It happens in the blink of an eye but the effects of a simple slip or fall can last for months or years, especially for seniors.
The Alberta Medical Association and the Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research (ACICR) have joined forces for the third year for Finding Balance, a campaign to make everyone more aware of the devastating personal financial consequences of seniors’ falls, and to educate seniors on how to prevent these slips and falls.
According to ACICR’s research, one in three seniors fall every year and the risk of a fall increases significantly with age.
“It’s the leading cause of injury hospital admission,” said Dr. Lyle Mittelsteadt, Senior Medical Advisor with the Alberta Medical Association. “And once they’re admitted to hospital, there are risks of more serious consequences as well.”
As a result of an injury from a fall, seniors have decreased strength and mobility, which can affect their independence and quality of life later on, said Mittelsteadt.
“It’s an important message to get out,” he said, adding that this area of public health has a significant impact on the provincial health care system. In 2008, $96 million was spent on seniors’ fall-related hospital admissions.
If left unchecked, that number could reach $228 million by 2031, when most baby boomers become seniors. That number doesn’t include additional costs such as emergency room visits, physiotherapists, medication or home care.
The hidden costs of a fall-related injury are also quite high, with family members taking more time away from work and spending more on health care for their family.
“I think if you talk to families who have been affected by these incidents, there is a hidden cost,” Mittelsteadt said. Family members have to take time off work or away from their families so that they can spend more time with mom or dad because they can’t go get groceries on their own. Or they need to spend time finding a proper home setting for them because they’ve fallen and they can’t do their own cooking or lift or they need help getting out more,” said Mittelsteadt.
