Elderly

Regular and versatile physical activity plays a key role in preventing falling and slipping. It is also important to ensure versatile nutrition and sufficient hydration and rest. It is a good idea to discuss the up-to-dateness of any medication and their side effects with your doctor. Also have your vision checked regularly. Intoxicants predisposes you to various types of accidents, so you should avoid them. 

Select your shoes according to the weather. It is a good idea to use studded shoes or anti-slip devices if the ground is slippery. It is a good idea to place a seat in the hallway for taking off and putting on your shoes. At home, it is important to ensure that the hallway, any passageways and stairways are unobstructed and adequately illuminated. Anti-slip devices effectively prevent fall accidents, and it is a good idea to put them on the stairs, under carpets, on the bathroom floor and in the tub, for example. Support handles can also be helpful.

The majority of drowning deaths among the elderly happen to 65-74-year-old men. However, in proportion to the entire population, the age group of 75-84 is at the highest risk of drowning. Susceptibility to drowning accumulates over time. The relevant factors include health, taking care of it and water-related habits. 

Ageing causes muscle loss, which means reduced muscle mass and muscle strength. This changes the body’s composition and makes it more difficult to control your body in water, reducing your functional capacity when moving in water. As you age, your balance also deteriorates. You should take this into account in various transitions, such as moving from land to water or when getting on and off a boat. 

Anticipation and the correct attitude improve safety in water. Changes can be quick as you age, and your previous year’s water skills may not last over the winter. Never go in water unprepared. The keys to preventing drowning accidents include always wearing a life jacket when in water, not using any intoxicants and maintaining mobility by improving strength and balance.

Your home is the best place to live even when you are older. However, if your functional capacity or health deteriorates for one reason or another, your susceptibility to accidents also increases. The reduced functional capacity and mobility make it difficult to leave the apartment in the event of a fire, for example. 

As the elderly may not be able to ensure their fire safety independently, it is important that their family and friends take care of the matter. There are many home safety devices and, for example, stove guards or safety hobs improve the safety of the hob, especially for the elderly and people with memory disorders. It is important to ensure that the elderly person has enough smoke detectors installed on each floor of their home and that they work. It is also important to keep the first extinguishing equipment easily accessible.

Intoxicants predispose you to many types of accidents. For this reason, you should avoid or at least reduce binge drinking and lower your total alcohol consumption. As the body ages, its functioning and composition change, which also lowers alcohol tolerance. Different diseases and medications may also increase the negative effects of alcohol and increase the risk of falling and accidents.

In order to prevent poisoning, it is important to identify the risks of poisoning and to store any toxic substances, chemicals and medicines in their original packaging in a place that cannot be accessed by people with memory disorders or that have otherwise lowered functional capacity. Only pick and eat plants and mushrooms that can be confidently identified. The functioning and physical composition of the body change with age, which also lowers the ability to tolerate alcohol. Previously well-tolerated medicines can also start causing adverse effects or symptoms of poisoning in the elderly person. It is important to discuss the use of intoxicants and the up-to-dateness of medication with a doctor.

Intoxicants also predispose you to poisoning, so you should avoid excessive alcohol consumption, for instance. If your friend is intoxicated, look after them and do not leave them alone. Bring up substance abuse and identify risky use. Familiar over-the-counter medications can also cause side effects when taken with alcohol. It is always a good idea to avoid alcohol during medication treatment.

It is a good idea to save the Poison Information Centre’s number on your phone: +358 (0)800 147 111 (free of charge and open around the clock). If the symptoms are life-threatening, call the emergency number 112.

You can reduce the risk of suffocation by focusing on eating, eating small enough pieces at a time and chewing carefully. Identify people at risk of choking and learn the first aid skills related to choking.