Check Your Medicines
Injury Matters
Stay On Your Feet® Injury Matters provides Stay On Your Feet®, WA’s falls prevention program for older adults living in the community. We educate community members, health professionals and community workers how to keep active and alert to prevent slips, trips and falls. Stay On Your Feet® is WA’s falls prevention program funded by the WA Department of Health. . The program aims to reduce falls and falls related injuries among older adults living in the community. Our key target audiences are non-Aboriginal people aged 60+ years and Aboriginal people aged 45+ years. Stay On Your Feet® and provides information, resources, grants, peer education presentations, a website and training for health care providers. The Stay On Your Feet® program runs two three-month campaigns per year, focusing on modifiable risk factors for falls. These campaigns can encourage older adults to: Move their Body by building balance and strengthening their legs. Improve their Health, keeping a healthy mind, managing their medicines and fuelling their body. Remove Hazards, making sure that older adults wear safe footwear, check their eye sight and remove hazards that can cause slips trips and falls.
Stay On Your Feet® Move Your Body: Build Your Balance Preventing falls doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some simple tips for you to follow to help prevent slips, trips and falls… so that you can stay active and independent. Move Your Body: Build Your Balance Strengthen Your Legs Improve Your Health: Check Your Medicines Keep a Healthy Mind Fuel Your Body Remove Hazards: Make Your Home Safer Check Your Eyesight Wear Safe Footwear
A fall is an unexpected event, which results in a person coming to rest on the ground or other lower level
One in three people over the age of 65 experience a fall each year
The most common injuries from a fall are fractures to the hip, followed by injuries to the head
Check Your Medicines to prevent falls Sleeping tablets increase your risk of falls. Know your medicines to reduce your risk of a fall. Taking multiple medicines can increase your risk of a fall. Managing your medicines is an important part of staying healthy and independent. Falls are preventable.
What are medications?
Why is it important to check your medicines? It is important to check your medications to ensure you are not experiencing any side effects which would put you at greater risk of having a fall. All medications have potential side effects and these side effects may increase the more you take. Some side effects of medicines can include: Drowsiness Dizziness or light headedness Unsteadiness Blurred or double vision Confusion Headaches Nausea
What questions could you ask your Doctor? When should I take it? Do I need to take it with food? What are the side effects? Can I take this with other medications I am on?
What should you look out for? Is this expired? When is the used-by-date? What are the side effects? What is the recommended dosage? When do I need to take them? Cam I combine these medications? What if I share or use someone else's medication? Does this medication interact with anything else I am taking?
Tips to manage your medicines
Sleeping problems and medications There are many ways you can improve your sleep, without the use of sleeping pills: Keep active during the day Avoid naps Make your bedroom quiet and comfortable Avoid alcohol and cigarettes Read before bed Keep a sleep diary
What are some things that might stop you from checking your medications? How might you be able to overcome these problems?
Stay On Your Feet® brochures and booklets
Summary Sleeping tablets increase your risk of falls. Know your medicines to reduce your risk of a fall. Taking multiple medicines can increase your risk of a fall. Managing your medicines is an important part of staying healthy and independent. Falls are preventable.
Complete your action plan with ways you are going to check your medications and help prevent a fall
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