Canandaigua Medical Group Fall Prevention James C. Powers, M.D., F.A.C.P. June, 2002 thIn the United Stated, the 6 leading cause of death in persons older than 65 is accidents. Of these accidents, falls constitute the majority. Therefore, carefully read the following safeguards and implement as many as possible to prevent unnecessary falls in your home. Housekeeping: 1) Keep floors and stairways clean and free of clutter. 2) Clean up spills as soon as they occur. 3) Store frequently used items on shelves that are within easy reach. Floors: 1) If you wax floors, use self-polishing, non-skid wax. 2) If you must have small (“throw”) rugs, use non-skid backings. 3) Never place small (“throw”) rugs at the tops or bottoms of stairways. 4) Tack down all corners and edges of carpets. 5) Remove or replace all carpets with curled edges, worn spots and rips. 6) Choose carpets and rugs with short, dense pile, and install over good quality, medium thick pad. Bathroom: 1) Use a rubber mat or non-skid decals in the tub or shower. 2) Use a grab bar securely anchored over the tub or on the shower wall. 3) Use a non-skid rug on the bathroom floor. Traffic Lanes: 1) Keep the traffic lane from your bedroom to the bathroom free of obstacles. 2) Keep telephone and appliance cords away from areas where you walk. 3) Position furniture in each room so that you can walk across each room, and from one room to another, without detouring around furniture. Lighting: ...
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