 | Pam Pirotte was raised in Wichita and received her Masters in Nursing from WSU. She was a nursing educator as well as a bedside nurse until 1986, when care in the home became her focus. Pam considers this the most rewarding field available to nursing personnel. The relationships are positive and precious. “People appreciate us for keeping them in their own homes.” Pam lives with her husband, donkeys, ducks, chickens, geese, goats, dogs and cats, near Leon, Kansas. Saint Raphael Home Care is located at 903 West 18th, Wichita, KS 67203, and Pam can be reached at 316-269-5400. |
Senior Living
2007-10-01 11:09:00
Do senior citizens fall more often?
Answer: Falls are usually a result of health issues which become more common as we grow older.
The “fell and broke a hip” story is generally a misrepresentation. Many times a hip fracture is the reason for the fall. Gradual decalcification of the bone finally results in a fracture. The fall happens after the fracture. (This is one of the reasons we don’t want to have osteoporosis). Of course, there are many other reasons for a fall, and whenever a fall occurs, the resulting injuries are potentially life threatening.
So, we don’t want to fall if we can help it, and if we fall, we want to know why, so we can fix the problem, and avoid falling again.
• Some medications cause dizziness, according to the literature. Some interact with certain other medications to cause dizziness. Some people react in unexpected ways to a medication which doesn’t usually affect balance. If you are the one whose balance is affected, even if you’re the only one, get off the drug. Your pharmacist can review your meds for such issues.
• Eye changes can affect balance. A new eyeglass prescription, trifocal line, an error in production of your glasses, can affect sight, causing tripping or dizziness, resulting in a fall.
• Cardiovascular drugs for blood pressure, aching extremities, water retention can cause dizziness when moving from lying, to sitting, to standing positions. This effect may signal a dangerously low blood pressure. You should record your blood pressure at such times, and report to your cardiologist.
• Being dehydrated due to a recent illness, or sweating, or because water pills are too strong, can cause lightheadedness. Have your doctor check sodium and other trace minerals.
• Low blood sugar affects balance and can even cause a loss of consciousness.
• Newly developed neurological problems which result in blackouts, small strokes or TIAs (temporary strokes) may be the cause. Get a thorough workup from a neurologist, if you suspect any of these.
• If oxygenation problems exist, many times they are slow to develop and the person affected does not feel short of breath. Your physician may have an oxymeter machine which is an easy way to check. Values lower than 93% should be investigated. A pulmonologist is the doctor to see for lung problems.
• Unmanaged Hypertension can result in blackouts. Check your values 3 or 4 times throughout the day, and note the time of your last dose of medication. If your blood pressure is high any time of day or night, your blood pressure is not under control. Maybe your cardiologist can help.
• Ear infections, loss of hearing, wax buildup, antihistamine drugs for allergy management, can cause balance problems. Check it out.
Take charge of your life. Don’t fall, or at least, don’t fall again!
