Managing medications can be the key to helping seniors avoid a nasty fall, but often seniors need additional support with this issue. Family caregivers may not be able to help as much as they would like or seniors may live alone, even finding themselves homebound. That’s when home health care can step in and offer a lot of support. This type of care can help seniors to address the concerns that might lead to a fall.

Managing Medications

Medications are crucial in terms of helping seniors and other patients to manage health issues well. But they often come with side effects, some of which might make it easier for someone to fall. Part of managing medication correctly involves making sure seniors are taking medications properly, at the right times and in the right dosages. Home health care providers can streamline the medication process for seniors, ensuring they’re taking what they should, when they should.

Assessing Fall Risks

Often seniors don’t realize how close they are to taking a nasty fall. They don’t see the safety issues that are part of their home environment or they don’t realize how important their fall risk factors are to pay attention to. And then there’s the fact that medications can make them feel well enough that they might not realize they’re not steady on their feet. Home health care can educate patients and family caregivers, helping them understand what the big potential problems are and how they can be avoided.

Prioritizing Fall Prevention

This attention to detail helps home health care providers help seniors to prioritize fall prevention. If they’re able to work with a physical therapist or start a gentle exercise program, for instance, that might be the first step in the fall prevention plan. Evaluating possible home modifications is another piece of the puzzle. Tackling those projects can help seniors be safer at home almost immediately.

Personalizing Plans for Movement

Every senior has different needs and abilities around movement. Some aging adults may need assistive devices like a cane or walker while others may gradually be able to increase their ability to move safely around their home without needing assistive devices. Neither is a better solution because what really matters is what the individual patient needs most. Home health care providers work with doctors and other specialists to personalize those plans.

Helping with Ongoing Monitoring

These plans take time to yield results. Home health care providers work with their seniors to stay on target and move closer to their goals. They help to keep medical providers and family caregivers informed about what is helping and what isn’t. All of this data helps to ensure that seniors get the help they need and that they’re able to improve their fall risk factors.

Medications do so much good for seniors. The key is to stay alert for side effects and other issues that might make a fall more likely. Home health care providers can take the guesswork out of medication management for seniors while also helping them to keep their goals in mind.

If you or an aging loved one is considering home health care in Rockville, MD, please contact the caring staff at Care At Home today. 301-970-9706

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Ann Smith RN

Owner at Care at Home

Ann Smith, RN, Realtor® Your local Home care and Home transition expert Ann is a Registered Nurse and a Realtor with a passion and dedication to serving her community. She has over twenty years of nursing experience in pediatric, geriatric, home health care, and care management. She founded Care at Home, a home care company, to provide seniors with services that promote independence and safe aging in place. Ann is dedicated to helping seniors achieve stress-free retirement living by providing comprehensive services from health to home. Ann's mother instilled in her the value of hard work, dedication, and service to others at a young age, which is now a driving force in her home care agency. Her caring and compassionate work with seniors began when she was just 17 years old. She was offered a job as a caregiver. Just as quickly, she instinctively knew that this would be her life's work. She soon became a nurse and has since helped many older adults transition seamlessly into a new phase of life. While helping seniors and individuals with their home care needs, it became apparent that part of the transition process often involved selling their current home for more suitable living arrangements. That's when Ann decided to add real estate services to alleviate stress and enhance her client's experience. It's also how she became known as the Home Transition Agent. Today, Ann helps her mature clients achieve stress-free retirement living by providing in-home care and comprehensive services from health to home. Ann's love for children and dedication to helping families caring for children with chronic health conditions inspired Pediatric Care at Home, a division of Care at Home that provides pediatric nursing care. Ann and her team are dedicated to providing compassionate care to all, from infants to older adults. When Ann isn't busy helping her patients and clients, she volunteers her time at women's shelters and fostering dogs. She and her veteran husband enjoy a simple life in the countryside, where farm animals and country life surround them. Ann also enjoys reading, photography, gardening, and nature walk with their dogs.

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