One in every three adults older than 65 will fall each year, resulting in an average $19,000 in hospital bills and health care. These falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for seniors.
Its solution: Area 10 Agency gathered more than 40 volunteers Oct. 25 to improve low-income seniors’ homes in Monroe County.
The annual event, Safe at Home, was hosted by Area 10 Agency in partnership with Bell Trace, Comfort Keepers and Lowe’s, according to an Area 10 Agency press release. Volunteers modified the homes of six seniors.
“The focus of Safe at Home is to serve seniors who do not have the means to make necessary home modifications to prevent falls and to engage local media and organizations in promoting community awareness about the importance of falls prevention,” according to the Area 10 Agency website.
The improvement of seniors’ homes is the best way to circumvent the statistics that go hand-in-hand with these tragic falls, the release stated.
“This can be as simple as installing a $30 grab bar in the bathroom,” the release said.
The event did include the addition of grab bars to homes, as well as installing entry rails and building ramps and deck roofs for homes.
Safe at Home is just one event during the year that attracts a large group of volunteers, the release stated. In addition to the event, Area 10 Agency has a REPAIRS team that works all year to modify homes for seniors at risk of falling. The REPAIRS team works in both Monroe and Owen counties.
The REPAIRS team doesn’t just work on large-scale projects. It does things as small as replacing smoke detectors in homes, according to Area 10 Agency’s website. In 2012, the team responded to 149 work requests. This number is expected to rise in coming years.
This year’s Safe at Home event took place during Falls Prevention Awareness Month. Area 10 Agency’s website lists several ways ?seniors can prevent both fatal and nonfatal falls, including reviewing their medications periodically, having annual hearing assessments, getting their eyes checked regularly and sticking to a physical activity regimen.
An older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall every 14 seconds, according to the National Council on Aging. The Council also reports that every 29 minutes a senior dies following a fall.
“Falling is not a normal part of aging,” the Council reported on its website in an attempt to debunk myths about falling.
Still, about 12 million seniors fall each year in the U.S.
For more information on fall prevention, visit ? area10agency.org/?fallsprevention .
