Every year, one in three older adults will experience a fall. And the results can be devastating, including broken hips, head injuries and even death. According to Statistics Canada, falls are the leading cause of injury at home. About 63 percent of falls are by seniors. More than half of the falls occurred while people were simply walking or doing household chores. Peak fall times tend to be between 6 a.m. and noon or in early evening.
In some cases, a bad fall can dramatically affect lifestyle and significantly alter your plans of where you will be living in your senior years.
Being able to live in your home, as a senior, is high on most of our wish lists. But just because it is your home, and possibly even a place where you’ve lived for years, doesn’t mean you are safe from injury. Sometimes you can become complacent where you’re most comfortable. And then there are the vulnerabilities that come with age that make us more prone to having an injury occur.
With aging, falls may occur due to:
Decreased bone and muscle strength
Poor balance or gait problems
Conditions that cause fatigue, dizziness, weakness, impaired balance or mobility problems
Reduced vision and hearing
Chronic foot problems
Medication changes
There are many things that we can do in and around our homes to decrease the likelihood of falls and make the environment safer for everyone. A fall prevention audit from New Dawn can help you and your loved one reduce the risk of falls at home, making staying at home safer.
A fall prevention audit includes:
Observational visit in the home to ensure any hazards are identified
Development of a plan for removing identified hazards
Activation program, focusing on strength training and balance enhancement
Recommendation for medication review (with your family physician) to ensure side-effects that can lead to dizziness, weakness or falls are managed accordingly
Our specially trained team provides the following services:
Assessing each patient’s risk of experiencing a fall using the Morse Falls Scale
Developing a customized care plan that works at dramatically reducing the risk of future falls:
Addressing environmental risks in the home
Developing fall prevention strategies for patients
Teaching patients exercises to strengthen their balance
Our Caregivers
Safety and Security You Can Trust
We believe in the importance of aging at home — in the places we know and love, surrounded by the communities that give us comfort and connection. We are proud to help make this possible for more and more of our neighbours and friends across Cape Breton.
Your family can have peace of mind knowing that every New Dawn caregiver is:
Bonded and Screened
With full Criminal Record and Vulnerable Sector checks
Highly Trained
Including First Aid/CPR, Food Handlers Certification, and Teepa Snow Dementia Care training
Professionally Supported
With 24/7 access to a nurse for guidance and oversight
Do you have questions about how New Dawn Homecare can help? Or need guidance to better understand your care options at home, a facility or hospital?
At New Dawn Homecare, we understand that accepting help can be overwhelming. Whether you or a loved one has experienced a health issue or just need an extra set-of-hands to help with day-to-day tasks, New Dawn Homecare has been providing compassionate in home care to CBRM residents since 1988.
Call us today
to arrange a free in-home medical assessment with our nursing staff
We are in Unama’ki, one of the seven traditional and unceded ancestral territories of the people of Mi’kma’ki. This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship which the Mi’kmaq first signed with the British Crown in 1726.
We wish to recognize and honour this understanding of the lands on which we reside. It is from here, on these lands, that we work to create and support a culture of self-reliance and vibrancy.
Your Gift Will Be Matched Until December 31st
AuCoin Renovations is matching all donations to the New Dawn Youth and Family Centre up to $10,000.
Glace Bay’s young people deserve a safe, welcoming place to learn, grow, and belong. The new Youth & Family Centre is being built for them, and your gift can help open its doors.
