Globe & Mail
Falls Prevention
By Jane Mundy
Over one-third of seniors fall at least once each year. They
are the number one cause of fatal injuries yet the most preventable. Olive
Bryanton at the PEI Centre on Health and Aging reports that in
“Seniors are reluctant to talk about falls -- they are embarrassed and worry about being placed in a nursing home,” says Dr. Vicky Scott, BC Injury research and prevention unit, Ministry of Health.
Risk Factors
Hazardous environments; poor balance; muscle weakness; poor vision; and the biggest -- taking multiple medications, particularly tranquilizers and sleeping pills.
Prevention
Report any falls and the circumstances involved to your doctor. This information is necessary to determine any medical contributors, e.g. poor blood pressure.
Exercise to promote balance, muscle strength and reaction time.
Make homes and public environments elder- friendly Bathrooms should have grab bars. Stairs need handrails and adequate lighting.
Nutrition: diet to include protein, Vitamin D and calcium supplements to promote muscle and bone strength.
Assistive devices: Occupational and physiotherapist assessments can perceive senior’s physical limitations within their environs and help them adapt.
Annual Vision Checks
Hip Protectors: Osteoporosis doesn’t make you fall, but when you do you are more likely to sustain a fracture. We recommend the use of hip protectors – shields that fit into undergarments and go over the hip and protect your fall.
In B.C. a new pilot study – Strategies and Actions for Independent Living (SAIL) – trains community health workers. Seniors are encouraged to take the lead in identifying their own risk and workers support them in falls prevention. “Our pilot study had a 40 percent reduction of falls over six months,” says Dr. Scott, “and that’s what it’s all about, keeping the senior in the community and being as independent as possible.” SAIL and similar projects have led to $24 million reduction in B.C. over the last five years in hospital costs from falls injuries.