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Vertigo: Staying Safe When You Have Balance Problems
You can make your home safer:
- Eliminate throw rugs and use nonskid mats.
- Install grab bars near the bathtub and toilet.
- Use night-lights.
- Keep floors dry to prevent slipping.
- Store household items on low shelves to eliminate the need to climb or reach high. If climbing is essential, use a step stool with handrails.
- Keep driveways, sidewalks, and interior walkways clear of anything that might cause you to trip.
Personal tips that can help prevent injury during an episode of vertigo:
- Avoid driving or working at heights.
- Wear shoes with low heels and nonslip soles.
- Keep your shoes tied.
- Alert family and friends to your condition and how they can help during an attack of vertigo.
- Know whether medicines you take can affect your sense of balance.
Print out the following safety checklists, write the date on each one, and check all items that you can. Do this once a month to see how you are progressing with making your home environment safe. Try to get all items checked.
- This list of items can help you prepare for an
episode of vertigo, such as by making sure someone else knows about your
vertigo and avoiding driving when having an episode:
checklist for personal considerations
(What is a PDF document?). - This list can help you keep your
home free from clutter and obstacles that could cause you to fall during an
episode of vertigo:
checklist for the home environment. (What is a PDF document?)
- This list can help prevent injuries in
the bathroom and kitchen:
checklist for the bathroom and kitchen (What is a PDF document?).
Test Your Knowledge
A precaution you can take to make your environment safe if you have vertigo is:
Not using throw rugs.Not using throw rugs, keeping a light on at night, and keeping your sidewalk clear all can make your environment safer if you have vertigo. All answers are correct.
Keeping a light on at night.Not using throw rugs, keeping a light on at night, and keeping your sidewalk clear all can make your environment safer if you have vertigo. All answers are correct.
Keeping your sidewalk clear.Not using throw rugs, keeping a light on at night, and keeping your sidewalk clear all can make your environment safer. All answers are correct.
A precaution you can take if you have vertigo is:
Understanding the side effects of your medicines and whether they affect your balance.Understanding the side effects of your medicines and whether they affect your balance is a simple yet effective precaution you can take if you have vertigo.
Wearing socks with no shoes in the house.Socks can be slippery, increasing your risk of falling. The correct answer is a.
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Vertigo: Staying safe when you have balance problems
| Author: | Monica Rhodes | Last Updated: October 20, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine Barrie J. Hurwitz, MD - Neurology | |
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