Cerebrating Family Council at Carveth Care Centre

Falls are a large part of injuries to today’s population and with November being Falls Prevention Month, here are some things to think about as we head into the winter months.

What role can we, as caregivers, play in reducing and hopefully eliminating falls?

Our first objective should be to recognize and accept that winter weather brings a whole new set of fall hazards and potential injuries – snow, ice, cold, freezing conditions, slippery floors, different footwear and the list goes on.

As caregivers, we can highlight and report so many of these hazards, and press strongly for elimination of these problems by:

• · Changing into dry footwear when entering the building.
• · Spotting spills and wet floors and insisting on prompt clean-up.
• · Ensuring that you have adequate help and assistance if taking residents out of the building.

Whenever possible, offer your assistance to any residents who may not have a caregiver nearby.

The longer-term goal is to eliminate all falls. To help with this endeavour, there is a hardworking committee at Carveth whose work is to track and analyze all causes of falls and monitor the progress in achieving this important goal of zero falls.

It will take time, hard work and the efforts of everyone at Carveth. Caregivers can, and should, play an important role.