Quinnipiac University will host its annual Falls Prevention Day from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences on the North Haven Campus. This event is free and open to area senior citizens.
“Every 13 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury,” said Christine Kasinskas, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at Quinnipiac who is an event organizer. “This event seeks to raise awareness about how to prevent fall-related injuries among older adults.”
Participants will visit a model apartment on campus that will be set up with fall risks such as rugs that aren’t properly anchored or walkers that are poorly maintained. They also will learn how installing additional lighting and grab bars in key areas will help reduce falls. Bone density and blood pressures screenings also will be offered.
In addition to keeping their homes safe, participants will learn about the importance of finding a good balance and exercise program; asking their health care provider to perform an assessment on their risk for a fall; monitoring medications with physicians or pharmacists; and having regular vision and hearing checks.
Quinnipiac students from the schools of medicine, nursing and health sciences will take part in a panel discussion on preventing falls and present posters on their research on falls.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one out of three adults age 65 or older falls each year. Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries. Twenty to 30 percent of people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries such as lacerations, hip fractures and head traumas.
In 2013, 2.5 million non-fatal falls among older adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 734,000 of these patients were hospitalized, according to the CDC. That same year, the direct medical costs of falls, adjusted for inflation, were $34 billion.
To register or for more information, please call 203-582-3144.