Is Your Senior Limiting Her Activity to Avoid a Fall?

Your elderly family member might be so desperate to avoid a fall that she’s willing to try just about anything, like limiting her overall activity. The fear of falling is a valid one, especially for seniors, but that doesn’t mean that your senior’s solution is the right one for her situation.

This Is a Common Misconception

Lots of aging adults are afraid of falling and for good reason. Taking a fall can be incredibly damaging for your aging family member, both physically and mentally. If your senior has experienced a fall, she may be doubly committed to the idea of avoiding a fall. Unfortunately, the solution she might land on could be one in which she limits her own activity levels just to avoid falling.

It Becomes a Self-fulfilling Prophecy

This type of belief ends up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. The reason that it does is that your elderly family member loses muscle tone and strength, so when she does get up, she’s less able to do what she needs to do to avoid a fall. She also makes different decisions when she’s afraid than she might when she’s feeling more confident.

Talk to Her Doctor about Exercise

One of the first things that you can do to help your aging adult is to talk with her doctor about whether exercise is the right next step for her. If her doctor determines that exercise will help, you’ll need to know what types of exercise and what her target is. From there you can all work out a plan to help her to get moving safely.

Consider Senior Care Providers for Assistance

Another helpful tool you can add to your family member’s arsenal is that of a helping hand, especially when you can’t be there with her. Senior care providers can help her to safely move through her home and they can serve as companions and helpers in other ways. Knowing that there’s someone there who can help her to remain stable on her feet can help your senior’s confidence to grow.

Your senior’s intentions are certainly honorable with this idea, but it puts her into a position that isn’t a good one for her. She’s far more likely to experience a fall and to have other issues besides that. Instead, it’s important to focus on ways to help her to improve her mobility and to maintain her safety as much as possible.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring a Caregiver in Woodbridge, VA, please contact the caring staff at BrightHope Home Care and Senior Care today. Call us at 703-595-2878  ~ We serve all of Northern VA.