness and sometimes even loss of consciousness.
So what can you do? First and formostly, you must get to know your "patient"! Know their schedule, know when they are likely to get up to go to the restroom, get something to eat, or for any other purpose. If you know when they are planning to rise, you can be there when they do. Should they become unsteady, you are there to catch them. Try to minimize wait. If they tell you that they must use the restroom try to get there as soon as possible. Remember, if you make them wait too long, they will likely try to make it to the toilet alone. Any cognizant person, dizzy or not, would rather fall on their way to the toilet than just soil themselves.
Another thing that you can do is to have your loved one as low to the ground as possible at all times. Lower their bed down and place them in chairs that are centered close to the ground. The idea behind this is if they should happen to fall getting out of bed or out of the chair, they will not be falling too far, and hopefully this will minimize any injury that may occur.
There are many factors that can cause disorientation. Age is one of the biggest. The older we get, the more forgetful and unsteady we seem to become. That's not to say that every single person will become debilitated in his or her lifetime, but age continues to be factor number 1 nonetheless. Another major reason may be dehydration. Not having enough water and electrolytes in your body can cause an internal imbalance and make you very unsteady on your feet. Another factor is oxygen. Oxygen given to an individual can cause vasoconstriction, which can cause blood pressure to fall drastically. This shift in pressure will often cause dizziness and sometimes even loss of consciousness.
So what can you do? First and formostly, you must get to know your "patient"! Know their schedule, know when they are likely to get up to go to the restroom, get something to eat, or for any other purpose. If you know when they are planning to rise, you can be there when they do. Should they become unsteady, you are there to catch them. Try to minimize wait. If they tell you that they must use the restroom try to get there as soon as possible. Remember, if you make them wait too long, they will likely try to make it to the toilet alone. Any cognizant person, dizzy or not, would rather fall on their way to the toilet than just soil themselves.
Another thing that you can do is to have your loved one as low to the ground as possible at all times. Lower their bed down and place them in chairs that are centered close to the ground. The idea behind this is if they should happen to fall getting out of bed or out of the chair, they will not be falling too far, and hopefully this will minimize any injury that may occur.