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It's important to keep seniors independent

Keeping falls to a minimum can be crucial to allowing seniors to remain at home

Falls are the most common cause of injury for B.C. seniors, despite evidence that shows most are preventable.

Nov. 5-11 was Seniors’ Fall Prevention Awareness Week, created to raise awareness around the prevention of falls and injuries among older adults.

One in three British Columbians over the age of 65 will experience at  least one fall every year. Injury from a fall often results in chronic  pain, disability, reduced quality of life and is the main reason why  older adults lose their independence. Nearly 40 per cent of all fall-related hospitalizations involve a hip fracture — which greatly impacts the health and well-being of seniors, as well as the B.C. health-care  system.

The government of B.C. is working to help educate British Columbians on  fall prevention in order to keep seniors safe, active and independent.

There are many resources available to help older adults stay fall and  injury free, including videos, brochures, booklets and guides. The new  edition of the BC Seniors’ Guide also provides tips on healthy aging and  fall prevention.

In addition to providing resources, the B.C. government supports the  prevention of falls by working with health authorities, health-care  professionals, injury-prevention experts and the public in developing  fall-prevention projects and programs, including:

• Strategies and Actions for Independent Living (SAIL) Falls Prevention  Project — a training program for community-health workers and home-health professionals that addresses falls and related risk factors among clients  of publicly funded home support services. Health authorities are  currently implementing SAIL and are expanding its scope across their  regions.

 

• Framework and Toolkit for Fall Related Injury Prevention in Residential  Care — resources for health-care professionals to support planning,  implementation, distribution and evaluation of fall-prevention programs in residential care.