Are These Symptoms Serious

Melind Stanfield

Description

Canandaigua Medical Group Fall Prevention James C. Powers, M.D., F.A.C.P. June, 2002 thIn the United Stated, the 6 leading cause of death in persons older than 65 is accidents. Of these accidents, falls constitute the majority. Therefore, carefully read the following safeguards and implement as many as possible to prevent unnecessary falls in your home. Housekeeping: 1) Keep floors and stairways clean and free of clutter. 2) Clean up spills as soon as they occur. 3) Store frequently used items on shelves that are within easy reach. Floors: 1) If you wax floors, use self-polishing, non-skid wax. 2) If you must have small (“throw”) rugs, use non-skid backings. 3) Never place small (“throw”) rugs at the tops or bottoms of stairways. 4) Tack down all corners and edges of carpets. 5) Remove or replace all carpets with curled edges, worn spots and rips. 6) Choose carpets and rugs with short, dense pile, and install over good quality, medium thick pad. Bathroom: 1) Use a rubber mat or non-skid decals in the tub or shower. 2) Use a grab bar securely anchored over the tub or on the shower wall. 3) Use a non-skid rug on the bathroom floor. Traffic Lanes: 1) Keep the traffic lane from your bedroom to the bathroom free of obstacles. 2) Keep telephone and appliance cords away from areas where you walk. 3) Position furniture in each room so that you can walk across each room, and from one room to another, without detouring around furniture. Lighting: ...

Informations

• Publié par: Urre
• Nombre de lectures: 60
• Langue: English

Extrait

Canandaigua Medical Group Fall Prevention James C. Powers, M.D., F.A.C.P. June, 2002 th In the United Stated, the 6leading cause of death in persons older than 65 is accidents. Of these accidents, falls constitute the majority. Therefore, carefully read the following safeguards and implement as many as possible to prevent unnecessary falls in your home.

Housekeeping: 1) Keepfloors and stairways clean and free of clutter. 2) Cleanup spills as soon as they occur. 3) Storefrequently used items on shelves that are within easy reach.

Floors: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

Bathroom: 1) 2) 3)

If you wax floors, use selfpolishing, nonskid wax. If you must have small (“throw”) rugs, use nonskid backings. Never place small (“throw”) rugs at the tops or bottoms of stairways. Tack down all corners and edges of carpets. Remove or replace all carpets with curled edges, worn spots and rips. Choose carpets and rugs with short, dense pile, and install over good quality, medium thick pad.

Use a rubber mat or nonskid decals in the tub or shower. Use a grab bar securely anchored over the tub or on the shower wall. Use a nonskid rug on the bathroom floor.

Traffic Lanes: 1) Keepthe traffic lane from your bedroom to the bathroom free of obstacles. 2) Keeptelephone and appliance cords away from areas where you walk. 3) Positionfurniture in each room so that you can walk across each room, and from one room to another, without detouring around furniture. Lighting: 1) Keepa lamp or light switch within easy reach of your bed. 2) Usenight lights in your bathroom and in the hallway leading from your bedroom to the bathroom. 3) Eliminateshadowy areas with good lighting. Stairways: 1) Usesecurely fastened handrails that extend the full length of the stairs on each side of the stairways. 2) Keepstairways in good condition, with no broken, sagging, or sloping steps. 3) Keepstairway carpeting and metal edges securely fastened and in good condition. QUALITY CARE FOR ALL AGES ©Copyright Canandaigua Medical Group, 2004 335 Parrish Street ∙ Canandaigua, NY 14424 (585) 3932888 www.canandaiguamedical.com

Canandaigua Medical Group Ladders and Step Stools: 1) Neveruse a chair as a step stool or ladder. 2) Ifyou must use a ladder or step stool: a) Usea ladder or step stool that is tall enough for the job. b) Keepall ladders and step stools in good condition. c) Alwaysface the steps and keep your body between the side rails. nd d) Neverstand on top of a step stool or climb beyond the 2step from the top on a ladder.

Outdoor Areas: 3) Keepsidewalks and driveways free of cracks and holes. 4) Keeplawns and gardens free of holes, rocks, garden tools, hoses, and other tripping hazards. 5) Keepwalkways free of snow and ice; sprinkle salt or other deicers on icy outdoor areas. 6) Keepa mat at doorways for people to wipe their feet on.

Footwear: 7) 8) 9)

Avoid walking in stocking feet. Wear shoes with soles and heels that provide good traction. Replace boots or galoshes when their soles or heels are worn too smooth to keep you from slipping on wet or icy surfaces.

Personal Precautions: 10) Remainalert for unexpected hazards, such as outofplace furniture. 11) Ifyou have pets, be alert for sudden movements across your path and pets underfoot. 12) Whencarrying bulky packages, make sure they don’t obstruct your vision. Divide large, bulky loads into smaller loads whenever possible. 13) Whenyou reach or bend, hold onto a firm support and avoid turning your head too far. 14) Movedeliberately and avoid rushing to answer the phone or doorbell. 15) Taketime to get your balance when you change position from lying to sitting and from sitting to standing. 16) Ifyou wear eyeglasses, keep your prescription uptodate. 17) Ifyou live alone, have daily contact with a friend or neighbor. Remember  Falls are avoidable. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. _____________________________ Your doctor knows you and your family best. Nothing takes the place of talking directly with your doctor about your health and questions that you have. The information provided here is not medical care or treatment and is not specific to your situation. You need to contact your own doctor for your medical care.

QUALITY CARE FOR ALL AGES ©Copyright Canandaigua Medical Group, 2004 335 Parrish Street ∙ Canandaigua, NY 14424 (585) 3932888 www.canandaiguamedical.com