Heritage Healthcare advises on avoiding winter trips and falls

The home care franchise recently shared a blog packed with useful advice on avoiding getting hurt/avoiding loved ones getting hurt as the temperature drops and slippery spots become more prevalent on the roads and pavements.

It’s a widely known and very unfortunate fact that during the colder winter months, the risk level that the older generation in particular is exposed to rises, and more accidents occur outside. Pavements can become slippery in a number of different ways, including thanks to fallen leaves and ice, and in the words of the home care franchise, “A fall or a fracture is to account for over 4 million people aged 65 and over to be admitted to hospital each year.”

Heritage Healthcare further explained that, “A fall can have a big impact on health, and not just from a physical injury. 1 in 10 older people who had a fall said they became afraid to leave the house in case they had another fall. It can impact confidence and independence and increase the risk of social isolation. [But thankfully, most of the time] a fall can be prevented, with many factors to account for the incident.” The franchise then offered some prevention tips, including:

• Wearing appropriate footwear
• Checking medications are correct/not causing any reduced awareness of surroundings
• Caring for eyes and ears to keep them working as well as possible
• Checking the weather report and only going out when it’s necessary during particularly cold/snowy/icy periods

Heritage Healthcare is also on hand itself to assist with fall risk reduction indoors at any time of year, saying, “When we start a new care plan with a service user, we perform a risk assessment within the home and pinpoint anything that could become a hazard. [...] Our care team are on hand to stop unnecessary falls from occurring. This could be mopping up spillages or tidying away cluttered items, organising the home to avoid stretching, climbing, or bending to access items.” Find out more about Heritage Healthcare and a potential investment with the franchise via its profile page, linked above.