How The Elderly Can Make Their Home Safer

By Author: Jodi Campbell
Total Articles: 12
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Older people are at significant risk of accidental injury within and around their home's, this is due to changes in mobility, eyesight, effects of medication and health conditions. There are many things Home nurses Melbourne can do to identify potential hazards for the elderly and make recommendations for care needs that will improve safety inside and outside the home. Home nurses Melbourne services are able to assist the elderly and their relatives to improve home safety and prevent slips, falls and other accidental injuries.

A very common type of injury sustained from a fall in the home is a fractured hip, falls that cause this type of injury are preventable. Home nursing Melbourne services can visit your home and provide an assessment to make your home safer. An experienced nurse from a Home nursing services Melbourne is able to provide a nursing health assessments Melbourne, to identify potential health risks.

Side effects of medication and interactions between medication, is a very common cause of falls in the elderly, with increasing poly pharmacy in the community it is important that the home nurse ...
... Melbourne assess a clients knowledge of medication and compliance with medications to ensure safety in managing their medications independently.

Home Nursing Melbourne will assess an older person's general level of functioning with specific attention to falls and possible causes, such as changes in vision, walking gait and changes to blood pressure. Health Assessments Melbourne will also be interested in the home environment, clutter, obstacles like steps, uneven surfaces, bathroom aids and much more. Home nurses Melbourne will usually ask if there is a history of falls within the last 6 months in order to establish if there is a pattern of falls occurring. Home nurses Melbourne will also be interested in what the patient was doing at the time of the fall.

Elderly people should ensure that they keep their homes free of mats, and use ramps instead of steps. Home nurse Melbourne will recommend during a health assessments Melbourne that clients remove all mats form their home. This is a request often met with some degree of resistance by the client however for the elderly the removal of mats may mean that they will remain living independently and not experience a loss of their independence due to an unwanted fall. It is the old saying of pride comes before a fall.

Other important needs of the elderly are grab rails at entry, in the shower and toilet. Home nurses Melbourne will also recommend that clients use a non slip mat inside the shower and also on the bath room floor outside the shower to prevent slips. Home Nursing Melbourne also prefers patients to sit on a show stool or chair whilst shower and the use of a hand held shower can be very helpful with this they are usually easily obtained and the nurse will may refer you to an occupational therapist or your local council to arrange having rails and the hand held shower installed.

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