Elderly Care: Helping You Deal With the Dying Process
Fell Down The Stairs? What You Should Know
Julio Carr
If you have recently taken a tumble down a flight of stairs, you may find yourself wondering what you should do about the situation. Many people pick themselves up from a fall and just go on about their day in spite of the incident. However, ignoring any injuries you may have suffered in the fall can be problematic. Get to know some of the facts that you should know when you have fallen down the stairs. Then, you can be sure you do what is best for yourself if you suffer a fall in the future.
Even If You Don't Hit Your Head, You Could Have a Head Injury
When you fall down the stairs, your body experiences significant jolts. These traumas can have a ripple effect from the area of impact throughout the body. And what you may not have realized previously is that even if you do not actually hit your head on anything when you fall, you could still have a head injury.
Those jolts can affect the neck and head, causing trauma similar to whiplash or other impact traumas. You do not want to take a fall down the stairs lightly for this reason.
You Should Always See a Medical Professional
After a fall down the stairs, you should always go see a medical professional. This can be your primary care doctor or could involve a visit to the urgent care clinic or emergency room. You want to be checked out after such a fall because of the potential for those head injuries but also because of other possible injuries.
It is not uncommon in falls down the stairs for ankles and wrists to get sprained, or for tailbone and spinal column injuries to occur. The doctor will do a thorough examination of you and may order tests like x-rays or an MRI if they notice any areas of your body that seem especially sore or limited in their range of motion.
In addition to protecting your health, going to a doctor for injury treatment after a fall down the stairs can also protect you if you have to file any type of claim for the accident. For example, if you fell at work because someone left an object on the stairs that you tripped on, you could file a workers compensation claim, but you would need to have records of medical care for your injuries in order to do so.
Knowing some of these facts about falling down the stairs, you can be sure that you get the injury treatment you need if you ever experience a fall.
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As an elderly care worker, I have witnessed the deaths of many individuals. I have seen family members become angry, sad, and completely silent at the end. I have also seen individuals refuse to see family members out of denial. People deal with death in different ways, and the strong emotions are often unfamiliar and scary. If you have a parent or grandparent who is elderly, then I want to share with you what I know about end of life care and dying process. We are a society that does not talk about death, and this can cause great pain when a family member dies. Learn about the process and find out how to deal with your own emotions and how to love your family members at the end. If there is only a small amount of time left, then I want you to cherish the final moments.