What to Do After a Serious Slip or Fall
Serious slips or falls can be major health risks for anyone.
Not only can they cause muscular or skeletal injuries, but they can even lead to other medical problems.
And they’re an even bigger problem for the elderly, who are more prone to slipping or falling. In fact, according to the Australian and New Zealand Falls Prevention Society, around 30% of adults over the age of 65 experience at least one fall every year.
The risk of slipping or falling will always be there, so it’s important to know what to do if it happens.
Here’s what we recommend.
Don’t Panic
After a big slip or fall, you’ll probably feel dazed or shocked, which can then make you panic. Try to fight this feeling and focus on staying calm instead. Avoid getting up immediately, and take the time to compose yourself and gather your thoughts.
This will help you avoid getting up prematurely, which could hurt you more if you’ve suffered an injury.
Check If You’re Hurt
Once you’ve calmed yourself, check whether any part of your body is painful or numb. Take your time when checking yourself for any pain or injuries.
Remember that the shock of falling can numb the pain of an injury, so it’s important to make sure you’re okay before trying to get up. If you’re too hurt or injured to stand or sit down, it’s often best to stay down and call for help instead.
Get Up Safely (if you can)
If you can get up safely, try to do so slowly. Experts recommend going on your hands and knees and crawling to a stable piece of furniture (e.g. chair, table) to support yourself as you get up. Here’s a good video on how to stand up safely after a fall.
Call For Help
If you can’t get up because of an injury or too much pain, call for help as soon as possible. Shout for help or bang on the walls or floor to get someone’s attention.
If you have a personal alarm, use it. And if you have your mobile phone with you, call a family member, friend, or emergency services immediately.
Get Checked By a Doctor
When you’re able to, get checked by a doctor to make sure you don’t have any injuries or medical problems resulting from your fall.
Some injuries and medical issues may not be apparent immediately after a fall, so it’s important to get a thorough medical check-up to see that everything is alright.
Tell Your GP
Even if you didn’t sustain any injuries from your fall, it helps to let your regular GP know about it, especially if you have an ongoing medical treatment.
This way, they can adjust your treatments if necessary or monitor your recovery and progress.
Want To Keep Yourself Or Loved One Safer? Get a Personal Alarm
If you live alone or are more prone to falling, your risk of getting badly hurt from a serious slip or fall is much higher. To better protect yourself or your loved one, we always recommend getting a personal alarm that enables you to get help sooner.
A personal alarm can let you alert family or friends immediately after a serious slip or fall. Some devices even have automatic fall detection, which is tremendously useful as some serious slips or falls can render you unconscious.
Check our range of personal alarms to see great choices for you or your loved one. You’d also be pleased to learn that we can provide you with a lone worker panic alarm. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need more information about using a personal duress alarm.
