Canes Why They Prevent Falls
Older Americans suffer from a great deal of ills. There is Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, heart disease, and heart attacks, but older Americans suffer from an ailment that is difficult to predict but still has the potential for life-threatening injuries: the fall. There are statistics about how many times older Americans fall.
- One in four older adults falls every year in the United States.
- Among older adults, over 50% of all falls take place at home.
- Every year, over two million senior citizens visit the emergency room for injuries caused by a fall.
An older American who falls has an event that is dangerous and potentially life-threatening. With one in four older adults falling every year in the United States and most of those falls taking place in the home, it is possible that most older Americans have falls while alone, where there is no other person around the help.
An older American might sustain injuries as part of their fall, as the one statistic suggests. With over two million senior citizens visiting the emergency room for injuries caused by a fall, the statistics suggest that falls are dangerous enough to require a hospital visit.
An older American might break a hip or break an arm. An older American might hit their head or break their fingers. An older American might have blood loss from a cut. An older American might have many issues that result during a fall and those issues may play out in a hospital setting.
An older American might have falls caused by reasons that have to do with physical health. An older American might have dizziness or fatigue, resulting in a loss of motor control, which results in a fall. Two of the most common causes of falls in the elderly are unsteadiness or dizziness when standing up or walking.
An older American is treated in the emergency room for a fall once every 11 seconds. That is a difficult situation, both for the older American and for their families. A family member who is charged with caring for an older American might be upset if they receive a call from the police department saying their older American has been in a fall.
The caregiver for an older American may try to get the older American better tools to use in the home to better stabilize them and help them acclimate to their lack of balance. An older American who suffers from dizzy spells might want to get a cane to help them balance better and avoid falls.
An older American feels like their hand is being held sometimes with this equipment, that they can do without the cane or the walking stick. However, it can be helpful for them to avoid falls even if the cane or walking stick makes them feel more like they are someone who cannot get around without falling.
An older American who could use a cane to avoid situations where they stumble can choose from many different kinds and types of walking assisting devices to help them get around. These include the horse head cane, the palm grip cane, the seat stick, the walking sticks, the wooden canes, the folding canes, the fancy walking canes, and the durable canes.
An older American can use folding canes as a way to use an assisting walking device without it appearing in most social situations. Folding canes can be folded when the older American is seated to avoid situations where they don’t want the cane to be called to attention.
These are significant issues for many Americans, as folding canes and other devices used to help older Americans are most likely not used as much as they could be to handle falls which put older Americans in the hospital. These are significant situations as the falls can result in Americans being in need of hip replacements and other medical parts.
Older Americans have options with their canes, as they can be made interesting and with patterns and designs. Older Americans can have folding canes so that the canes do not appear obtrusive to others in the house, which means that the canes do not call attention to the fact that an older American might need them.
These are the many issues surrounding Americans and their canes.