What Elderly People Need To Know About Using Toilet At Night : For people who have elderly people in their family, there is a constant worry of whether they will be able to use the toilet safely at night. Elderly people passing out, falling and injuring themselves in the washroom is quite common, but preventable. One simply needs to know a few basic things to avoid falls and prevent serious head injuries and fractures.
Talking about this problem, Dr Yash Jhamnani took to Instagram and explained in a video that this phenomenon is known as ‘postural hypotension’, during which the body’s blood pressure falls suddenly when it changes position from lying down or sitting to standing. This fall in blood pressure can lead to dizziness and even fainting spells, which can be quite serious for elderly people, who frequently use the washroom at night. It can cause grave head injuries and even fractures. So, what can be done to prevent it?
Dr Jhamnani said there are a few things that need to be kept in mind and shared with the elderly so that they can safely use the toilet. “The first thing you should do upon waking up is to sit on the bed for 15-20 seconds. Then, gently place your feet on the floor and wait for another 15-20 seconds. After that, raise your feet and do movements involving the toes and heels, so that the blood circulation improves. Finally, stand near a wall and hold it for support for another 10 seconds,” he explained.
The expert added that postural hypotension is one of the major culprits to cause sudden loss of consciousness, head injury and traumatic brain injury. He said that it is most commonly seen in elderly people, or people with prolonged diabetes/hypertension, or those who are on multiple other medications.
“This one simple technique can help in preventing such episodes. Make sure you teach this technique to everyone at home. And anyone [above the] age of 45 should preferably use this method while getting up from the bed,” he concluded.