Falls are a major reason behind most injuries that older and physically disabled people face. According to a recent medical study, one out of every five Australians suffers from a fall. The same study says that falls are the prime reason behind all non-fatal and fatal injuries of all Australians upward of 65 years. Having understood how a severe fall can affect the well being of the elderly, let us identify some popular devices that reduce the risk of falling. Read this article to know more about keeping your elderly relatives safe and out of harm’s way.
1. Mobility Aids
This device is much more than a crutch, and you could find a mobility aid in almost all parts of the world. Easy to handle and light in weight, a mobility aid is actually a walking aid for the sick and the infirm. It supports the person on its 4 legs, and unlike a crutch, it is more stable and lighter. Most walking aids are made of aluminum and are easily available. You don’t need a medical prescription to buy one, so if you feel you need a little bit of help in walking, you can straight away go and buy one of these devices.
2. Manual wheelchairs
A manual wheelchair is one of the most common handling devices ever invented. One should always trust renowned names such as Patient Handling when it comes to getting such devices. Almost every hospital, clinic or healthcare facility has this device which is nothing but a chair with wheels. A manual wheelchair can take your elderly relative from one place to another within your house or hospital. If the patient has strong and fully working arms, he can navigate it on his own, else you may have to hire a nurse who, among their other duties, also handles this wheelchair.
Mobile wheelchairs are used in cases where the patient is extremely weak and doesn’t have any strength to stand on his legs.
Not all wheelchairs are manual; there are chairs that work on battery power. These are easy to operate and you can push them to negotiate slopes.
3. Toilet seats
As is evident, these seats help the patients in bathrooms and toilets. These devices are extremely stable, have side-arms where you can rest your hands, and are pretty flexible. The best part about these toilet seats is they are mobile in nature. If your elderly relative has sufficient strength in his or her arms, he/she can lug this device anywhere. Some devices need not be lugged at all; they are electrically powered and at the flip of a button, you can take them anywhere you want. Since many elderly patients suffer from impairment of the knees, many manufacturers have begun making toilet seats which are adjustable.
4. Medical sheepskins
Medical sheepskins have been in the market since the 1960s, and have been used by healthcare facilities for patient support and handling. These can be used in shoes, sandals, and other wear-on. The best property of a medical sheepskin shoe is that it can retain moisture and still be light. The main material of this product is wool which has excellent heat retention properties.
5. Slide Sheets
One great way to transfer a physically challenged person is via slide sheets. This way, you reduce the risk of them falling down considerably. A slide sheet actually consists of two separate sheets, one over the other. To use it, simply roll over the patient to the other side, spread the sheet on the bed, and roll him back again. To transfer him from one side to another, simply pull the top sheet to your left or right. You would be amazed to see that while the top sheet glides against the bottom one, the latter sticks to its place.
We hope this article has helped you understand the utility of various instruments required to reduce the risk of falling. Have a good day!