Fall Prevention

Fall prevention is a serious concern for any person with a disability. I am a T12-L1 incomplete spinal cord injury and I worry about falling every day of my life. Luckily, there are many wonderful items that help me from falling and potentially getting seriously hurt. Even something as simple as a no-slip bath mat can come in very handy for those worried about falling in the bathroom or shower.

Grab bars are my best friend when it comes to the bathroom.  There are many varieties of bars to choose from as well.  They have different colors, styles, and sizes. My personal favorite is a stylish chrome finish grab bar.  It looks very classy mounted to the wall and it also does the job extremely well.  Grab bars are unique in that some of them are portable, holding onto the wall with powerful suction cups, while others are mounted directly to the wall with a few bolts or screws. Most standard grab bars have a weight capacity of 250 pounds and there are even ones that can have a 500 pound weight capacity.

Another item I rely on in the bathroom is a toilet safety frame. These are arm rests that mount around my toilet and give me support when transferring from my wheelchair.  My current one has a weight capacity of 300 pounds and is quite stylish. The reason I like this item so much is because it allows me to have a standard toilet in my house that is safe for me to use without making the bathroom look and feel like a hospital room. The safety frame installs on any standard toilet.  The height can be adjusted making it accessible to almost anyone.

My grandmother worries about fall prevention as much, if not more than me.  She had a security pole and curve grab bar installed in her home.  This is a pole that attaches from the floor to the ceiling with a curve attachment on it that rotates 350 degrees. This gives her something horizontal to grab onto and it makes standing up and transferring a breeze. She loves it because it helps her stay independent without spending too much.

My other grandmother also takes fall prevention very seriously.  She swears by non-slip socks, the kind with the little rubber pads on the bottom of them to keep you from sliding and falling. These are an extremely simple and very cost effective item to keep her from injuring herself. She also has a bed side rail which prevents her from rolling out of the bed at night and makes it much easier for her to get up and out of the bed without assistance. Fall prevention is a serious concern for the elderly and many physically disabled people.

If you are concerned about fall prevention for yourself or a loved one, check out the Fall Prevention section of ActiveForever to find cost effective ways of maintaining your safety.