Patient/caregiver was educated on fall precautions for Parkinson’s patients as follows:
- Pieces of furniture with wheels, swivels, or rockers are highly unstable, offer poor support, and carry significant risk for falls & accidents. Individuals with Parkinson’s disease have poor balance and use of unstable furniture can only further the fall risk. Avoid use of any unstable furniture pieces to promote fall prevention measures.
- Make sure the toilet is not too low, as rigidity in Parkinson’s patients can make it difficult to sit on and lift up from. Parkinson’s patients could avoid using the squat toilets and the toilets of regular height. Having a raised surface can help promote comfort with use of toilet. Raised toilet seat or having the bedside commode on the toilet can help elevate the toilet surface to desired height. While picking a raised toilet seat, select one with armrests as it can help with better support during sitting on the toilet and getting up from the toilet. Also, make sure the raised seat is locked to the toilet to help fall prevention.
- Rigidity and stiffness in Parkinson’s patients can make it difficult for the individual to enter the regular shower, by safely lifting the lower extremities over the edge of bathtub. Having a walk-in shower can help avoid this stress. Individuals can have their walker backed up to the entrance of the stall shower, step back into the shower, bring their walker into the shower, and use it as a support throughout the time they are in the shower. While getting out of shower, place the walker out of the shower at the entrance, get out of the shower by stepping forward and walking into the walker. Individuals can choose to have a shower chair, so that, they can be seated while taking shower and feel rested. As the movements are slowed in Parkinson’s patients, it could take longer to complete the shower and so, being seated can help avoid fatigue and exhaustion. Make sure the shower chair has armrests, which offer better support to hold on to while sitting and getting out of the chair. Make sure the seat of the chair is a little high up, which makes the task easier.
