Aging Begins As A Young Adult - 1970 Words

FALL RISK 2 The Process of aging begins as a young adult. A new life is so tender, fragile, helpless, and in need of care from others. Toddlers are wobbly as they take their first steps and learn to run, falling and bumping their little round heads and chubby knees. Toward the end of life no matter how healthy, strong, or willing they are, older adult begin slowing down which puts them at a risk for falling. Their metabolism is much slower than it once was, they have less energy and endurance which results in decreased muscle tone due to the lack of use, and osteoporosis sets in leaving them vulnerable to fractures. The geriatric population is considered at†¦show more content†¦The natural aging process is only partially responsible for falls in the elderly population. Several factors put an older person at a risk for falls which include: certain medications and polypharmacy, mental illness, certain disease s such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, drug abuse, vision changes, incontinence, impulsive behavior, vertigo, and clutter in a room causing patient to stumble. According to the Stubbs (2011) , the most crucial piece of a patient’s history to predict a fall is if the patient has fallen before. The Center For Disease Control (2011) states that â€Å"every 17 seconds an older adult will require emergency medical treatment for a fall related injury and that even more concerning, in the next 30 minutes an older adult will die from injuries sustained from the fall†. The trained healthcare staff, especially the nurse, has a significant role and responsibility in identifying and taking all necessary measures to help each patient avoid falling. Understanding that different elderly patients fall for different reasons is crucial in preventing falls in patients. Hill Fauerbach (2014) describe three types of falls that occur in a health care facility: Anticipated Falls are at tributed to know physiological conditions and are most common, 78% of patient falls.