Falls Prevention Month campaign offers ideas, resources to keep people on their feet

Campaign also helps LTC homes and other organizations promote their falls prevention initiatives

November is Falls Prevention Month, and a national campaign to help long-term care homes and caregivers of seniors keep people on their feet is offering valuable resources and information.

Indeed, falls prevention initiatives are in place in OMNI Health Care’s 18 long-term care homes. Each OMNI home has physiotherapy teams and programming to help keep residents active, which mitigates falls.

Homes take other precautions, such as restraint-reduction initiatives, dietary regimens and medication checks, to keep the risk of falls low.

In addition to information provided on falls prevention activities and ideas, the Falls Prevention Month campaign provides a toolkit to help long-term care homes promote events and initiatives they use to reduce the risk of falls.

According to the Government of Canada, falls are the No. 1 cause of injury in the senior citizen population. Statistics show hospital stays on average are 10 days longer for injury caused by falls than any other condition.

The government also says one-third of Canadians who suffer a fall will be admitted to a long-term care home after being released from hospital.

Falls also have a heavy cost burden, accounting for $2 billion in direct health-care costs each year.

“Falls in older adults are predictable and preventable,” the Falls Prevention Month website states. “There are many organizations and individuals working hard to increase awareness of the issue and encourage action to prevent falls and injuries from falls.”

What is your long-term care home doing to for Falls Prevention Month? If youhave a story you would like to share with The OMNIway, please contact the newsroom at e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.com.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.com