As I mentioned in the previous blog post, How OT Can Help, I have been an OT for 20 years and I hear a lot of things from clients about their first impressions of what occupational therapy can offer them.
Clients who are at risk for falls often tell me they don’t think they need an OT home safety evaluation because they are very careful.
While I don’t doubt that is true, falls happen for many reasons that are beyond one’s control. Fall prevention starts with changing the risk factors that are within our control.
As we age, our abilities — physical and cognitive — change over time. Our homes and habits tends to stay the same though — we like sitting on the comfy low couch we’ve had for years and don’t bother to turn on the light over the stairs because we’ve walked up and down them a thousand times. Often, falls happen because our abilities have changed but our environment and habits haven’t adapted.
An OT home safety evaluation will help you to understand and change your everyday environment in simple ways to reduce your immediate risk of falls and injury. An occupational therapist or certified aging in place specialist (CAPS) can also help you to make a long term plan for modifying your home to support your daily routine and to anticipate changes in your physical and cognitive abilities over time.
Ready to reduce the risk of falls for yourself or a loved one? Get started with these simple guides and checklists:
Stay Independent: Learn more about fall prevention. (Includes a fall risk self assessment.)
