Fatal Falls: Protect Your Parents
Posted in Health & Wellness on July 28th, 2010 by redkathy – Be the first to comment
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Medical Guardian. All opinions are 100% mine.
The National Safety Council states, “Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older adults 73 and older and the second leading cause of death from ages 60-72.” Clear cut statement, I’m just sayin”.
Medical Alert systems provide 24/7 Round The Clock UL approved live emergency response monitoring. I am certain you have heard all the tag lines and jokes surrounding them. Trust me this is no joking matter.
My mother in law fell in July 2008. Being elderly, heavy, and ailing, she lay on the floor with her dog at her side in excess of 12 hours. Her son arrived to find his mother in shock, shaking violently on the living room carpet. Understand, she did not live alone even though she thought she was able. Mom was to be alone for just that evening. Needing a drink of water late at night, she walked through the dimly lit living room and tripped over her own shoes.
Later we found, in addition to shock and a blood sugar higher than the hospital meter could read, she had broken her hip. Mom was hospitalized for three months. The surgeon warned 73% of the people who fall and break a hip do not live a full year. I found this nearly unbelievable. Unfortunately, it turned out to be true. My mother in law passed away one year later almost to the day.
Do not think this could never happen to your family. It can. Do you remember the old saying hindsight is 20-20? In hindsight, which does not make the outcome any easier, I remember briefly discussing a medical alert system with my mother in law. She protested, using the defense her daughter lived with her and worked nights while she was sleeping. Her position was that our suggestion was ridiculous. She laughed, we dismissed the idea. Given the same opportunity, you should not dismiss it. Hindsight does not relieve guilt or sadness! Medical Guardian alert buttons provide protection for loved ones, help to maintain independent living, and most importantly, save lives.
When TwitterMoms posed this question, I just had to blog about it! The economy stinks, the housing market (our source of income) is gone, my children are grown and moved out of the country, and our house is now upside down. With all of that negative information you are probably thinking, how can she possibly be better than ever?
I remember when Rogaine was first being advertised about twenty years ago, several friends were very excited to test it out. Engaging in lengthy conversations on the subject with both men and women, I learned the emotions associated with balding are very similar to having a mild disability or disfigurement. That somehow sounds silly, I know. The onset of balding is the time these emotions are strongest, from what I was told. The self-consciousness is even more pronounced with men and women who begin to loose hair at an earlier than normal age. It was really rather sad to hear how this hair loss affected their lives.
