Websites offer tips to prevent falls among seniors

More than one in three US adults age 65 or older will fall this year. In fact, falls are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma in this age group. F

The consequences can be serious: in 2005, for example, almost 2 million people 65 and older were treated in emergency rooms for nonfatal injures due to falls, nearly a half million of these were hospitalized.

Overall, early 16,000 seniors died from falls that year, making falls a leading cause of trauma death among seniors, and many were left disabled.

But the seniors can take steps to reduce their risk of falls. To draw attention to the risk of falls and to encourage people to take steps to prevent falls, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire has declared today, Sept. 18, Fall Prevention Awareness Day, which is being marked with special educational events at hospitals and community centers across the state.

The website Falls Free Washington offers a list of events as well as tips on how to prevent falls. The tips includes information about exercises that improve strength and balance that reduce the risk of falling and other steps, such as improving lighting in your home and removing throw rugs that can trip you up.

To learn more:

 
• Listen to the CDC Podcast on Fall Prevention
• Visit Falls Free Washington website.
• Watch Seattle Pacific University’s video The Good News about Fall Prevention
• The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s Fall Prevention webpage.
• Download the CDC’s brochures 
  • What you can do to prevent falls (in English, Spanish or Chinese)
  • Check For Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults (in English, Spanish or Chinese).

Tags: Falls

Category: Prevention, Safety, Senior Health