Tri-State Organizations Taking Steps To Prevent Falls

Did you know this is National Fall Prevention Week?

Falls by older adults out in the community and in their homes is part of an alarming trend in the Tri-State region. Newly released 2012 data from the Tri-State Trauma Registry show that nearly half of all trauma related injuries were caused by a fall. Among all fall-related injuries, 53 percent of falls were experienced by persons age 65 and older.  Even more alarming, 66 percent of all falls occur within the home.

Clermont County Public Health and other county health departments also offer home safety and fall prevention classes. These free classes offer older adults free medication reviews and fall risk assessments with physical therapists who work with patients on increasing physical activity and eliminating environment hazards.

Other community organizations offer home modification programs. One such program is Whole Home, which is a unique home modification service of People Working Cooperatively. Whole Home offers one-on-one education, in home assessments and community collaboration, all of which is part of their three-tiered approach to reduce the number of falls in older adults. They can provide modification and improvements to homes by installing items such as motion-activated lights, grab bars in bathrooms and handrails on all stairways.

“We plan on providing fall prevention education to 50 senior centers, community centers and other gatherings,” said Ron Henlein, director of corporate and community partnerships at People Working Cooperatively.

Tomorrow there is a free fall prevention class :

Thursday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m.
Nathanael Green Lodge
6394 Wesselman Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45248
To register, call (513) 569-6400.

Note: this class is open.