One in four senior citizens—those 65 and older—fall every year, often in their own homes, a trauma prevention expert told a group of approximately 20 College Park residents on June 3.
But J.J. Current, a trauma prevention and outreach coordinator at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, said seniors can be proactive about preventing falls and the injuries they cause.
“The big issue that we worry about is head injury,” Current said. “When you have a fall, broken bones are not such a big deal. But with trauma-related deaths with falls, 65% of the time it’s involving a head injury.”
The College Park Senior Advisory Committee hosted the gathering at the College Park Woods Community Center to kick off its fall prevention campaign, which includes four June events at which seniors can pick up a fall prevention kit with double-sided rug tape, non-slip bathtub treads, motion sensor night lights and a pamphlet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to guard against falls.
The group is also promoting a city program that offers seniors a $150 rebate for the purchase or installation of grab bars at home.
“We set it up so that we have one event every single week in the month of June and one in each of the four districts of the city of College Park, in hopes that we’re making it accessible to all the seniors,” organizer Heidi Weber, a member of the advisory committee who organized the June 3 event, said.
Current said poor nutrition, medication side effects, and vision or hearing problems are some of the leading causes of falls.
“You need good muscle strength, good nutrition to help you reduce your risk for falls,” Current said. “If you don’t have good fuel, that increases your risk for other things like diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Those all contribute to the possibility of you having a fall.”
Home safety is important for people of all ages, said Current, who noted that common household items, such as area rugs, loose wires and clutter are tripping hazards.
“That’s really a big thing for all of us; don’t keep things on the stairs,” Current said. “People like to pile things along the steps. … You [can] slide down on roller skates [if someone leaves them on the stairs] all the way down to the bottom. When you have those [extension] cords, you don’t want to have [them] across the room.”
Even routine activities like showering can lead to falls, said Current, who advised the use of grab bars in the bathroom and railings on both sides of staircases.
“My mom actually had a fall that broke her neck, and I just knew from their friend group how many times people fall at their homes,” Weber said after Current’s presentation. “What are actually very simple falls, the damage is much greater the older you get.”
To prevent falls, seniors can add safety devices to their homes, like good lighting in hallways, double-sided tape under area rugs, non-slip bathtub treads, motion-sensor lighting and nightlights, Current said.
But adding safety devices around the house isn’t the only way to prevent falls, Current said.
Current recommended that seniors do approximately 150 minutes of flexibility and strength exercises a week, which increases a body’s range of motion.
Weber agreed.
“There’s a lot more ways out there to help people prevent falls than there were before,” Weber said.
The committee has scheduled three additional events where seniors can pick up free fall prevention kits:
Friday, June 12, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Branchville Volunteer Fire Department, 4905 Branchville Road.
Tuesday, June 16, 3-5 p.m., Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 4512 College Ave. This is a drive-through distribution in the parking lot.
Saturday, June 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Hollywood Farmers Market, 9803 Rhode Island Ave.