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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – CHICAGO- Kick off the fall season by focusing on fall prevention. For older adults, injuries sustained from a fall can be life-threatening. More than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States. Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Rehabilitation and geriatric specialists at Rush University Medical Center encourage older adults and those at risk of falling to take steps to reduce their risk of harm from falls. Here are some tips to help stay safe:
Improve strength and balance by exercising regularly.
Review with a physician medications that may have side effects on one’s balance.
Install brighter lights to increase visibility around and within your home.
Keep objects within a reasonable reach.
Have step stools and hand railings repaired if loose.
Remove or move furniture or obstacles that may be a tripping hazard.
Remove slippery rugs or use double-sided tape to secure them to the floor.
Keep non-slip mats on surfaces which may become wet such as bathtubs, and consider installing grab bars for use in the shower and bathroom.
Have your vision checked annually.
Consider having a falls risk assessment by a trained health care professional.
Rush has implemented several programs to reduce falls among patients in the hospital. Nursing staff perform fall assessments on each new patient upon admission. The assessment is repeated every shift throughout the Medical Center to determine when interventions are necessary. The Berg Balance Scale, a standard assessment tool, is used by physical therapists with the initial and subsequent evaluations of patients referred for physical therapy.
Rush routinely checks a national nursing quality database to make sure it is doing all that it can to reduce or eliminate the incidence of falls. Rush’s department of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Nursing is conducting a fall risk and intervention study to test risk assessment indicators and various risk level interventions for their ability to predict high-risk patients and to reduce falls.
“We know the dangers of falls, and we regularly assess risk factors to ensure the utmost safety of our patients,” said Barbara Martin, PhD, RN, director of rehabilitation and mental health nursing.
In addition, Rush offers a Balance Program to evaluate and treat patients with balance disorders. Falls screenings are offered twice a year at a health fair for older adults.
As important as fall prevention is, there are many states that have not adopted a day or week dedicated to fall prevention awareness. Rush faculty and staff are advocates for establishing a fall prevention day or week for Illinois.
“Fall prevention week may be something new for many, but Rush has been tracking and addressing this topic for some time. We want everyone to be aware of the dangers of falls. Designation of a specific week to focus on fall prevention can increase general awareness of the hazards and, in turn, help decrease the number of injuries due to falls,” said Diane Genaze, PT, director of Physical Therapy at Rush.
If you would like more information about fall prevention or to make an appointment with the Rush outpatient department of physical and occupational therapy, please call 312-563-2454.
RushUniversity Medical Center includes the 674-bed (staffed) hospital; the Johnston R. Bowman Health Center; and Rush University (Rush Medical College, College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences and the Graduate College).
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