Elderly fall campaign keeping people mobile

An elderly fall campaign has been implemented in East Riding with the view to prevent damaging and ‘catastrophic’ falls in the elderly. The campaign, Falls Awareness Week, looks to assess eyesight and the living habits of elderly residents as well as the accessibility of their homes, where stair lifts and other such aids could help prevent trips and falls. 

The scheme is set to run between the 16^th and the 22^nd June in the East Riding area and will ‘highlight simple ways that the elderly can keep themselves safe on the stairs and around the home’, such as through the use of home chair stairlifts and hand rails.

Reduce the risk

Falls Awareness Week has been established by the Council and NHS bosses in a move to try to reduce the some 20,000 falls that occur in the local area suffered by nearby elderly residents. Through simple acts such as testing residents’ eyesight, monitoring their medication and alcohol intake and ridding the home of tripping hazards it is thought that this figure could be greatly reduced.

Through such schemes it is hoped that it won’t only prevent the pain that comes from falls suffered by the elderly, but will also help promote independent living and help people stay living in their own homes for longer, reducing pressure on the NHS and home care.

East Riding of Yorkshire CCG Governing Body member, Dr Sivarajan Krishnaraj, said of the scheme in this article, “The impact of repeated falls or even a single fall can be catastrophic to someone’s ability to self-care and live independently."

A large part of reducing falls in the home is ensuring it is as accessible as possible, which doesn’t have to be the hardship some people think. Handicare’s range of rise and recliner chairs and home mobility aids are not only priced competitively, but are installed quickly and to the highest standard, allowing their clients to continue living in their home safely and comfortably with a reduced risk of falls and trips.

Image Credit: David Hodgson (flickr.com)

This content was written by Emily Bray. Please feel free to visit my Google+ Profile to read more stories.