Why we Need to Address Seniors’ Falls -

Today, serious fall injuries among Canada's senior population are dramatically increasing in numbers and have become a public health problem that could reach crisis proportions.

Dr. Petrie's concern is that "By the year 2010, it is now being predicted that one third of the beds on orthopaedic wards in hospitals will be occupied by older patients recovering from fractured hips. " which clearly shows its time to seek solutions for an impending crisis.

Dr. Susan Freter is a Halifax geriatrician who believes it is essential people stop believing that the falls seniors experience are simply unavoidable accidents.

"Falling is a serious problem among older adults because it is very common and can have devastating consequences. Although over one third of people over the age of 65 years fall every year, falling should not be considered an inevitable consequence of aging."

Researchers who have studied fall prevention programs have already arrived at an important conclusion. They insist that, because multiple problems are involved in fall injuries, multiple interventions have the greatest potential to help "remedy" a complex and daunting public health challenge.

So where do we go from here? First, in order to achieve a successful fall reduction campaign it will be necessary to call on the skills and co-operation of the health professionals in your communities. This means involving family doctors, orthopaedic surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, etc. And, the endorsement and participation of seniors, their families and their caregivers will be a key component in making any community-based initiative a productive one.

Identified risk factors are those of a medical nature such as osteoporosis, gait and balance impairment, chronic illness, poor vision and multiple medications. There are also many threats within the home that we may not always think of. Such as poor lighting, slippery surfaces, and lack of safety equipment like a grab bar near a toilet and tub are only a few of these hazards.

Fortunately, there are a number of fall prevention strategies that do help. These include: Encouraging activity among seniors by providing regular, easy to access customized exercise programs designed specifically for older participants. These programs should focus on balance, flexibility and maintaining and building strength, especially in the lower limbs.

A clinical assessment and review done by members of the health care team. Its purpose is to pin point an individual's specific personal risk factors and to create a management plan that will help reduce the obvious dangers these risk factors represent. Also a return visit to ensure that this has been done should be an important aspect of this kind of intervention.

Educational programs aimed not only at the health care community, but at a much larger target group which will include seniors, governments at all levels and the general public. This agenda will help make a greater risk prevention awareness a societal " norm" and result in a much greater knowledge of effective risk reduction strategies, not only among seniors, but for people of all ages.

Increased attention and research on the use of safety items such as canes, walkers, spiked snow-boots and other new innovative products such as hip protectors which have been shown to help reduce the incidence of fractures.

Reducing fall related injuries among Canadian seniors by only 20% would result in a remarkable achievement. It would translate, annually, into 8,000 fewer hospital stays and more than 1,800 fewer permanently disabled seniors. This would, of course, save our health care system millions of dollars, but something much more meaningful would have taken place. Many older men and women would be able to enjoy a better quality of life, free of the pain and the emotional and physical trauma that are often the tragic consequences of serious fall injuries.

By the year 2031, it is estimated that there will be more than 5 million seniors in this country. Now that we have the facts, we as Canadians across the country need to step up and start to take action and put these prevention plans into place.