{"id":880,"date":"2018-01-15T09:00:40","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T09:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flnavigator.com\/health\/?p=880"},"modified":"2020-10-03T01:36:47","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T01:36:47","slug":"pitfalls-of-traveling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/2018\/01\/the-savvy-senior\/pitfalls-of-traveling\/","title":{"rendered":"Pitfalls of Traveling"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Pitfalls of Traveling<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The Savvy Senior<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">By Robert Goodman, MSW<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">I have written many columns on fall prevention and the consequences of a fall. Now I can speak from experience. I had many falls this past summer and am now using a walker. My worst fall was on a cruise where I broke my ankle. <\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Falls are a major issue for older adults and can be prevented. While most falls occur at home, some occur when traveling.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Falls can lead to fractures, trauma, and death. <\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">1.&nbsp; Over 13 million older adults fall every year;&nbsp;1 of 3 if over 65, and 1 of 2 if&nbsp;over 80 years old.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n&nbsp;<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">2.&nbsp; 2.8 million older adults are treated in the ER for falls. 800,000 are hospitalized.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n&nbsp;<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">3.&nbsp; 40% of nursing home admissions are fall related.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">4. About 27,000 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">There are a number of causes of falls among the elderly. They include: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Lack of physical activity and muscle weakness<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Balance and gait problems<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Visual impairment<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Mobility impairment<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Cognitive impairment<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Drop in blood pressure when standing up<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Fear of falling<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Alcohol abuse<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Inappropriate footwear<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Dehydration<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Talking on cell phones and texting while walking<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> This is time of year when people travel and take cruises. You have to be careful when going into a new environment. Look for any obstacles that may make the area unsafe. Be sure areas are free of clutter, aisles are wide if you use a wheelchair or walker. Check for steps, slippery areas and other hazards. Be sure there is adequate lighting and grab bars. Look for obstacles in on sidewalks or in parking areas. When traveling in places such as Amsterdam or London, be sure to be aware of traffic patterns (driving on the left) and bike paths.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> If you use a walker or wheelchair ask for a handicapped accessible<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">room or cabin. If you have a visual disability ask for information in large print and a well-lit room or cabin. When touring, explain to the tour guide any special needs you may have. <\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Even a small amount can affect your balance and reflexes. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Choose safe footwear. Lastly, drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.<\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">There are a number of devices that can help prevent falls, but one must remember to use them. They include: canes, walkers, reachers, and emergency medical alerts. There are new types of medical alerts that can be used when traveling.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pitfalls of Traveling The Savvy Senior By Robert Goodman, MSW I have written many columns on fall prevention and the consequences of a fall. Now I can speak from experience. I had many falls this past summer and am now using a walker. My worst fall was on a cruise where I broke my ankle. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[44,86,87,180,181],"class_list":["post-880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-savvy-senior","tag-accident","tag-falling","tag-falls","tag-transportation","tag-travel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1887,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880\/revisions\/1887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flnavigator.com\/healthfairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}