The day John fell was the beginning of a recurring nightmare for his daughter-in-law, Sara. She’s the one who spotted him, sprawled on a nearby lawn in the blazing sun.
At first, Sara was relieved. The family had been circling the neighbourhood in search of 82-year-old John for at least 30 minutes. But the relief at finding him was quickly overshadowed by the shock of the moment — and three emergency room visits in the days that followed.
“John has a cane and a walker. He lives on one floor with no steps. I thought we’d eliminated a lot of the risks of falling,” Sara explains. “What we didn’t realize was how his dementia could actually increase his risk of falling. That took us by surprise.”
She’d been on her way to visit John when he walked out the front door on his own. He knew she was coming, but grew increasingly impatient and confused about when. Setting out alone, John got lost. Without his cane or walker, he soon stumbled and collapsed.
John has been recovering from cracked ribs in the weeks since his fall. But Sara is fighting bad dreams that wake her, night after night. She can’t quite shake the memory of finding John that sunny afternoon, vulnerable and injured, his demeanor a stark contrast to the beauty of the autumn day.
“It turns out we needed a lot more supervision for him,” says Sara. “John isn’t able to make reasonable decisions about what he can and cannot do on his own. So we had to step up his care, and ensure someone helps spot those dangers for him.”
Risk of falls increases among Canadian seniors with dementia
By the numbers, falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and injury-related deaths among Canadians aged 65 or older. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, seniors with dementia have a higher risk of falls, in long-term care and the community, compared to other seniors. For example, some 16% of hospital admissions by seniors living with dementia are related to a fall. That numbers falls to just with just 7% among other seniors.
“In many cases, a fall is trigger for a family to contact us about senior caregiving or respite care,” says Joey Taylor, General Manager, TheKey Montreal. Taylor has led an integrated team of caregivers serving seniors across the Greater Montreal Area for five years. In that time, he says TheKey has fielded countless calls from families seeking in-home senior care following a fall — some of which caused lingering health issues.
“It’s not just the fall that’s the issue, but the potential hospital stay or health problems the fall creates that really affect a senior’s quality of life,” Taylor says. “When we work with a new client, we bring fresh eyes and perspective to spot any hazards or mobility challenges that might increase the chance of a fall.”
Through regular caregiving, Taylor’s team also builds relationships with clients. This helps them understand how a person’s physical capabilities might be changing and what else might be done to help prevent a fall.
“With dementia in particular, we tend to focus on memory loss. But people living with dementia are also more likely to have problems with mobility,” Taylor adds. “They get engaged in restless behaviours, like pacing. These and many other factors make it increasingly important for seniors with dementia to have the right level of supervision to not only keep foster their well-being, but prevent falls in general.”
Taylor credits TheKey Montreal’s holistic approach to caregiving as a vital component of that process. “We look after the whole person, including physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Because we take that comprehensive approached and use our Balanced Care MethodTM, we can continually evaluate emerging risks, and help mitigate them for seniors and their loved ones.”
That includes relatives like Sara. She’s working through the trauma of John’s recent fall and making changes to his caregiver support schedule to keep him safe. “John no longer leaves his residence alone, ever. That gives us great comfort and reduces our stress level so much. It’s helping him, and it’s helping me worry less, too.”