Preventing Falls

Let's face it, no one wants to fall and the older we get, the more we want to and truly need to avoid it, no matter our level of vision. The good news is there are some simple things we can all do to reduce the chances of falling, so let's get at it.

For starters, to make this work, everything you learn here should be shared with everyone in your household. Let them know it's important not to move or rearrange any furniture without letting you know. Also, remind them to keep all cabinet and appliance doors closed. This also applies to keeping all walkways clear of cords and area rugs and closing all downstairs entryway doors, like basements.

Moving your laundry room to the first floor will eliminate the risk of trying to hold onto a stair rail and a laundry basket, a feat that becomes impossible if you've also got a cane. And moving your mailbox to the front door means you won't have to go down any porch steps or walk out to the street. Increasing the contrast in your home is a biggie. The more you use light and dark colors together, the easier it will be to locate areas of your home where you need to be extra careful.

A good example of that is to put contrasting throw pillows or blankets on the corners of furniture you walk past a lot. Do the same thing for stairs, marking the edge of each step with contrasting colored tape. And by painting the stair rails and door frames a contrasting color, it's easier to tell them apart from the walls.

And there are things you can do to increase lighting without creating glare, like placing chairs with the backs to the window so the light comes from behind you and hanging mirrors on walls that don't reflect the sun that comes through the windows. Adding more light throughout the home is also a good idea. This gives you the ability to choose where you need more light. Just make sure you can keep cords out of the way to avoid tripping over them. Better still, you can now get smart plugs that have voice assistance so you can turn lights on and off without using the switch.

In hallways, bedrooms, and bathrooms, nightlights are a good way to transition from dark areas, giving your eyes time to adjust as you turn lights off and on. No matter what, you should always give yourself time going from a bright room to a dark room or vice versa to allow your eyes to adjust. It takes longer if you have low vision. There's more information in our lighting workshop and feel free to contact a learning expert if you want to know more about voice assistance on smart devices.

Because depth perception can throw you off balance sometimes, whenever you drop something, squat or bend at the knees. If there is a wall or a piece of furniture nearby, hold onto it for support. If there's a chair you can sit in, by all means, sit. And if you need more help with finding dropped objects, we've got a workshop for that too. When you're lying in bed, you may have difficulty gauging how far away objects are, so don't risk falling by reaching for them.

If you have a dog or cat, attach a small bell to their collar so you can hear them moving around. And make sure children living in the home or visiting know to keep toys or other objects off the floor in case you don't see them.

As always, contact a learning expert if you have questions or your own tips to share. And check out Hadley's workshops on locating dropped objects and using protective techniques for even more detailed information about how to keep yourself safe in your home and community. Of course as with anything new, give yourself time, patience, and practice and you'll get there.