What to do if you fall

Source: AgeUK

Falls in the home can happen to any of us, at any time. However older family members are at a higher risk of injury than many of us.

How many of you know what to do? Or are able to tell an older relative how they might manage in the event of a fall?

Here are some basic points to remember.

1. Try to stay calm and not panic.

2. Get help if you can.
• Don’t move if you feel pain.
• Try to attract attention – bang on the floor or wall or use your community alarm if you have one.
• Call 999 if you can reach a phone.

3. If you can’t get help, and you are not hurt, try to get up.
• First, check carefully that you are not hurt.
• Then roll on to your hands and knees and crawl to a sturdy piece of furniture – for example, a chair or bed.
• Put your hands on the chair or bed and bring one leg up, bending your knee and placing your foot flat on the floor.
• Lean forwards, pushing with your hands and foot and bring your other foot up so that it is also flat on the floor and you are crouching.
• Turn and sit on the furniture.
• Make sure you rest for a while before you try to stand up.

(Once you know the technique it is a good idea to practise doing all this before it ever happens!)

4. If you are hurt or can’t get up, keep yourself warm. Cover yourself with a coat or anything else you can reach. Keep tensing your arm and leg muscles and roll from side
to side if you can to keep moving. If you have fallen on a hard floor, try to crawl to a softer, carpeted area if possible.

HomeCalls Ltd provides an effective guaranteed telephone call into the home of an older or vulnerable adults who wish to maintain their independence by living at home.

This means that an alarm will quickly be raised if they have had had a fall of some kind, but are unable to contact their support network or emergency services.

Find out more about how the HomeCalls service works here. It’s very cost effective, and guaranteed.

For for more information call Beverley on 01494 449769