Elderly neighbour

[Slankets]

Hello just looking for advice about my neighbour, she is 80 and lives by herself, she has no family and no support (no carers etc.) She has a sister who lives about 2 hours away. She is very able, I often see her getting the bus and walking up to the shops, hanging the washing out etc. However she is quite unsteady on her feet and has quite a bad limp (due to an old hip replacement apparently)

Anyway I just her fall, luckily I was stood at my back door and saw her fall in her porch, she wouldn't let me call for help and insisted on me and her getting her back up which took about 15 minutes. Trouble is she doesn't know why she fell and now I'm worried about her falling and no one seeing and what happens, I really don't think she would have gotten up with out my help. She is unharmed.

My question is though, am I supposed to do anything else? What else can be done? She seems quite happy and I don't want to interfere but like I say I worry about it happening and no one knowing? Me and my partner do try to keep half an eye out for her but it's difficult we both work and have a family etc. And it's more things like when we go on holiday next week I know I will worry the whole time.

Thank goodness you were there. Giving up independence is really hard, I can understand her reluctance, we experience similar with my mum. If she is on any medication, especially for blood pressure, ask her to request a GP review. My mum fell a lot (maybe 5 times in a year) and no falls since we took her off blood pressure medication. Her GP would rather blood pressure was a little elevated in the over eighties than have to be facing the results of falls. My mum also wears a panic button that would call me after a fall or if she presses it for help. I hope this will encourage your neighbour to get more support.

you are right to worry about her.
i dont know what can be done.
i think she just wants to live in her own home.

Thank you, I will pop round later and speak to her and see if she would maybe think about getting a push button alarm so it would call us if she needed it or similar, I would be surprised if she agrees though unfortunately. Like bluebell says I think she just wants to live on her own and is worried if anyone gets involved they will say she can't (which isn't true).

Not of much help, but I saw another thread about an elderly neighbour where the advice was to absolutely call a charity (Age Concern?) because they will be very discreet in helping her and won't tell her you called them.

You could call social services if you're worried.

If she falls again please don't help her up, she could have broken a bone. You need to call an ambulance if it happens again.

You can reassure her, if it comes up, that no social care professional who is entitled to the name would suggest she can't live at home purely because of a fall. Yes, they'd suggest alarms, maybe a medical review, but would support her autonomy at all times

You can contact the council and raise an adult safeguarding concern, it can be done anonymously and adult social care will get in touch with her to check on her wellbeing. Another option would be to call the Age UK helpline for advice as they can signpost you on how to broach a discussion with her about whether she needs support.

It's not a safeguarding situation, she is not being abused or neglecting herself. It's a referral.

Age Concern would be a good start. Has she got one of those Carelink alarm things she puts round her neck? They're really good, we've got one for my mum as she lives on her own. If she falls, she just presses the button on it and someone will call. If they don't get a reply they'll send someone out.

It goes down in the system as an adult safeguarding concern, her safety is potentially at risk.

Age UK state on their website too it would be reported as such.

www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/worried-about-someone/

So, your neighbor refused your offer to call for assistance but was ok with you possibly harming your own back, and getting her upright took 15 minutes? Perhaps if you reframe the button suggestion by saying "I'm afraid assisting you after your fall could have injured me so the button would bring multiple people so much lower risk for injury?"