Padded Flooring For High Fall Risk

Which types are best for kitchens bathrooms steps and main living areas.

Padded flooring for high fall risk. Nevitt and cummings 1993. The spruce margot cavin. Following a fall and at a regular interval and ensuring procedures for high fall risk patients are in use. Which types of flooring are best and safest for aging seniors and elderly adults.

Falls on concrete or linoleum create greater risk for fracture than falls on padded carpet grass or l di t h l 1994 n itt d c iloose dirt healey 1994. Call lights are easily accessible while in bed chair bathroom. Carpet is a very cushiony material that is comfortable underfoot and provides some protection against injury from falls. Bedside fall mats are safety features that are placed on the floor along the side of the bed in the home or next to a hospital bed fall protection mats for the elderly are made from high impact foam and are designed to help prevent injury from potential falls.

In this study we evaluated the clinical safety of the floor mat a device intended to reduce severity of injury in falls from the bed or at the bedside. It is estimated 33 of adults 65 years incurred a fall in 2011 with 30 resulting in moderate injury. And out of these falls 20 lead to broken bones or head injuries. Fifteen participants with a range of gaits and fall risk were video recorded as they approached and entered a hospital bed and then as they exited and walked away.

Yet few ltc sites have implemented compliant flooring as a fall injury prevention strategy. A high quality carpet pad beneath the carpeting can greatly improve both the comfort and safety of the flooring. According to center for disease control expert judy stevens 30 35 of people over age 65 fall each year one in five of those falls involve a serious injury and 65 of those falls result in an emergency room visit. For 10 participants a 1 inch thick floor mat with a.

However there is no common definition of how high a floor is. Special impact absorbing flooring reduced fall injuries by nearly 60 percent in a new study of women in swedish nursing homes though the soft floors may also be linked to more falls. Non skid flooring or padded flooring in bathrooms. According to the cdc more than 1 in 4 adults aged 65 or older fall each year.

Fall injury prevention research to action nov 5 2009 2. Smartcells fall protection products can be used under vinyl and carpet to reduce tripping hazards. Simpson et al 2004 cemfia residential care summit.