Causes
Why are older adults most at risk for injuries
Medication
Vision changes
Reduced physical activity
Slowed reflexes
Lack of help
Muscle Weakness
What are some of the interventions shown to assist with preventing falls?
Lower the bed
Completing a falls risk assessment
Call Bell
What are the risk factors for driving-related issues
Medications, Poor Visual Acuity, Hearing Impairment, stiffness of the muscles,
What are assistive walking devices for older adults?
Canes, Walkers, Scooters
What should discharge planning include for a patient who lives alone and is at high risk for falling?
Can wear devices around the neck that can signal for help. Get help
Mention some of the hazards in a home
Poison
Falling
Chocking
Drowning
Fires
Having a bed alarm on will most likely prevent a patient from falling.
True/False
True
What age category has the second highest accident rate
75 years and above
What should be the first intervention when a nurse finds that a patient has fallen?
Assess the circumstances of the fall and any injuries sustained
A nurse is talking to the family of a patient who has fallen several times. What should be the most important intervention for preventing falls for the nurse to relay to this family?
Prevention
What are the Causes of Falls in Older Adults?
Reduced physical fitness
Impaired Vision
Chronic Diseases
Medication side effects
What are some ways to prevent vehicle-related injuries
seat belt, drive in the safest condition, do not drive with medication, do not take alcohol or other related substance, attend driver education programs,
Mention some of the risk factors for suicide
Depression
Physical Illness
A nurse is caring for an older adult patient who has undergone a total hip replacement. What is the best action to reduce the risk of further injury?
Keep the call bell and other frequently used items in easy reach.
Where should a patient with a visual impairment of the left eye place items that are frequently used to prevent the risk of injury?
On the patient's right side
What are the most typical medications that cause falls in older adults
High ceiling diuretics like furosemide
The database that providers use to reconcile medications for older adults is called?
BEER Criteria
What categories of patients are at the highest risk for falling?
Elderly Patient
Patient with a history of Fall
What is the primary purpose of an incident report?
Quality improvement, record purpose, legal issue
When evaluating a resident for transition from a long-term care facility to a home environment, what may the nurse ask the resident to perform?
ADL
What is orthostatic hypotension?
Dizziness when getting up
What are some of the ways to prevent home injury?
House modifications
Avoid wet floor
Help with ADL
Education Patient
Avoid clutters
Which gender is more liable to fall?
Women
What are some of the interventions you may include in a patient’s individualized care plan?
Frequent/Hourly Rounding to assess needs of the patient
Communicate high risk to other caregivers when handing off
Engage the patient and family in education regarding the risk of falls and how to prevent