One of the most devastating things that can happen to the elderly is a fall.
A healthy person (no matter his or her age), can suddenly slip and fall, and life can then be very different.
Many times, an elderly person who slips and falls can go from being healthy and independent, to someone with little mobility and a loss of independence that can alter both their life and their personality.
Because of this, it becomes of paramount importance to put measures in place that can help prevent falls.
While every fall cannot be prevented, there are steps you can take and things you can put into place that will dramatically reduce the likelihood of such a fall happening for your elderly loved one.
Because many of these falls take place at night, it becomes even more critical to know how to prevent falls.
Here are some of the ways in which you can prevent falls and slips by eliminating the dangers in your loved ones house or place or residence:

• Clear away the clutter-This is the biggest problem that hinders movement and can cause a fall.
  While daylight can illuminate the problem, an elderly person getting out of bed, may not remember where everything is placed and then slip or fall.
  You will want to clear all the unwanted things on the floor.
  You should also remove the newspapers, toys, magazines, loose wires of phones and cables which can also cause falls for the elderly if they are unseen.
  In addition, carpets and mats on the floor that are loose, having bulges and with curled ends need to be taken care of or replaced.
  
• Make it safe to move-There are many products that can help with safety at nighttime.
  Non skid mats, motion sensor lights, bars, and other railings (to help your elderly loved one be able to get out of bed safely), can all be installed for a higher degree of nighttime safety.
  Non skid mats can be placed from the bed into the bathroom, completing a much safer path of walking.
  Motion sensor lights can be timed to come on at night illuminating a path and cutting down on the confusion and dizziness that can occur with nighttime rising.
  In addition, the appropriate bars and railings can be installed so that your loved one can assist themselves to a sitting position.
  It can also be helpful to encourage them to wait a moment and make sure they are feeling steady before standing.
  
• Secure your footing-It can also help reduce the chance of falling if your loved one has secure footing.
  This is because bare feet can be slick and provide less traction on floors.
  Socks or slippers with traction can be worn or placed by the bedside, to help steady someone when they get up in the night.
  In addition, if your loved one needs to use a cane or other walking assistance device it should be placed conveniently near the bed, to be ready to assist when they need to get up in the night.
  
• Provide monitoring if the need is there.
  While most elderly are able to live independent lives there are some that need constant monitoring.
  If your elderly parent or patient falls into this category there are alarms that can be installed that notify nighttime caregivers if someone is arising from their bed.
  This way hands on care can be given if needed, and the risk of falls and slipping greatly reduced.