Ida turned 75 last friday,
80 people showed up for her b-day party,
she's lived in her home, next door for 14 years, since her husband died.

it's 14 inches up from the garage floor to the breeze way and another 7 1/2 inches up to her kitchen floor.

She has talked about getting another home , here in tiny town, for three years now.

Well wednesday afternoon she fell , on to the concrete breeze way floor, she broke her femur and her right forearm .

Some ladies walking by called the ambulance for her a got her a drink of water.

Please consider evaluating the home of your mom,dad, grandparents for fall hazards.

I am guessing she will be relocating before she heads back to Florida for the winter

Slip and fall hazards are an enormous risk for elderly homeowners. It is almost always a transition issue. Going from one room, one type of floor to another. Getting up from a chair, or sitting down to a chair. Getting in and out of bed is another big issue.

Build her a ramp?

I've done several for wheelchair-bound folks. It changes the mobility challenges for them in a positive way. I'm sure it would help Ida.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
Build her a ramp?

I've done several for wheelchair-bound folks. It changes the mobility challenges for them in a positive way. I'm sure it would help Ida.

A lot of the time it is not an issue so much as lifting the leg but a miscommunication between the brain and leg of how high to lift, and the ear (balance) and the brain on when to shift weight. Much like a drunk, elderly folks have issues with weight transfer. going up, down any kind of grade, transition is the issue.

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At least the hubby isn't trying to kill her. We maintain trip and fall hazards all over this place. I'm pretty sure I'm the target. The lady's only hope is to escape the familiar house and find one that doesn't have all the problems. I know they've never been a problem before, but now they're out to kill her. Build the ramp in the interim. Won't do her much good, but It'll ease your guilt. Unless she trips on it. Sorry for my poor attitude.

On the trip and fall issue, the doctors all must ask you if you've had any falls over some period, often the last year. I'm always polite and agreeable with my doctor. So when he asks about falls I tell him I fall all the time. Then I try to get up. Lucky for me, I haven't broken any bones...yet.

almost always the optimist, "at least it wasn't my hip, that would have been worse"

I looked at the ramp Idea .

she does not have the space available ,
spoke with her son ,
she will be in the hospital for four days, then to assisted living and rehab for 2-3 weeks

Wow, that’s tough! Hope she feels bette soon.
I recently lost my dad at 82 yo. He was falling on straight ground for over 5 years. It seems that falling is part of being elderly. My next door neighbors are in their late 70’s are in the same boat. The husband falls every couple of weeks.

I hope the lady has a quick and full recovery, and that some accommodation can be made to ease her condition.

My mom was always falling, but fortunately usually only had skinned flesh as a result. I am now 80 and in the past couple of years have fallen a couple of times, again with no broken bones or serious injuries.

I think the main cause of elderly people falling is a degradation in the sense of balance. When we are younger, we experience dozens of episodes every day where we have a slight misstep or stub a toe on a floor crack, and our body instantly takes action to compensate and we don't even usually notice that it has happened. However, as we age, the ability to make those quick adjustments in center of mass and movement of limbs necessary to maintain our balance degrades and in some cases we cannot make the changes needed and fall. To the extent that we can, we look for ways to augment our abilities to maintain ourselves erect--we move more slowly, try to be aware of obstacles and uneven ground, and use handrails when available. I have even asked (and received) assistance from others when no handrails were provided, believing it better to be a slight bother than to be a major accident by falling.

flashguy

My grandpa fell off a ladder and he was only on the second rung up from the bottom. He broke his leg.
He also hurt his hip. It was the beginning of the end for him.
He got out of bed one day and his hip broke, he fell to the floor and broke some ribs and internally bled.
My grandma tried to pick him up to get him into bed before she called an ambulance. Her hip broke then. He died and they did not find her until a couple days later. That was a long time ago. A real gun guy.
Now, I have to watch my step.

My parents were talking about this on the way home from dinner last night. Said the two steps from the garage are a real bear when loading groceries into the house. Seems like nothing for us but they have real problems with those two steps.

Dad is 86 and mom is 78.

The transition from my parents' garage to their house had three steps to a landing, a 90 degree turn, and one more step into the house. My dad and I built half height steps and added railings with grab handles. My mom has no trouble now. Even I have to admit it's really easy getting into their house. I don't feel the half height steps; it's like you just glide into the house.