The deaths of Kurt Vonnegut, David Brinkley, Dr. Robert Atkins, Katharine Graham and even centenarian George Burns — could have been prevented. That's the word from senior fitness expert, Dr. Betty Perkins Carpenter, a former Olympic diving coach who has taken up the cause of preventing falls among seniors.
Dr. Betty Perkins-Carpenter"Each of those high-profile individuals, like thousands of seniors each year, died from an accidental fall," says Perkins-Carpenter, 76, who travels the country speaking to community groups on the issue. "Every hour, an older American dies as the result of a fall. Others experience serious injuries that lead to loss of independence. There's no question that falls among the elderly are a national problem."
Statistics bear her out. According to the Centers for Disease Control, falls are the leading cause of deaths from injury and serious injury among people 65 and over. In 2004, close to 15,000 people age 65 years or older died of fall-related injuries. Another 1.8 million were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries due to falls. Injuries are increasing as the aging population grows.
While falls can happen anywhere, research shows that most falls by older adults occur at home during everyday activities in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and on stairs. Mobility issues, arthritis and drug side effects can contribute as can obstacles and clutter. The most serious injury resulting from such falls is hip fracture. One in five individuals experiencing a hip fracture dies within a year of injury and half never return to their former level of mobility or independence. Even the fear of falling can be enough to stop seniors from exercising, socializing or leaving the house to take a walk.
Falls take a toll on our healthcare system as well. Medical treatment and care costs for falls among older adults in 2000 was $19 billion. The CDC estimates that cost will balloon to $43.8 billion by 2020.
In December, the National Council on Aging, the CDC, the U.S. Administration on Aging and other groups and foundations announced the creation of a public-private partnership to create community-based programs to help seniors avoid falls.
"For adults over 65, falls and injuries from falls are a major threat to health, independence and quality of life, but they are not a normal part of aging," said James Firman, NCOA president and CEO. "This partnership can go a long way toward preventing the need for acute or long-term care directly related to falls."
The problem of falls is particularly acute in nursing homes, where the population is generally frailer than older adults living independently. At the Masonic Healthcare Center in Wallingford, nursing home residents and rehab patients use a high-tech fall prevention system called, "Active Step." The device uses simulator-type training and a unique treadmill programmed to determine an individual's balance issues and develop an appropriate rehabilitation program. "It's given us the ability to take balance retraining and fall prevention to the next level," says Jamie Fitzgibbons, the Center's director of inpatient rehabilitation.
Several websites provide the elderly and caregivers with information on preventing injuries. Two brochures, "What You Can Do to Prevent Falls," and "Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevent Checklist," are available online at www.cdc.gov. Aarp.com, www.homesafetycouncil.org and www.ncoa.org also include information on avoiding accidental falls.
Perkins-Carpenter agrees that public education is crucial. Her book, "How To Prevent Falls: Better Balance, Independence and Energy in Six Simple Steps," (Senior Fitness Productions, Inc, $16.95), an exercise program to improve fitness and balance, includes such steps as "Dancing With a Pillow," and the "Slump.""It's not always possible to prevent the illnesses that change our lives, but it is possible to prevent or minimize most of the falls that plague our senior citizens," says Perkins-Carpenter.
By Korky Vann
Copyright © 2008, The Hartford Courant
