Top Tips to Prevent Falls
Emma Harrington, director of injury prevention and education at Shepherd Center, shares her advice to prevent falls, a common cause of brain and spinal cord injuries.
Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries and the second-leading cause of spinal cord injuries. Protect yourself and your loved ones by following these simple steps to reduce the risk of falling.
Top Tips to Prevent Falls
- Stay healthy and active. Keep up with annual eye exams, hearing exams, and physicals, which can alert you and your doctor to problems that might make you more prone to falls. Maintain muscle tone and core body strength by staying active. Talk with your doctor if you’ve had a fall or think you are at risk of falling. The fear of falling can be an indicator of future falls — be honest with your doctor to proactively maintain independence. They can provide resources.
- Think twice before climbing that ladder. If you must get on a ladder, please have someone else present to spot you and ensure the ladder is adequately secured. If using a step ladder in your home, make sure it has sturdy grips and is locked in place before climbing. Never use a chair as a step ladder.
- Hire a professional. It’s best to leave outside jobs like cleaning the gutters or painting the house to the experts. Spending the money to have the gutters cleaned is a lot less costly than a catastrophic injury.
- Stay alert. Always be extra careful when drinking alcohol, and avoid looking at your phone while walking, especially going down stairs!
- Make modifications to your home. Remove any loose rugs or cords, keep pathways clear, ditch clutter, use motion-activated night lights, and keep flashlights handy to help guide you in the dark. Non-slip mats and grab bars, if needed, can help make bathrooms safer.
- Wear suitable shoes. Make sure they fit well. Ideally, shoes should have non-skid soles.
- Always wear a helmet. If you ride bikes, motorcycles, scooters, or horses, protect your head.
- Review your medications. Talk with your healthcare team about the medications — prescription and over-the-counter — you take. Sometimes, certain medications or combinations of medications can leave you feeling off-balance.
- Accept assistance when you need it. If you feel unsteady or unsure, ask for help.
With five decades of experience, Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation, Shepherd Center is also recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.