10 Tips for Preventing Dementia-Related Fall According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injuryrelated deaths for older adults. Those who live with dementia are especially at risk. Impaired judgment, decline in sensory perception over time and an inability tell others about their needs can contribute to an increased fall risk for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related disorders. The following 10-point guide provides easy-to-follow tips that will help family members reduce falls risks for their loved ones with dementia: 1. Arrange for adequate lighting. Dementia can damage the visual system and cause illusions and misperceptions. Make sure the home has enough lighting in each room to reduce visual difficulties. People with dementia might misinterpret what they see, so reducing dark areas and shadows is vital.
2. Provide visual cues. People with dementia can have difficulty separating similar colors (such as the same carpet on the stairs and on the floor) and setting objects and their background apart. It is helpful to define the top and bottom of a staircase through the use of contrasting colors. 3. Clear walking paths inside the home. Those living with dementia can have a hard time recognizing the danger of a loose rug, unsteady footstool or electrical cords stretched across the floor. Removing tripping hazards and keeping pathways clear can help prevent falls. 4. Decrease clutter outside. Areas outside of the home should be clear of objects (leaves, rocks, etc.) and there should not be dips in walkways or otherwise uneven ground in a senior’s path. 5. Information and reminders in a common place. Create a single place for any notes or reminders that can easily be accessed and read by a person with dementia. This can be a cork bulletin board or a dry
erase board. Using a single location simplifies the process and provides for an organized system, preventing the need for a senior to walk around looking for information. 6. Keep important things by the bed. A major issue for people living with dementia is confusion at night. Restless nights can leave them tired and unsteady. To help prevent wandering at night, keep important items on a bedside table, including water, a light source, eyeglasses, tissues and the telephone. 7. Consider unmet needs. A person living with dementia may start to wander as their condition progresses. This may lead them into unsafe areas. Wandering often signifies an unmet need a senior is trying to satisfy. For example, they may be looking for a telephone because they usually called their wife at 5 p.m. Instead of trying to physically stop the wandering, try distracting or redirecting their activity to avoid raising a person’s anxiety or frustration level.
8. Lower noise levels. As a person living with dementia may have more sensitivity to noise, you should try and decrease the level of white noise and loud sounds around them. If the noise level becomes too much, it can cause anxiety and nervousness – which can make a person with dementia unsteady on their feet. 9. Keep help at hand. For an older person who is at risk of falling, being able to quickly and easily call for help is vital. Consider various forms of remote care technology, such as a fall alert bracelet or auto detector, which can be used in case of an emergency. 10. Supply safe footwear. What a person wears on their feet can represent a major fall risk. If a shoe can easily slip off, it can cause them to trip. However, a person living with dementia may struggle with complicated articles of clothing that involve buttons or laces. Shoes with Velcro fastenings are a good solution, making footwear easy to take on and off, but also safely securing it to their feet.
Handling Dementia Mood Swing People with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia can often experience mood swings. These episodes can be trying on their caregivers as they try to help. “The best thing that a caregiver can do to mitigate mood and behavior changes is to know and understand the individual person — including history, likes and dislikes, favorite foods, music and activities, what soothes them, what upsets them, what time of day they are at their best, and so on,” said Ruth Drew, Director of Family and Information Services for the Alzheimer’s Association. “When you know the person you
can organize the day so that you anticipate and avert many problems before they occur. You recognize the signs of distress early and have several methods of dealing with them.” Some of these methods include filling the day with pleasant experiences in which the person is comfortable and comforted by sights, sounds and tastes they enjoy. This needs to be combined with plenty of “down time” to avoid feelings of boredom and loneliness. Proper management of diet, activity and medications can minimize pain that might also cause mood swings. “When someone with
Alzheimer’s seems upset or withdrawn, first assess for pain or discomfort,” Drewsaid. “Pain in people with Alzheimer’s is under-recognized and undertreated, because they may not tell us in the way we expect. When pain is the problem, rely on your medical team to diagnose and treat the cause. Sometimes the things we interpret as mood swings or challenging behavior can simply be a person’s reaction to uncomfortable clothing, being too hot, too cold, hungry, thirsty, bored or fatigued. Often, if we try to look at the world through the other person’s eyes, we can figure out what’s going on and
help to solve it." Drew reminds caregivers that “all behavior is communication." Know that sometimes there is only so much a caregiver can do and support for the caregiver and medical intervention for the person with dementia are necessary. The Alzheimer’s Association offers education programs and support groups in local areas, as well as online social media and eLearning sites atwww.alz.org, and a 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.
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