Alberta starts new anti-fall campaign for seniors
November 15, 2011
Senior falls are becoming more of a problem, as they can cause both injury and added anxiety over falling again. To combat this, the Alberta Center for Injury Control and Research in Alberta, Canada, have initiated a new anti-fall campaign to reduce falls among seniors, the Edmonton Journal[1] reports.
According to the office of the provincial medical examiner, in 2009 alone 79 percent of the 179 accidental deaths were due to falls, while 142 of the 179 people were seniors. Kathy Belton, the associate director of the injury research center told the source that in 2008, senior falls cost the Alberta hospitals $96 million. She added that if no preventative steps are made, costs could jump to $238 million by 2031. To try and prevent this from happening, the new anti-fall program at the center hopes to try and reduce falls by 30 percent by 2015.
“Falls really are a serious issue,” Liza Sunley, spokeswoman for the center told the source. “Falls can actually bruise more than your ego.”
As falls are still so common among the senior population, those aging in place may want to consider wearing a medical alert smartwatch in case of an accident. This way if a fall does happen, seniors have the ability to call for help.
