How we help
My parent fell at home. What do we do now?
A fall changes everything in a day. Whether it ended in the ER or just a scare on the kitchen floor, the question is the same: how do we keep this from happening again without taking away their independence?
A caregiver in the home for the hours when falls happen most: mornings, bathroom trips, and evenings.
Steady hands for bathing, dressing and getting up from chairs and bed, the moments where most falls start.
A walk-through of the home with you: rugs, lighting, cords, the bathroom, the stairs.
Someone who notices and tells you: dizziness, new medication side effects, a second stumble.
Care that can begin within days, often while you are still arranging follow-up appointments.
What to do in the next 48 hours
If they hit their head, cannot bear weight, or seem confused, call their doctor or go to the ER now. Everything else can wait a day.
Once the immediate danger has passed:
- Write down what happened. Time of day, what they were doing, what they were wearing on their feet, whether they felt dizzy first. The doctor will ask, and the pattern tells you where help is needed.
- Ask the doctor about medications. Blood pressure medicines, sleep aids and some pain medications increase fall risk, especially when they were recently changed.
- Look at the house with fresh eyes. Loose rugs, a dark hallway to the bathroom, no grab bars, a step down into the family room, a walker parked out of reach.
- Decide who is there at the riskiest times. For most people that is the first hour of the morning, every bathroom trip, and the evening.
That last point is where we come in.
How home care helps after a fall
A caregiver does not wrap your parent in bubble wrap. They are simply present and useful at the moments that matter. In practice that means being in the bathroom doorway during a shower, offering an arm getting out of bed, walking beside them to the mailbox, and taking over the chores that involve ladders, heavy laundry baskets and reaching into low cabinets.
Our caregivers are trained in safe transfers and ambulation as part of Pennsylvania’s home care competency requirements. They also notice things: a new unsteadiness, a parent who is skipping meals, a medication that seems to be making them drowsy. We tell you.
We are a non-medical agency. If the fall led to a physical therapy order, a home health agency provides that, and our caregiver makes sure the exercises actually happen between visits.
A typical starting plan
- Mornings, 3 hours, five days a week: shower, dressing, breakfast, medication reminder, light housekeeping.
- Or evenings, 3 hours: dinner, a walk, getting ready for bed, a last check of the house.
- Or overnight if the falls are happening on the way to the bathroom at night. See overnight care.
Where this happens
Row homes with steep stairs in Harrisburg, Reading and the coal-region boroughs. Farmhouses in Lancaster, Perry and Adams counties where the bathroom is upstairs. Ranch homes in the Cumberland County suburbs with a sunken living room. We serve all of them from our Harrisburg office with caregivers who live nearby.
Other situations we help with
Coming home from the hospital
The hospital wants the bed. The discharge planner says someone needs to be home. You have a job, kids, and maybe a two-hour drive. This is the situation we are built for.
Overnight care
Days are manageable. Nights are not. Bathroom trips at 2 a.m., wandering, confusion, or a spouse who has not had an unbroken night's sleep in a year. An overnight caregiver changes the whole household.
Long-distance family
You call every day. You visit when you can. But the weekly drive is not enough anymore, and every unanswered phone call sends your stomach through the floor. You need someone local you can trust.
They refuse help
"I don't need a babysitter." You have heard it a dozen times. Meanwhile the fridge is empty, the pill bottles are a mess, and you are lying awake. There is a way through this, and it usually starts smaller than you think.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can someone start after a fall?
Do we need to commit to a lot of hours?
My parent says they are fine and does not want help.
Is this covered by Medicare?
This article is general information for Pennsylvania families and is not medical, legal, financial, or insurance advice. It's Your Home Care is a non-medical home care agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health; we do not provide skilled nursing or medical services. Program rules and eligibility change; confirm details with the agency or program named, your physician, or a qualified advisor before making decisions.
Talk to a care coordinator today
Tell us what is happening at home. We will explain your options, including what private pay, long-term care insurance, VA benefits, and Pennsylvania waiver programs may cover, and schedule an in-home care consultation when you are ready.