Seniors have to pay attention to so many issues, including their possible risk of falling. If seniors do fall, they can sustain injuries that affect their quality of life for years to come. There are a variety of different risk factors that could cause a fall, but incontinence is one that might come as a surprise to many people. If seniors are battling incontinence, home care providers can help them manage the issue and be safer at home.
Fall Risk Factors for Seniors
As people grow older, they experience a variety of different risk factors that could contribute to a fall. Trouble with vision, muscle weakness, or balance issues are a few of the most common ones. Household hazards, like damaged flooring or clutter, can be another source of trouble. Illnesses and ailments, like incontinence, can also be a factor.
What Is Urinary Incontinence?
Seniors who are incontinent typically have trouble controlling their bladders, which leads to accidental urine leakage. It’s a really common problem, but it’s embarrassing, and most people don’t want to talk about it. There are different types of incontinence, with a variety of different causes. The big problem is that when seniors are incontinent, they’re more likely to try to rush around.
Urgency-Induced Rushing Can Lead to Stumbling
When seniors rush to the bathroom in a panic, they may stumble, trip over obstacles, or lose their balance. If the path to the bathroom isn’t clear or there are other problems, the problem gets even more dangerous.
The fear of not making it to the bathroom can overtake everything else, leading seniors to ignore safety rules they know they should follow.
Distraction and Lack of Focus
Incontinence can also cause seniors to feel distracted and have difficulty focusing. Seniors find it more difficult to pay attention, which means that they may not notice obstacles that should have been obvious to them. Anxiety and stress also build up, further making it tougher to concentrate.
Sleep Deprivation from Nighttime Urination
Frequent nighttime urination, also called nocturia, disrupts sleep patterns. When that happens, seniors often experience fatigue and daytime drowsiness. Being tired affects balance, coordination, and reaction times. At night, seniors may also be more at risk of running into obstacles or losing balance as they walk to the bathroom.
Having help from home care providers overnight may be a solution if this is a big problem for aging adults.
Managing Incontinence Effectively
Managing urinary incontinence properly is one of the best ways to ensure that seniors don’t get hurt or fall because of it. Home care providers can help by working with seniors to set up bathroom schedules. They can also help seniors declutter and ensure that the path to the bathroom is clear and safe to travel.
Staying safe is always an important goal for seniors. Sometimes, the health issues they’re battling can be a factor in other areas, like incontinence becoming a fall risk factor. Home care providers can help with all sorts of issues that seniors battle, ensuring that they have a safe and comfortable space in which to age in place.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care in Pacific Beach, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aaron Home Care. (619) 880-5522
A Trusted Home Care Agency Serving La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, San Diego, UTC, La Mesa, Chula Vista, Coronado, Bonita, Eastlake, and the surrounding areas.
In 1999, Aaron was named Residential Program Manager of a group home for disabled adults in Arlington, Virgina. Here, he built a reputation for being compassionate with his clients and efficient in company operations. In the years that followed, Washington DC’s human services field went through unprecedented reform when the city was fined $11 million for the previously unchecked abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the very population it was supposed to protect. In 2005, Aaron was selected by a watchdog company to co-create and implement a monitoring system to safeguard and advocate for the system’s most vulnerable residents. This system is still in use today.
Aaron is now using his unique gifts and profound experience in the human service field to provide San Diego County Seniors with dependable, compassionate caregivers through Aaron Home Care.
He currently serves on the board of the San Diego Regional Home Care Council and is an active member of the Senior Advocate Network of San Diego.
Aaron Home Care is a member of the American Board of Home Care and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
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