Making the Home Safe For Seniors - What Makes the Stairway Dangerous

There are many places that are risky for seniors and others with ambulatory diseases to use. Sometimes accessing these places can be thought of as an extra, as it were, without which the senior can still live a normal and happy life. However, often the most risky place for a senior is in their own home, so it can not be avoided as easily or without having to make a significant life change. This area is, of course, the staircase and can not only be extremely hard for seniors to use, but also presents some very serious dangers.

Each and every year, falls on the stairs are one of the predominant causes for serious injury among the elderly. There are a significant number of staircase related fatalities and hospitalizations each year, which are why the stairs are the most dangerous area for seniors. The stairs present a number of features that make them hard to use for someone with a disease like arthritis, which is common among elderly people.

There are many factors that make the stairs very dangerous. For example, each step requires that the user not only raise their foot high enough for the next step, but also place it properly. This motion, of bending the knees and supporting the body on one leg, presents some large obstacles for seniors, greatly increasing the risk of a fall.

Also, it is not only the motion of climbing the stairs that presents risks and difficulty, but also since there are many surfaces that are very hard and unforgiving on the stairs, a fall can be much more serious. Even if the senior doesn't fall down the stairs, the steps have a knack of finding the knees or hips when you fall on them.

One of the reasons that falls and other accidents are so serious for seniors, is that the actual recovery process is much more difficult with age. For example, in a recent study, it was discovered that after a fall where a hip or knee injury is sustained, the senior is much more likely to die within the same year.

In those who do not die, the chance that they will need extended assisted care and will have to more into some sort of assisted living situation is also much more likely. For many, this move to a retirement home might actually be the best choice, but it doesn't change the fact that this move can be very expensive and also can mean that the senior must move further away from their family.

Since the stairs are so very dangerous and falls much more likely among the elderly, it is important to always be careful when using the staircase. When away from home, it is a good idea to avoid using the stairs as much as possible and always have someone provide a hand when climbing a staircase. Using the handrails is also very important, with studies actually finding that having two handrails, with one installed on either side of the staircase, can actually help to reduce the risk of a staircase fall.