Did you know that 1 in 4 people aged 65+ fall each year according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)? Scanning your own home is a good place to start, you can help make a difference!
Ground-level falls are a common reason for a visit to the ER. A person might think that falls are a “normal” part of getting older, but they are not. (Per South Dakota Fall Prevention Coalition).
If you take the time to look around your home or your parent's home there are ways to reduce the risk of a fall. Click the image below to watch the video as a resource for what you are looking for in your home to reduce fall risk.
Click Here to view a checklist to find and fix hazards in your home. This checklist is from the CDC.
Common injuries from a ground-level fall include, but are not limited to:
- Head Injuries
- Broken Ribs
- Broken Wrists
- Broken Hips
- Broken Ankles
These injuries slow us down and may admit us into the hospital. If you want to check your risk for falling, click here to complete a questionnaire which is a helpful tool from the CDC.
To learn more check out the following resources:
- Additional information for families and individuals on how to prevent falls: http://stopfalls.org/individuals-families/
- Important facts about falls: https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
- Brochure on how to Stay Independent: https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-Brochure-StayIndependent-508.pdf
- Fall Prevention Took Kit with many resources: https://doh.sd.gov/documents/FallPrevention/SD_FallPrevention_Toolkit.pdf
- Brochure on how to check for safety: https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-Brochure-CheckForSafety-508.pdf