September Is Fall Prevention Month in Salt Lake City
SLC Fire Department’s fall prevention efforts leads to fewer emergency calls for seniors
Salt Lake Fire And The Utah Fall Prevention Coalition (UFPC) Makes An Impact
News4Utah reports “Falls from senior citizens can make up to 60 percent of emergency calls in Salt Lake City. Since the Salt Lake City Fire Department launched a fall prevention initiative with other agencies, they've seen the number of emergency calls for falls go down. Last month, August, they reported zero fall calls!
Three years ago, the Salt Lake City Fire Department partnered with other fire departments, hospitals, insurance provides, state and county health departments to form the Utah Falls Prevention Coalition (UFPC). The coalition tracks and evaluates falls and risks to educate seniors about safety and fall prevention.”
SLC Fire's community health group community outreach team visits apartment complexes and care facilities to create a customized plan to help seniors at risk. They also give presentations at senior living facilities.
UFPC promotes three stay-active-type programs:
- "Walking with Ease," a program by the Arthritis Foundation that teaches individuals how to reduce the pain or arthritis and improve overall health
- "Stepping On," a workshop led by the Salt Lake County Health Department, in which seniors take part in weekly sessions for eight weeks at the nursing home. Each session teaches participants techniques for getting around without heavy reliance on canes or walkers
- "Otago," a home-based individually-tailored strength and balance training program
To learn more about senior fall preventions please read the full article – CLICK HERE
BrightStar Care® of Salt Lake City helps to reduce falls in the elderly with RN supervised care and in home care assessments. Learn more about our complimentary in-home assessment, individualized home care, and RN Oversight for seniors in Salt Lake City, UT – CLICK HERE