It’s April Falls Month and what better way to raise awareness about falls prevention than to share with you some of the equipment available for hire from our FlexEquip equipment loan service and general tips about how to prevent falls at home.
People living with MND may have a higher tendency to trip and fall. This is due to muscle weakness and wasting which can affect balance, posture, mobility and coordination of movement.
It is highly recommended that people living with MND have regular home assessments by an occupational therapist and physiotherapist. These health professionals play an important role in assessing your home environment and implementing strategies to reduce the risk of falls.
Your occupational therapist will conduct an assessment of your entire home. They will assess lots of things and make a number of recommendations that are tailored to you and your home. They may suggest grab rails in the bathroom and shower or raise the height of your toilet seat. Their role is to recommend appropriate changes so you can stay as independent as possible at home. If you haven’t had an assessment from an occupational therapist, contact your MND Advisor for support to arrange an appointment.
Your occupational therapist may recommend equipment. You can access equipment from our equipment loan library called FlexEquip. If you have a shower over bath or shower hob, a sliding transfer bench may be recommended to minimise the need for extra transfers and bathroom modifications. They may recommend other bathroom aids like a shower commode, a shower chair or an over toilet aid/surround. Having the right chairs can also reduce the risk of falls, a height adjustable utility chair with arms or a raiser recliner may be more comfortable and safer to get in and out of. Pictures of these items are below with further information found on the FlexEquip website.
There are also some things you can do to prevent falls at home, they include:
- Remove clutter, cords and obstructions from walkways.
- Ensure floors are dry and use non-slip mats.
- Remove any loose floor coverings, use rubber backed mats or secure the mat with double sided tape.
- Ensure your home is well-lit and use night lights.
- Turn on the bedside lamp before you get out of bed a night.
- Avoid storing items in low cupboards that requires bending.
- Wear supportive shoes and avoid wearing slippers.
Conduct an assessment of your home
How safe do you think your home is? Use the HomeFast online screening tool to find out. All you need to do is answer a few questions and you will receive a home safety assessment. The assessment provided suggestions about how to make areas of risk safer. It takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Equipment items for hire from FlexEquip
The below items are some of the range of equipment items available for hire from FlexEquip. To view the full range, visit the FlexEquip website product library. An occupational therapist can make a referral for these items, if suitable.
Falls prevention is everybody’s business!
Do you have a quesiton about preventing falls at home or about MND?
Contact us on 1800 777 175 or