Papa was the best of fathers a child could ever have. From childhood, he showed me and my siblings amazing care and love till adulthood. I fondly remember how he stayed up all night near my bed, when I had measles as a child. I smile to myself as I remember his numerous jokes especially when he teases us. We are all grown now and have left home for different pursuits and dreams. Papa and mama remain at home, despite our frequent calls with them, my heart still aches for them.
Recently, I got a call, Papa fell in the bathroom, why? how? when?!
The picture painted above is a common dilemma amongst people who still have aged parents or guardians who live far away, GEROCARE brings to you a series on geriatric giants-these are the main chronic conditions of old age that impact the physical, mental and social wellness of older adults.
These giants of geriatrics or geriatrics giants as stated by Bernard Isaacs are immobility, instability, incontinence and intellectual impairment. They have in common multiple causations, chronic course, deprivation of independence and no simple cure.
Let’s talk about Papa’s falls. Falls are common in the elderly, three out of ten elderly persons (persons older than 65 years of age) would have a fall every year which gets commoner as they age. An average of 28% of these falls result in injuries of which 20% will require medical attention. Fractures are also common, of which 25% are hip fractures. Falls generally result in increased disability, functional decline, loss of independence, depression and social isolation thus it’s very crucial to have a multi-factorial risk assessment to have a comprehensive management plan. If you are interested in this, kindly click on https://app.gerocare.org/login
Many of these geriatric conditions are wrongly thought to be a must in old age but that’s wrong as they can be avoided or at least have the barest impact by proper planning and intervention such as home care by GEROCARE.
