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
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
and implement programs to reduce falls of older adults,” Ann F. Monroe,
president of the CHF Western and
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.”
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.