When taking care of an elderly loved one, you must make sure they are safe in the winter months. There are far too many elderly citizens who are falling in the winter due to proper precautions not being put in place. If you are taking care of your elderly loved one, there are many things you can do to help with fall prevention for the winter months.
Watching Their Step
The first thing your elderly loved one needs to do is to watch their step, no matter where they are walking. They should assume that everywhere is going to be icy, wet, or slippery. Underneath much of the snow, it’s probably ice. While they will be the one who needs to watch their step, you can be there to test out potentially slippery areas.
Choosing the Proper Shoes
It is also important that your elderly loved one has the proper footwear for the winter. They need footwear that will provide them with the proper traction. The majority of winter boots don’t hold up well throughout the winter. You need to make sure that your elderly loved one’s winter footwear has grooved soles with traction material on the bottom. These types of winter boots will give them the traction they need on slippery surfaces. Just remember, no footwear is 100$ slip-proof, so you should always make sure they are being careful.
Shuffling Instead of Walking
You and your elderly loved one’s home care providers should encourage them to shuffle their feet and legs when moving around, instead of regularly walking. Basically, they should be walking like a penguin. These shorter, baby steps can help them to walk slower increasing their chances of staying on their feet. While taking these shorter, baby steps, they should spread their body weight evenly over their feet. This, again, will help them to stay standing up.
Winter Ice Grips
Another tip for fall prevention in the winter months is to get your elderly loved one winter ice grips for the bottom of their shoes and boots. These winter ice grips have spikes on the bottom, so they can provide your loved one with more traction. If they don’t already have at least one pair of these, make sure you get them some right away. These have helped to prevent many falls in elderly adults and in many others, too.
These are some of the many great tips for fall prevention in the winter months. If you are caring for your elderly loved one, be sure you help to keep them safe and on their feet during the winter. By utilizing these tips, you can do just that.
Sources
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/Winter_Fall_Prevention_494521_7.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/features/winterweather/index.html
If you or an aging loved one is considering home care services in Castle Rock, CO, please contact the caring staff at SYNERGY HomeCare today at 303-953-9924.
