How to Empower Elderly Ones in Your Society or Neighborhood

Due to the age-related decrease in activity, and, as a consequence, muscle atrophy and weakness in the legs, elderly people are more at risk of falling, which often leads to various injuries and disability. In such cases, a person loses the ability to move for a long time, becomes bedridden, which increases the risk of developing various diseases. Therefore, prevention of falls is of particular relevance. 

An Elderly Man Fell: What To Do?

Many legal matters, crimes, and other emotional changes can also make an old person lose their happiness and courage. If an old person requires any kind of legal help to resolve their issues, you can hire an elder law lawyer. Elder Law Attorney Brooklyn NY is among the best elder law lawyers in the Brooklyn area. 

An elderly man fell in the street

Therefore, even if an elderly person does not complain about anything after a fall, they should be shown to a doctor in order not only to make sure that there is no damage, but also to prevent serious problems in the future.

How to lift a fallen elderly person

It is necessary to tell the elderly person (and back up with practical actions) how to act in the event of a fall, since in such situations the elderly are often lost and become helpless. The pensioner must remember that he needs to roll over on his stomach, get on all fours and crawl to the nearest object that he can lean on to get up. In cases where it is not possible to get up on your own, you should call your loved ones (you must always carry your phone with you).

How to lift a fallen elderly person if he cannot stand up on his own?

In this case, the capture of Rautek will help (but only in the absence of serious injuries):

Take a position behind a lying person and squat down. Then, with a light push, they raise the shoulders and the back of the fallen person’s head, seating him.

Kneel down, lift the victim and support him on their knees.

They take the fallen man by the armpits, bend his arm and press him to his chest. Grasping the forearm and wrist of the bent arm through the armpits, they smoothly raise the old man, pulling him along. At the same time, you should keep your thumbs up in order to evenly redistribute the load.

If an elderly person is injured, then there is no need to try to lift him. Reassure the relative and call an ambulance. If it becomes necessary to move, then the victim is grasped by the body and pulled using the force of the legs.

What to do if you fall?

A fallen person should be shown to a doctor to identify possible injuries, assess the general condition and determine the cause of the fall.

Elderly people and the risk of falling

In the process of diagnostics, they examine:

• Blood pressure and pulse in a sitting and standing position (a decrease in pressure during lifting may be due to orthostatic hypotension, which increases the risk of falling);
• Heart sounds, which allows you to detect heart failure, arrhythmia, decreased heart rate, abnormalities in the work of heart valves;
• Functioning of the nervous system (coordination, ability to maintain balance, muscle strength).

It is imperative to inform your doctor about any symptoms of illness. Even minor deviations in the state of health make a person weak, which causes a fall. People with heart problems, anemia and pneumonia, and dehydration are especially at risk of falling.

Medical assistance to a fallen elderly person

The doctor finds out the circumstances of the fall, asks if there were any symptoms (dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath), whether the person was able to rise on their own.

If a physical examination reveals a heart problem, then an electrocardiogram or Holter monitoring is done. Be sure to pass general blood tests and electrolyte levels. If the doctor discovers malfunctions in the nervous system, then he gives a referral for a CT or MRI of the head.

The doctor also asks about the medications taken, evaluates possible side effects (dizziness, confusion, weakness, loss of coordination) and, if necessary, cancels, replaces them or reduces the dosage.