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Without question, falls can be debilitating. Oftentimes though, the greater damage actually occurs after the fall. In this final installment on Senior falls we will talk about recovery from falls and how to avoid some of the peripheral risks associated with falls.

Taking Stock
You?re on your feet one minute and on your behind the next. It may feel like that when you fall. When you find yourself on the ground, keep a cool head, pause a moment before you try to get up. Are you injured? Look around. Did you pull anything down on top of you? Do you risk falling further or having something else falling on you if you move? Do you have something solid to grab on to in order to help you up?

Getting Up
If you?re not careful, trying to get up can land you back on the floor. Follow these four simple steps to getting back up safely:

1. If you have fallen, assessed the situation and have determined that you are not hurt, roll over on your stomach and attempt to get to your hands and knees. Crawl to a stable piece of furniture such as a bed, stool, or a chair without rollers or casters.

2. Approach the support from the front and place both hands on the surface.

3. With both hands on the support, place the foot of the stronger leg flat on the floor. Lean forward as you begin to push yourself up with your hands while bringing your feet side-by-side.

4. Slowly turn and sit in the support. Collect yourself before attempting to get up again.

Injured
If you find that you are injured, the most important thing to do is to keep calm. Now you need to find a way to get help.

- Use your emergency alarm if you are wearing one. If you do not have an alarm call out for help or crawl or slide to your telephone and dial 911.

- Move to a soft surface such as a carpet if you have fallen on a hard surface such as tile or a wooden floor. You may have to crawl or slide yourself to move.

- Keep yourself warm until help arrives. You may consider storing a small blanket and a bottle of water in a low cupboard or tucked behind furniture in each room you typically occupy. The blanket will help prevent hypothermia (decrease in body temperature) and the water will prevent dehydration.

Move ? lying in one place too long may cause pressure sores and/or hypothermia. Rolling side to side will unload your body weight and may prevent pressure sores from developing. Moving your arms and legs, if possible, will help you maintain body temperature until help arrives.

Falls can have other unintended and largely undetected consequences as well. Falls may impact a senior socially. For example, after a fall, a senior may shy away from activities that require much movement or the specific activity that brought on the most recent fall. Worse yet, they may retreat to their easy chair. This may seem like a reasonable response to such a situation, but in fact, it can be very detrimental. The best thing after a fall is more activity, not less. Increased activity has been shown to improve one?s balance, muscle tone and flexibility? all things needed to prevent and survive future falls.

Karen Tirio is Director of Monarch Senior Care, a member of The Senior’s Choice senior care network. Monarch Senior Care of McHenry County Illinois, provides in-home Senior care services to Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can reach Monarch at (888) 672-7060 or http://MonarchSeniorCare.com