Tips for Helping Your Senior Avoid a Traumatic Brain Injury
April 11, 2018
There are nearly 3 million traumatic brain injuries throughout the United States each year. Though approximately 75 percent of these are mild, including concussions, some instances are very severe, even leading to death. In fact, more than 30 percent of injury-related deaths have TBI as a contributing factor. As a family caregiver one of the most important things that you can do is helping them to avoid the most serious injuries and illnesses, including TBI.
Elder Care in Atherton CA: Avoiding Traumatic Brain Injuries
Use these tips to help your senior avoid a TBI:
- Evaluate their home to find potential fall hazards, such as loose flooring, slippery conditions, or lack of grab bars, and modify them to provide a safer, more secure environment.
- Ensure that your aging parent wears well-fitting, secure footwear when they are walking, even when they are in their home.
- Start elder care for them so that they have access to physical support and assistance when navigating their home, getting in and out of the bath, transferring, going up and down the stairs, and other tasks that might be dangerous.
- Discourage your parent from driving if they have been showing any difficulties.
- Ensure that they always take proper safety precautions such as wearing their seatbelt when in the car and following all traffic signs and signals even when taking walks.
- If your aging parent is taking medications, talk to their doctor about the potential side effects, including dizziness. Ask if they can change this medication or for recommendations for how to address the side effects to reduce the risk of falls and other accidents.