One in three seniors fall each year
July 28, 2010
Dr Robert Barraco, the chief of geriatric trauma and trauma outreach at Lehigh Valley Health Network, told the Pocono Record that, in another 10 years, there would be about $50 billion spent on injuries resulting from senior citizens falling.
Barraco says that falls can result from a variety of conditions. Some assisted walking devices may be difficult to use or medications can make an elderly person feel dizzy.
There could also be age-related factors, such as the onset of poor vision or hearing. Dimly lit environments can also affect the ability of a senior to navigate a room.
“One out of three people over the age of 65 fall at least once a year… most falls occur in their own homes while they are doing regular activites,” the prime-time health coordinator at a local agency on area, Kate Koehler, told the news source.
She also stated that elderly people living by themselves should always have a way to contact someone.
Many senior citizens may benefit from a medical alert system which can notify other people if there’s an emergency in the home. Mobile devices can be especially beneficial in situations where an incident has occurred that has impaired movement.
