For people over the age of 65, the unfortunate reality is that falls are the most common cause of accidental injury and death. Another unfortunate thing about fall injuries is that it can affect seemingly healthy and strong seniors just and severely as more frail ones. Perhaps the biggest negative effects of falls, though, are what they can do to a person’s sense of independence.

Why Falls Happen

Simply put, once you get older, natural changes to your body conspire to make it easier for a fall to occur. Anything from poor eyesight to failing hearing can increase your risk. Chronic physical ailments that impact your strength and sense of balance can compromise your ability to react in time to avert serious injury.

If, like millions of other seniors, you take medication, especially for depression, insomnia, heart problems or hypertension, some of these can affect your awareness or reaction time, increasing the likelihood of a fall. Even if you aren’t taking drugs for these specific conditions, drug interactions you may be unaware of, or even starting a new prescription, may make you susceptible.

Stopping Falls Before They Happen

First, be sure your home is as safe as possible. Here’s how:

• Wear shoes with nonskid soles (not house slippers).
• Be sure your home is well lit so that you can see things you might trip over.
• Use night lights in your bedroom, bathroom, hallways and stairways.
• Remove throw rugs or fasten them to the floor with carpet tape. Tack down carpet edges.
• Don’t put electrical cords across pathways.
• Have grab bars put in your bathtub, shower and toilet area.
• Have handrails put on both sides of stairways.
• Don’t climb on stools and stepladders. Get someone else to help with jobs that call for climbing.
• Don’t wax your floors at all, or use a non-skid wax.
• Have sidewalks and walkways repaired so that surfaces are smooth and even.

Next, get regular check-ups from your doctor, and take good care of yourself:

• Have your eyes checked every year for vision changes, cataracts, glaucoma and other eye problems.
• Have your hearing checked every two years, or anytime you or others think that you can’t hear well.
• See your doctor if you have foot pain or corns, or if you can’t trim your toenails well. Sore feet could make you fall.
• See your doctor right away if you feel dizzy, weak or unsteady on your feet, if you feel confused, or if you fall.
• Let your doctor know if a medicine is making you feel dizzy or making you lose your balance.
• If your doctor wants you to use a cane or a walker, learn how to use it–and then use it all the time.
• When you get up from bed during the night or in the morning, sit on the side of the bed for a minute or two before you stand up. This will give your blood pressure time to adjust, and you will feel less dizzy.
• If you need to go to the bathroom often at night, consider using a bedside commode.

And keep your body in good shape:

• Get regular exercise, especially walking.
• Do exercises to strengthen the muscles you use for walking and lifting.
• Don’t smoke.
• Limit your alcohol intake to two drinks or less a day.

Keep Your Family Involved

Your family can help you check your home for dangers that might make you trip or fall. They can help make your home safer for you.

Someone in your family can take a walk with you to see how stable you are. Your family can also watch for changes in your strength or balance.

Your family can respond to any worries you might have about feeling dizzy, weak or unsteady, and they can see that you get help.