Taking Action Against Preventable Falls

Chances are that as a reader of BR Online, one (or both) or your parents are nearing the age of 65, or are already there (not to mention those dearly loved grandparents).

The facts are there, and they're frightening for anyone who has people aging around them that they care about. One in 3 elderly people 65 or older will fall in 2009, and many of those falls will result in injury and sometimes be fatal. Between 2003 and 2005, a shocking annual average of 45 deaths resulted from falls. With an aging population, we can expect that if a plan is not enacted, these stats will remain, or even possibly rise.

Cue the Falls Prevention Collaborative, presented by the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York (CHF) and the WNY Falls Prevention Consortium. The consortium plan was generated from input from over 25 organizations from throughout the region, and focuses on those who are frail, or at risk of becoming frail and reside in community settings. The ultimate goal is to keep older adults living safely in the community for as long possible.

CHF is currently in the process of allocating funds to support teams in the health care community that will help reach this ultimate goal. The teams will focus on preventive measures to reduce falls, such as mobility and balance exercises, medication management (some medications may cause a fall due to dizzying side effects), home safety (half of falls occur at home because of obstacles in stairwells and hallways), and vision.

"We will be investing significant foundation resources among teams of health care entities throughout Erie County to develop strategies and implement programs to reduce falls of older adults," Ann F. Monroe, president of the CHF Western and Central New York said.  "It is our hope these programs can then be shared with the community-at-large in order to lessen falls and the emotional tolls falls have on the elderly and their families as well as the significant financial impact falls have on our health care system."

Among the teams receiving approximately $300,000 in grants include the Catholic Health System, the University at Buffalo, Independent Health, Kaleida Health, Lutheran Health Care System, D'Youville College, People, Inc., Erie County Department of Senior Services, the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo and Ray Hammel Physical Therapy.