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Fall prevention
The next thing Long Owen tackled was fall prevention.
“You have to look at your environment with a critical eye,” she said. “A seemingly small thing such as a bump in the rug can cause a fall.”

They fall-proofed their home: moving furniture to low-traffic areas, removing obstacles with sharp corners, avoiding throw rugs, smoothing floor surfaces and even fixing cracks in the sidewalk. They also installed grab bars and nonslip mats in the bathroom and bathtub.

“Fall prevention is the most important issue when providing home care for the elderly,” said Jennifer Van Dyke, physical therapist and a director of health services for Texas HealthSpring. “Bone density thins as we grow older, making the elderly more susceptible to fractures. They are only a step away from a home injury.

“And the consequences of having an elderly person falling can be catastrophic,” Van Dyke said. Falls account for 5.1 million injuries and more than 7,000 deaths for people 65 and older. (Source: Home Safety Council, September 2006.)

“A hip fracture can turn a caregiver’s world upside down,” Van Dyke said. “Because of increased need, a caregiver may have to leave their job, causing additional financial burden. “And the patient almost never gets back to their previous mobility level.”
For a person 75 or older, 21.6 percent die within a year following a hip fracture. (Source: Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.)

“It’s a good idea to have them wear a medic alert bracelet,” Van Dyke said. “Simply pushing a button tells a monitoring system to notify friends and family that a person is in trouble.
“Sad to say, I’ve had cases where an elderly person has fallen and lain on the floor for hours before getting help.”

But home safety starts with a room-by-room check to stop a fall before it happens. “An ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure,” Van Dyke said.
See the Home safety checklist, next column.

Medication
Long Owen and her husband controlled and dispensed all medications.
“Granny became so forgetful, she couldn’t remember if she had taken her medicine or not,” Long Owen said.
Depending on their level of awareness, many seniors can control their meds.
“But it’s a good idea for the caregiver to share in the responsibility for securing medications and maintaining a schedule for taking them,” said Tim Sawyers, pharmacist and director of clinical pharmacy services for Texas HealthSpring. “Many seniors take multiple medications prescribed by several physicians and are at risk for accidental poisoning.
“Talk with the patient’s doctor and pharmacist to make sure you understand the use and dosage of each medication,” Sawyer said. “And keep them stored in the original containers.”

Living will
“You’ll have to consider having them make a living will and a medical power of attorney,” Long Owen said. “Be sensitive when you approach this with them. If you’re having trouble, get a health professional to intercede and talk to them.”
A living will or medical power of attorney appoints someone to make medical decisions if a person is too incapacitated to make them. Forms can be picked up at a doctor’s office, hospital, or downloaded for free online. An attorney may also draft one.

Staying involved
Rinn eventually moved into the early stages of dementia.
“We wanted to keep her as involved as possible, so we began taking her to the

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