Top Five 9-1-1 Calls Made By Elderly & How To Prevent Them

An estimated 240 million calls are made to 9-1-1 in the U.S. each year. This is a staggering number and many of these calls are made by our elderly. As family caregivers caring for an elderly loved one, we do our best to prevent emergencies from happening by providing optimal care. Being pro-active is key and knowing the top five reasons why elderly call 9-1-1 is a great way to create prevention strategies to reduce the likelihood of emergencies occurring.

Let’s dive into the top five emergencies that result in a 9-1-1 call and prevention strategies that can be incorporated to help prevent them.

#5: Pressure Ulcers: ​These are also known as pressure sores or bedsores. Pressure ulcers are injuries to skin and underlying tissues resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin. They can develop quickly and those at risk of bedsores typically have medical conditions that limit their ability to change positions or they are individuals who spend most of their time in a bed or chair. Prevention Strategy: Frequent repositioning of the body every two hours, ensuring that their skin is taken care of and good nutrition are important to avoid pressure ulcers from forming.

#4: Untreated Infections:​ The severity of an infection can quickly escalate if they go untreated and lack of bathing can make infections even worse.
Prevention Strategy: Frequent hand washing, proper first aid and wound care as well as using gloves if becoming in contact with bodily fluids can help prevent the spread of infection. It’s important to note that not all infections can be prevented and recognizing the signs of sepsis is critical. A great source that describes the symptoms and causes of sepsis can be found on the Mayo Clinic’s website.

#3: Medication Misuse: ​The potential side-effects of elderly forgetting to take their medication or doubling the dose on accident due to normal ranges of memory loss can be catastrophic. The result can run the spectrum from being slightly ill to life-threatening depending on the medication.
Prevention Strategy: The combination of establishing a medication routine, making a daily med checklist, another technique is to consider pre-pouring your loved one’s medications into a medi-set (weekly medication organizer) are proven ways to keep elderly on track with their medication. For severe cases of “medication forgetfulness” consider using an electronic medication dispenser such as the Phillips med dispenser that can be found here: https://www.lifeline.philips.com/pill-dispenser/health-mdp.html

#2: Dehydration: ​Staying hydrated by drinking enough water can be a challenge. At times older adults feel that drinking more will make them have to go to the bathroom more so they are hesitant to increase their liquid intake. Dehydration not only causes health issues such as

fatigue, confusion, anger, headaches, disorientation, muscle cramps and blurred vision but it also can create existing ailments to become worse.
Prevention Strategy: Create a water log and track this on a daily basis. Drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day is recommended. Also, take the time to remind the person you are caring for about the importance of staying hydrated and be gentle with them about their concerns of having to go to the bathroom more frequently or potentially having an accident so that their fear of embarrassment is addressed in a respectful and calm manner. Pour a fresh glass of water and place next to your loved one every time you are with them, this might increase the chances of drinking on a regular basis.

#1: Falls:​ Five out of ten emergency calls are a result of a fall, and things such as poor transfer techniques, no transfer belts, forgetting to use walkers/ canes or using them inappropriately. Falls can often happen when getting on/off toilet and in or out of the bathroom, as well as tripping over rugs or slippery socks. Falls can result in extreme injuries for elderly and can be life-threatening.

Prevention Strategy: Remind the person you are caring for about the importance of using any mobility assistance such as: walkers, canes, wheelchairs and transfer assistance from their bed, in and out of the shower or tub and on and off of the toilet. They may not always remember that they need assistance and this will help prevent them from trying to do things that their body just isn’t able to do anymore. Also make sure that you are using all equipment in the manner that it was designed. Reviewing the manual, speaking with the doctor and watching tutorials provided by the manufacturer will help. Also, making sure you take your time when transferring elderly and having them wear proper footwear is paramount.

Next Steps

We suggest creating checklists and prevention plans for the above five potential emergencies. Have those lists laminated and place them in the bathroom, on the refrigerator or any place that is easily accessible to increase visibility and to act as a reminder. These checklists will help keep these top five potential emergencies top of mind and the prevention steps easily trackable on a daily basis.

While emergencies may occur, prevention and being pro-active is the combination that can help prevent the top five reasons someone in your care would call 9-1-1.