Checking in for Fall Prevention Awareness Month
Most families end up planning for one of two things when it comes to fall safety: either how to help a parent avoid falling in the first place, or what to do if one happens anyway. Few consider both. September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month, and we're treating it as a gentle reminder to share practical tips for both fall prevention and fall detection.
Why This Month Exists
Fall Prevention Awareness may come across as a manufactured awareness month. However, according to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older, and more than 14 million older adults — about one in four — report falling every year. Most of those falls never make it into a conversation with a doctor, let alone a conversation with you — which is exactly why it's worth checking in now.
Where the Risk Actually Comes From
To help us understand how to keep our homes and loved ones safe, we consulted with Sunila Varghese of Eden Home Health Care for top expert tips on building balance, improving stability, and preventing falls before they happen:
Stay hydrated & get up slowly. Adequate hydration is especially important for older adults who are prone to dizziness or low blood pressure. When getting up from a bed or chair, take your time. Sit first, pause, then stand and get your balance before walking.
Strengthen your legs & breathing muscles. Keep your quadriceps and gluteal muscles strong — they're essential for standing up, climbing stairs, and maintaining mobility. Sit-to-stands and appropriately prescribed squats are great functional exercises. Don't forget your breathing muscles, either: practice diaphragmatic breathing, inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling gently through pursed lips. Inspiratory muscle training has been associated with improvements in physical performance and balance in older adults.
Wear proper shoes. Choose closed-toe, closed-back, well-fitting shoes with good traction and a low heel. Avoid loose slippers, backless shoes, and walking in socks.
Clear your pathway. Keep walking areas well lit and clutter-free. Remove throw rugs, secure loose cords, and keep frequently used items within easy reach. If you need a cane or walker, make sure it's properly fitted and that you know how to use it safely.
Know your warning signs. Don't ignore dizziness, feeling unsteady, changes in vision, new weakness, or a recent fall. Have your medications reviewed, keep your vision checked, and tell your healthcare provider if you feel unsteady or have fallen. A physical therapist can assess your strength, gait, balance, and fall risk and recommend appropriate exercises or an assistive device.
Even With Fall Prevention, Fall Detection Gives You Real Peace of Mind.
We recently covered how to select the best fall detection solution for your family in our recent blog Choosing the Best Fall Detection Tool for Your Family. As a reminder, here are a few considerations that narrow down the best solution faster than any spec sheet:
Is your parent comfortable with a smartphone? A device that needs an app, notifications, or navigating many tiny screens asks a lot of someone who's never been at ease with a phone. A one-button pendant sidesteps that entirely — or, if a pendant itself feels intrusive, motion-based home sensors can alert a caregiver without your parent wearing or operating anything at all.
How far away do you live? Some devices notify a family member first and wait for a response before calling for help — workable if you're five minutes away, risky if you're not. Traditional pendants and dedicated medical alert watches route straight to a 24/7 monitoring center instead, so a trained agent can dispatch help without needing you on the phone in that exact moment.
Will your parent remember to charge it? This rules out more devices than people expect — a parent who forgets to charge a smartwatch overnight ends up with the same gap as the senior who leaves their pendant in a drawer. If charging just isn't realistic, ambient sensors placed around the home take it out of the equation entirely: nothing worn, nothing to plug in, nothing to remember.
There's no universal best fall detection device — only the one that survives your family's actual constraints.
The Bottom Line
Falls Prevention Awareness Month is a good excuse to bring this up without it feeling like a big, loaded conversation. “I read that September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month” is a much easier opener than “I'm worried about you living alone” — it's about the calendar, not about them. That allows them to be open to hearing about ideas that give everyone peace of mind without singling them out. We handle the tech lift so you don't have to become an AgeTech researcher on top of everything else.
For a free personalized Fall Prevention plan, please reach out to Eden Home Health Care.
For a Fall Detection solution that works for your family, book a free Consult with TechGnome - AgeTech without the Tech Lift.
