As you get older, things change. You might not be as mobile as you once were or you might notice that your vision is declining. Maybe you struggle to concentrate or you forget where you’ve put things down in your home more often than you once did.
Sadly, there isn’t much that we can do about getting older. We all age and it’s a natural part of life. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t take steps to prolong our lifespans and stay healthy for longer.
The Risk of Falls in the Elderly
One of the biggest concerns for seniors is safety. With declining strength, mobility, and coordination, the risk of trips and falls increases, and this poses a huge safety risk.
Falls are the leading cause of hospital admissions, injuries, and fatalities in the elderly population. Around 36 million falls occur every year in seniors and around 20% of them result in a broken bone or head trauma. https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/older-adult-falls/index.html
Many of these falls occur in the home. If you live alone, it’s important to take the right steps for fall prevention. When you put safety measures in place, you can minimize the risks of falls and injuries, and maintain your independence.
Changing Your Routine to Stay Healthy and Safe
When you get older, you need to make changes to your daily routine to stay healthy and injury-free.
It’s not just the risk of falls that you need to consider. Maintaining your physical and mental health requires you to establish a great daily routine that caters to your unique needs.
Here are some great changes that you can implement into your daily routine to stay happy and healthy for years to come.
Stay Socially Connected
If you live alone, it’s easy to start feeling lonely and isolated. Making the effort to have social connections with other people on a daily basis can reduce the negative impacts that living alone can have on your mental health.
You could ask your relatives to visit you regularly if they live close by or arrange for a community nurse to pay you a visit each day. If it’s not possible for your family, friends, or carers to come to your home every day, a quick phone call can do the trick to eliminate loneliness.
Staying socially connected not only improves your mental health but also helps to keep you physically safe. When you live alone as a senior, falling over can be detrimental if you rarely get visitors.
If you fall to the ground and are unable to get back on your feet, you could be waiting hours for help. However, if your loved ones or carers communicate with you every day, they will notice that there is a problem almost immediately.
Use a Medical Alarm
Alongside staying in regular contact with your relatives and carers, consider carrying a medical alarm or fall alarm around with you. If you fall to the ground and injure yourself, you can activate the alarm to get immediate help.
Some alarms will automatically alert medical personnel when you fall over so you don’t need to manually activate them yourself. The quicker you get help when you have fallen and injured yourself, the quicker your recovery is likely to be and the lower the risk of long-term complications.
Whether you fall in a forest while on a morning walk or in your home, your medical alarm will put you in touch with professional medical services so that you can get treatment for your injuries if needed.
Eat Well and Stay Hydrated
Eating a healthy diet and drinking lots of water are both very important for people of all ages but they become even more important when you get older.
Eating a diet full of healthy foods promotes longevity and reduces the risk of disease. Staying hydrated throughout the day will maintain your energy levels, and prevent lethargy and dizziness. Most of your fluid intake should come from water but you can also drink tea, coffee, and fruit juice to stay hydrated.
Ideally, each of your meals should contain a source of complex carbohydrates, like wholegrain cereals, pasta, rice, bread, and potatoes. Carbohydrates provide your body with lots of energy to get through the day.
Alongside a portion of carbohydrates, your meals should also contain a form of lean protein, like chicken, fish, tofu, legumes, or beans. Protein is essential to maintain your muscle mass as you age.
Make sure to include at least five portions of fruits or vegetables into your diet each day to maximize your intake of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
