Preventing Loved Ones From Falling
Disclosure: Slips and falls account for over 20,000 deaths per year so that is why I am working with Handi-Treads to help raise awareness. I received samples to help facilitate this.
Did you know more people die from slips and falls each year than from the flu? Just like with the flu, loved ones are most in danger from falls, especially on stairs. In fact the last time my dad entered the hospital it was from a fall at the house. Now that I have lost my dad I am making extra sure that my mom is not going anywhere anytime soon. There are several things that I am doing to make sure that my mom will stay healthy. One is spending time with her.
She absolutely loves spending time with all her grandkids and now that my dad is gone, we make sure that we eat supper with her at least once a week. Sometimes she comes over here or we go to her house. We also trade off cooking as well. Like this Saturday, we are going over to her house to watch a movie and she is cooking dinner for us but we are bringing dessert, cheesecake anyone?
Another thing is making sure that she doesn’t fall like my dad did. Although we don’t get much ice in North Carolina, when we do it is treacherous. My mom lives in an older home and the stairs for both the side and front entrances are made of concrete, so you can imagine how bad that would get when it gets icy. Here are her front steps.
And here are her side steps.
Normally when an older person falls they are more likely to break something because their bones are a lot more brittle than ours. So preventing my mom from falling is something that I wanted to have a little control over. Last weekend my husband spent some time installing Handi-Treads on her steps.
I love that Handi-Treads can be installed on any surface and that they have raised button grips to provide instant traction. They never rust or corrode. They were very easy to install. The hardest part for my husband was drilling through the concrete steps. These steps were made back in the 40’s so you can imagine how hard that was to accomplish. After getting the holes drilled, the installation was easy. I also loved how it did not take away from the quaint cottage look that my mom has worked so hard to achieve for her home.
It is a very inexpensive way to make such a big difference and to prevent my mom from falling. And now I can rest easy knowing that we have accomplished that.
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Those treads don’t look all that pretty, but they are a fantastic idea. My parents have wooden stairs like that at their house & I Have fallen a few times in my life and they HURT.
Believe it or not you can’t really see them until you are right on them .
I know falling is a big one with older people. My Father in law (who is 86) fell 6 months ago and is still experiencing pain and issues from it.
It is so important to take precautions. My grandfather fell in a nursing home and that led to his death.
This is so important My grandfather fell on his steps last year and it was SO scary 🙁
what a great idea. My mo has falling twice so we are looking into getting her a ramp so she doesn’t have to tackle stairs.
What a great idea. It’s so easy to slip and fall, especially on stairs.
You and your husband are great 🙂 I think handi treads are really good to prevent falling, especially for the older ones. As you already said that their bones are brittle as compared to ours. So handi treads should be installed in every slippery or risky surface
What a great idea, my old flat had outdoor steps and I was always so scared of falling down them in bad weather, these would have been great.
Wow – I really like those handy treads – that would be great to have on our many steps we have and for those icy days –
this is great info, thank you! Important for so many families!
I am frightened of stairs as is. I am glad they were fixed up to be more safe and easier to use
What a great idea. Especially for the elderly, they tend to slip and fall and really hurt themselves.
Wow, what a great way to keep them safe. Sometimes it takes some creativity and time to keep them from falling
My aunts are petrified of falling lately. Thanks for the tips and ideas. I need to make sure they dont
My dad was a fall risk for many years. We had to take lots of precautions! I love that there’s an easy way to make steps safer.
You really can get hurt from falling. I fell down some steps a few years ago was in physical therapy for 5 months after. I still have pain from it to this day. And it wasn’t a full flight, just like 4 or 5 steps, if I remember correctly. Be careful.
These are a great thing! My in laws could use these on their front porch steps!
This is an important thing that is rarely thought about until something bad happens. These look easy to install too.
My mom could really use some of these on her steps going to her front door. I worry about her falling all the time.
These are great ideas, some of our loves ones are in no condition to fall and if they do can get severely hurt!
Those are pretty cool, actually. I’d like to get those for my in-laws!
My mom had a fall a few years ago and broke her arm. It was in a public place and so the business actually paid some of her medical bills. this is something to be taken seriously
I had no idea so many hurt themselves from falls! Those Handi-Treads definitely look very useful.
What a great idea. It is so easy to slip and fall on stairs. I didn’t know more people died from falls than the flu.
My mother had rails installed in the house after she got sick. She recently told me she fell walking to the bathroom so we’re now trying to figure out more ways we can help make sure the house is “senior” proof.
I am going to look into these for our outside stairs. My mom-in-law doesn’t have any outside stairs to go up, but I worry about her coming to our house. Thanks so much for this post.
That such a great gadget. Especially for those who live in states with slushy weather!
Definitely a great option especially if it rains. Steps can be really slippery.
What a good idea. This icy weather has created many a step nightmare. I actually had to take my husband to the ER last week because he fell and had a concussion.
My dog actually fell down small stairs like that and broke his leg. He was just a puppy at the time. You can never be too careful!
This is such an important issue. I have a friend whose mom broke her hip due to a fall which caused me to investigate the issue.
Though my mom does not have steps there is a dip in her walkway. I wonder if this would work for that.
This is truly wonderful. It’s nice to always have a lovely home but it’s nicer when we make it to a point that is convenient to everyone at home.
wow such a great idea, and we installed rails all along the inside of my grandparents house after their first fall. Never to early to try to stop fall prevention, Thanks for sharing.