Many people may have had this experience. A certain elder was always in good health, but because of a sudden fall at home, his health began to decline, and he was even bedridden for a long time.
For older people, falls can be fatal. Data from the National Disease Surveillance System show that falls have become the number one cause of injury-related death among people over the age of 65 in China.
According to research, in China, more than 20% of elderly people fall and become seriously injured. Even for elderly people who are usually in good health, 17.7% of them still suffer serious injuries after falling.
As people get older, their physical function declines significantly. When I was young, I stumbled, got up and patted the ashes and left. When I am old, due to osteoporosis, it may be a fracture.
The thoracic spine, lumbar spine, hip, and wrist are the most common fracture sites. Especially for hip fractures, long-term bed rest is required after the fracture, which may cause complications such as fat embolism, hypostatic pneumonia, bedsores, and urinary system infections.
The fracture itself is not fatal, it is the complications that are scary. According to research, the one-year mortality rate of elderly hip fractures is 26% – 29%, and the two-year mortality rate is as high as 38%. The reason is the complications of hip fractures.
Falls for the elderly are not only dangerous, but also very likely to occur.
Why are women more likely to fall than men among the elderly?
First of all, in all age groups, women are more likely to fall than men; second, as they get older, women lose bone mass and muscle faster than men, and women are more likely to suffer from anemia, hypotension and other diseases, such as dizziness Symptoms, fall more easily.
So, how to prevent the elderly from falling down in daily life and causing irreparable losses?
Electric wheelchairs have become very popular for travel, and have become an auxiliary tool for the elderly and obese young people to travel. People who are disabled or unable to walk will buy electric wheelchairs. The concept of only disabled people using wheelchairs in China still needs to be corrected by the world. The electric wheelchair travel can well avoid and reduce the chance of the elderly falling, and travel more comfortably.
So, how to choose an electric wheelchair suitable for the elderly?
1. Security
Elderly people and disabled people have limited mobility, and when using electric wheelchairs, ensuring safety is the top priority.
The safety design of electric wheelchairs mainly includes: anti-backward small wheels, seat belts, anti-skid tires, electromagnetic brakes, and differential motors. In addition, two points should be paid attention to: first, the center of gravity of the electric wheelchair should not be too high; second, the wheelchair will not slip on the slope and can stop smoothly. These two points are related to whether the wheelchair will be in danger of tipping over, which is a very important safety consideration.
2. Comfort
Comfort mainly refers to the wheelchair seat system, involving seat width, cushion material, backrest height, etc. For seat size, it is best to test drive if you have the conditions. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a test drive. Unless you have a very special physical condition and have special requirements for the size, the general size can basically meet your needs.
Cushion material and backrest height, the general sofa chair + high backrest is the most comfortable, and the corresponding weight will increase!
3. Portability
Portability is the biggest point linked to personal needs. Pure mobility wheelchairs are generally easy to fold and store, while functional wheelchairs and long-endurance wheelchairs are relatively heavy and not very portable.
If you are tired from walking and want to travel or go shopping, it is more suitable to buy a lightweight wheelchair, which can be folded at home. For those who are paralyzed, disabled, and rely heavily on external forces, don’t think about portability. Large electric wheelchairs can better meet their needs.
According to the “Survey Report on the Living Conditions of the Elderly in Urban and Rural China (2018)”, the fall rate of the elderly in China has reached 16.0%, of which 18.9% in rural areas. In addition, older women have a higher rate of falls than older men.
Post time: Jan-20-2023