You may know that falls are the leading cause of injuries in older adults, and often all of our focus is on preventing falls from happening. However, even with all the preparedness and care you take to avoid a fall, they sometimes happen. What you do after a fall is vital in leading to the best outcome.
After a fall, First you must make sure there are no injuries before trying to get up
1. Make sure you can feel all your limbs, and see if there is any bleeding/obvious deformity.
2. If everything seems okay, make sure you can move your neck gently without pain
3. Make sure you can move your arms and legs
If something seems wrong, call emergency services. If all is well and there is no injury, you should focus on getting back up!
Now, How do we get up?
There are several ways to get off of the floor. You should practice getting on and off of the floor before a fall (you may want someone with you when you try), and not every method will work for every person.
Here's a list of some ways to get up, see the video above for a demonstration.
Bridge onto the couch
Pivot to couch
Spiral to the floor
Downward Dog
Use an air mattress (like this one)
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