November is Fall Prevention Month 

Falling can have a significant impact on seniors, their families and caregivers and the health care system. Falls can result in a major life change for seniors including loss of independence, change in living arrangements and even death.

Here are some quick facts and statistics about how falls affect older adults and seniors in Canada:

• Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adult Canadians.  20-30% of seniors experience 1+ falls each year.
• Over 1/3 of seniors who are hospitalized for a fall are discharged to long-term care.
• Falls account for 85% of injury-related hospitalizations among seniors.
• Approximately 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 are likely to fall at least once each year.
• The average Canadian senior stays in hospital 10 days longer for falls than for any other cause.

Source:  http://fallpreventionmonth.ca/

 

We all have a responsibility and role to play in preventing and reducing the risk of falls.   As an agency, ESS has developed a Falls Prevention Strategy (FPS) which summarizes current falls prevention activities designed to further strengthen the agency’s programs and services.  The FPS supports the Vision and Mission of the organization by supporting seniors in their desire to remain safely and independently in their own homes and communities. 

In addition to putting processes and protocols in place to prevent and reduce the risk of falls in our agency programs, our goal is to provide you with the tools and resources to take action and implement prevention strategies of your own at home and in your daily lives. 

Below are a variety of resources we pulled from www.fallpreventionmonth.ca.  This website has a wealth of information and we encourage you to take some time to review the site.  We selected the resources which we thought would be most beneficial and listed them for you below.  These include tips on how to prevent falls in the home, how to become more active to increase balance and strength and how to get yourself up after a fall.

*Click the links below to view and download the resources

• Fall Prevention at Home
• Maintaining Seniors’ Indepdendence through Home Adaptation
• Everyday Movements for Balance
• How to Lower your Fall Risk
• Tips for How You Can Prevent Falls
• Preventing Falls on Stairs
• How to Get Up After a Fall
• Helping Someone Get Up After a Fall
• Guide to Healthy Eating for Older Adults

Follow the hashtag #PreventFalls2018 on social media for more tips and information.