Fall Prevention

Vivant Senior Living resident gardening in the backyard.

Fall prevention is vital for the elderly. No one wants to see grandma or grandpa suffer a hip fracture. It's even more essential for the elderly living with dementia as "dementia can complicate prevention and treatment at every stage of the care continuum for patients with hip fracture: from primary prevention, to acute management, to rehabilitation and post hip fracture care." ¹

The paper quoted above found that the "identification and treatment of vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis and assessment and interventions to reduce falls in patients with dementia can significantly impact the incidence of first and subsequent hip fractures."

The paper also found a study of dementia patients who presented to an accident and emergency department after a fall. According to the paper, "the group also had a high prevalence of gait and balance impairment, psychotropic and other culprit drugs, cardiovascular disease, and vision impairments."

At Vivant Senior Living, we know that some memory care residents are frail, have gait and balance impairment, vision impairments, or maybe on culprit drugs prescribed by their primary care providers. 

When we receive residents like this, we immediately start working with their primary care providers to reduce the culprit drugs. We also make sure they can move around safely, drink fluids, and receive assistance as needed with getting in bed, going to the restroom, and other mobility-related activities. 

We found the paper’s sections on identifying and treating Vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis to be of utmost importance. These will be two areas of focus within our memory care homes in the future. Vitamin D deficiency is something dieticians and nutritionists highlight often. The deficiencies most likely are attributed to our mostly indoor, sedentary lifestyles, and the average Western diet that is often associated with processed foods.

At Vivant Senior Living, we know the implication of getting lots of fresh air and sunshine. We encourage our residents to get outside for some gardening or to enjoy the backyard patio when weather permits. We also focus on getting as many fruits, vegetables, and nutrient-rich foods as our residents will eat. It’s hard to counter decades of lifestyle choices but we do our best where we can.

¹ Menzies>Menzies, Isaura B et al. “Prevention and clinical management of hip fractures in patients with dementia.” Geriatric orthopaedic surgery & rehabilitation vol. 1,2 (2010): 63-72. doi:10.1177/2151458510389465