Stair Safety and Preventing Falls

Falls on the stairs can be very detrimental to the health of those over the age of sixty. This is because often those over this age are not able to recover as quickly and have brittle bones. Preventing accidents on the stairs is very important and one of the first steps is identifying common causes of falls on the stairs. There are several factors, some preventable, which contribute to most accidents on the stairs.
One of the most common causes of accidents on the stairs is as a result of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is caused by calcium and vitamin deficiencies, a decrease in activity, and changes in hormones. It causes the bodies bones to become likeier to fracture, because the bones become brittle. Preventing osteoporosis can be achieved by consuming plenty of calcium and vitamins, while maintaining a regular exercise regime.

Another leading cause of falls is as a result of decreased physical exercise. Weaker muscles and loss of strength is common in the elderly, but even just working out a few times a day can greatly decrease the risk of weights.

Decreased vision is another factor that can increase the risk of a fall. Often decreased eyesight results in poor depth perception and peripheral vision. This can make it difficult to use the stairs and often results in missing a step. This also makes it harder to detect when a fall is imminent, so the individual is often ill-prepared for the fall. It is important to clearly mark areas of differing elevation and ensure that grab bars and handrails are present. Colored tape and textured tape are often used to mark areas of differing elevations.

By understanding some of the common causes of falls, a good deal of them can be prevented. If you are at all unsteady, then a stair lift is often a great device to use. These devices carry an individual up or down the steps, so greatly reduce the risk of an injury.