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Health & Fitness

Falling Down

Up to 75% of Medicare aged adults who fall and get hurt die wihtin 12 months of the injury. It's time to change it!

Over the years, our medical team has been witness to the patient who schedules an appointment because of recent falls and a fear of falling again... and then cancels the appointment when a family member notifies us of the sudden fall and death of their loved one.

Today, we had another such call. The news evokes sadness, as well as some anguish…knowing that we may have been able to keep the fall from happening… if only the patient had come to us sooner.

All medical evidence from about 2001 tells us that fall injuries among Medicare aged people can be effectively reduced… but nothing can be done if the patient ignores the signs of a fall waiting to happen.  As noted in a study funded by The Donaghue Foundation and the National Institute on Aging; published in the New England Journal of Medicine… N Engl J Med. 2008;359:252-261…

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“The rate of falling increases after age 70 years. Several factors including use of multiple medications and impairments in vision, balance, gait, and strength
increase this risk and the risk for injuries. Multicomponent fall-prevention
strategies have been shown to be effective to reduce falls at rates ranging
from 2% to 37%.”

Further, a more recent study funded by Nepean Medical Research Foundation with:  Ageing Bone Research Program at the The University of Sydney,  and Geriatric Medicine at Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW, Australia was presented to the American Geriatric Society in May of 2012. That study stated that falls risk assessments and intervention could reduce falls and fall fractures by up to 72%.

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Falls are symptoms of other health issues…so if someone you know is having problems with their balance… and maybe even falling… let them know that help is available to keep them from getting hurt… and it’s covered under Medicare.



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