Falls are Seniors' most serious health risk
WAVES Ambulance offers home inspections and advice to help prevent falls, which can be deadly to seniors.
You may think of your volunteer ambulance service as the people you call if you have an injury or health issue, but WAVES is doing an outreach program aimed at cutting down on some of its calls.
Dan Taylor, with WAVES, says they took a look at the number of calls they were getting for falls, and realized they could do something preventive. So, they do inspections, at no cost to residents of Camillus, Minoa and Manlius (WAVES service areas), and include suggestions on safety as well as some minor fixes, like moving extension cords, or installing hand grips, ot taping down rugs that could slide. . Taylor says they also give advice, like not using a moving door or wobbly furniture for support.
Falls are a serious health issue for seniors. Look at these statistics from the Centers for Disease Control:
- One out of three adults age 65 and older falls each year,1 but less than half talk to their healthcare providers about it.
- Among older adults (those 65 or older), falls are the leading cause of injury death. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma.2
- In 2010, 2.3 million nonfatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 662,000 of these patients were hospitalized.2
- In 2010, the direct medical costs of falls, adjusted for inflation, was $30.0 billion.
The CDC says falls are the most common cause of Traumatic Brain Injuries, and 46% of Traumatic Brain Injuries resulted in death in 2000. 20 - 30% of seniors who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries, including cuts and broken bones. Most importantly, the fear of falling also cuts into quality of life and fear of remaining in independent (less costly) housing.
For more on the WAVES fall prevention program you can contact:
www.WAVESambulance.com, www.facebook.com/wavesambulance, email dtaylor@wavesambulance.com, or 487-1212
