Fall Prevention
Awareness of the prevalence of falls among older adults, as well as fall prevention strategies, are important for maintaining healthy communities. Falling and sustaining injuries negates overall health due to the impact of long term injury and loss of mobility.
Falls account for the majority of injuries to seniors
•50% seniors who fall obtain an injury
•Most common injury is hip fracture
Falls account for majority of hospitalizations to seniors
•Primary injury related hospitalization for seniors
•80% Hospitalization due to falls
Risk and protective factors for falls
Risk Factors for falling include:
• Poor balance
• Poor mobility
• Decreased muscle and bone strength
• Reduced vision or hearing
• Anxiety about falling
• Unsafe conditions in/around the home
• Poor nutrition
• Multiple medications
*Women 65+ are at increased risk due to Osteoporosis
Risk of injury:
• 50% of Senior falls result in injury
• Previous falls and injuries increase risk for future accidents
• Osteoporosis increases risk factor for fractures
• Elderly women are at increased risk of hospitalization
• Elderly men are at increased risk of death
Strategies for falls prevention:
Stay Healthy!
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Reduce Risks
- Wear proper footwear
- Salt/ De-ice side walks, driveways and stairs
- Reduce mess and clutter
- Use assistive aids as required (hand rails, canes, walkers etc)
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Eat well
- Good nutrition and vitamin intake is essential to maintain bone and muscle health
Stay Hydrated
- Keeping up your water intake keeps muscles limber, reduces brain fog and reduces muscle pain intensity and frequency
One of the best ways to be healthy is to maintain your health. Preventative care is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. You can refer to our previous blogs for more information on different ways to bolster your health and practice preventative medicine:
- Maintain muscle strength - warm up and exercises
An awesome local resource, Community Support Connections, is also talking about Fall & Injury prevention Training. Find out what courses and community resources they have to support fall prevention on their website.
Fall Prevention Talk
When: January 15th, 10am to 11am
Where: Forest Heights Library
This talk will explore the health effects that falling has on the senior population. The presentation, accompanied by a power point, will discuss how falling can impact systemic health. Exploring the risk factors for falling and injury allows us to better understand the effect of sustaining a fall on short and long term health.
Once we have created a basis for understanding fall prevalence and the relevance of preventative care, we will discuss effective prevention strategies. Fall prevention planning will cover methods of protective factors, effective ways of removing risk factors, and minimizing risk of injury should a fall occur.
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