National Falls Prevention Week

National Falls Prevention Week

This is National Falls Prevention Week. For 25 years, Signature Health Services has specialized in conducting home safety assessments, patient evaluations for falls, and teaching techniques and providing physical therapy to help safeguard vulnerable, homebound patients against harmful and painful falls.

Assessment

Please ask yourself these questions to help determine whether Signature’s skilled services are necessary to evaluate you, assess your home for falls prevention, and protect you from the risk of dangerous falls.

Have (or do) you:

1. fallen in the past year?
   A past fall means you are more likely to fall again.
2. use or been advised to use a cane or walker to get around safely?
   Those who have been advised to use a cane or walker may already be more likely to fall.
3. feel unsteady or unsafe when walking?
   Unsteadiness or needing support while walking are signs of poor balance.
4. steady yourself by holding onto furniture when walking at home?
   This is another sign of imbalance & future falls.
5. been worried about falling?
   People who are worried about falling are more likely to fall.
6. need to push up with your hands when standing up from a chair?
   This is a sign of weak leg muscles, a major reason for falling.
7. had trouble stepping up a stair or a curb?
   This is another sign of weak leg muscles; a major reason for falling.
8. rushed to the bathroom?
   Racing to the bathroom, especially at night, increases your chance of falling.
9. felt numbness or loss of feeling in your feet?
   Numbness in your feet can cause stumbles and lead to falls.
10. take medications that sometimes make you feel light-headed or more tired than usual?
    Side effects from medicines can sometimes increase your chance of falling.
11. take medicine to help you sleep or improve your mood?
    Taking these medications can increase your chance of falling.
12. sometimes feel depressed or out of sorts?
    Symptoms of depression, such as not feeling well or feeling down, are linked to falls.

If the answer is yes to 4 or more of the above questions, then you should contact your physician and request that he or she order Signature Health Services to conduct a home safety assessment, a falls prevention evaluation of you, and evaluate you for the need for training, physical assistance, and physical therapy.