"Prevent falls before calls"

Fall Prevention Initiative - 2009

Have any of your parents, family members or friends fallen in their homes? Have they stumbled over a pet, tripped on a throw rug, or slipped in the bathroom?

The Fall Prevention Program offers the elderly home safety assessments and education to avoid falls. To qualify, you must be a resident of Manheim Township, 60 years of age or older, and have fallen during the past year.

Our well trained staff perform in home assessments of fall risk, and make reccomendations for the installation of assistive devices to avoid falls.
Our staff interview patients about the risk of certain prescriptions that can cause falls during the assessment.

The program identifies participants through Medical Incident Report Forms (people who have called the 911/EMS system for assistance). Additional participants are being referred from other hospitals, VNA's, medical staffing networks, and home health entities in the region.

The preliminary data from this program reflect some of the findings from previous studies of elderly fallers. First, patients have reported many different reasons for their falls. There may, in fact, be many contributors to a given fall. Those specializing in geriatrics are taught to look for multifactorial causes of falls. Patients may be cautious about reporting the true incidence or causes of their falls for fear of being placed in a nursing home. In talking to patients about their falls, it is important to ask about past falls and the circumstances surrounding those falls without sounding judgmental.

An especially crucial component of any fall evaluation is an assessment of the patient's medications. The use of four or more prescribed medications has been found to be a risk factor for falls. Some medications that have been associated with an increased risk of

causing falls are: psychotropic medications (including benzodiazepines, sedatives, antidepressants, and antipsychotics), antihypertensives, diuretics, narcotics, muscle relaxants, hypoglycemics, and antihistamines. .

In addition to reviewing the medication list, it is important to find out which of these are actually being taken and whether any over-the-counter or herbal preparations are being used. Seemingly benign medications such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can adversely affect the elderly because of their anti-cholinergic properties

Falls in the elderly are a serious problem with high morbidity and mortality. It has been estimated that of those 65 and older who are living in their own homes, nearly one-third will fall each year. Of those who fall, one in forty will be hospitalized. Of those who are hospitalized, only half will be alive at the end of the year. Those who have had one fall are at increased risk for further falls.

Manheim Township Ambulance is using the Fall Prevention Program as one of several adjuncts on our plan for injury prevention for the residents in our area.

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