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WASHINGTON, DC –  September 18-22, 2023 – Did you know that National Fall Prevention Awareness Week was from September 18 to 22? People can reduce their risk of falling through better understanding their risk factors and by fall-proofing the home. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance of falling down. Some home hazards include broken or uneven steps, loose throw rugs or unnecessary items on the floor. National organizations like the CDC and state organizations like the North Carolina Falls Prevention Coalition want to reduce the number of injuries and deaths from falls, particularly by seniors.

More than one out of four senior citizens fall each year, a total of 37 million people. Fewer than half tell their doctor about their fall. Did you know that people who fall are twice as likely to fall again? 20% of falls cause a serious injury like broken bones or a head injury. You may have close relatives like I do that have died after falling down. My uncle fell, didn’t see a doctor right away even though he struck his head against a wall, and became confused 1 week later. He passed away a few days afterwards because of a slow brain bleed.

Here’s some more facts about falls:

• 3 million people are seen in the emergency department for falls every year
• More than 800 thousand patients are hospitalized annually because of an injury after a fall
• More than 300 thousand seniors fall and break their hip
• Falls are the #1 cause of traumatic brain injuries
• Falls resulted in more than $50 billion dollars of total medical costs in 2015
• Falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths in people 65 and older

As an orthopedic surgeon for 35 years, I cared for many people who injured themselves from falls. People can frequently fall at home or around the yard. They can fall down stairs or off a ladder. Wet floors inside, and ice and snow outside are potentially dangerous environments that can cause someone to fall down and injure themselves from the trauma of landing. As a result, I fixed many broken hips, wrists, ankles and feet. I really wish that there is a way to prevent these accidents. Now as a senior citizen, I’m extra-careful on stairs, stay away from most ladders, and make sure that there are no loose items on my floor at home.

What you can do to prevent falls:

• See your doctor for a fall risk evaluation and a review of all prescription and over-the-counter medicines that may contribute to unsteadiness
• Do exercises for leg strength and balance. Tai chi is a great exercise. Having more muscle is highly correlated with a lower risk of falling.
• Check your vision
• Make your house safe. De-clutter your home, add grab bars to your bathroom, have rails on both sides of the stairs, and make sure there is lots of light.

Preventive measures also include upstream interventions like policy changes and resources to reduce falls.

The National Council of Aging has a Falls Free Check-up that consists of 12 questions to determine your falls risk score. They can be answered with either a yes or no response. How would you answer these questions?

• I have fallen in the past year
• I have been advised to use a cane or a walker to get around safely
• Sometimes I feel unsteady when I am walking
• I steady myself by holding onto furniture when walking at home
• I am worried about falling
• I need to push with my hands to stand up from a chair.
• I have some trouble stepping up onto a curb
• I often have to rush to the toilet
• I have lost some feeling in my feet.
• I take medicine that sometimes make me feel light-headed or more tired than usual
• I take medicine to help me sleep or improve my mood
• I often feel sad or depressed

How many did you answer no? Too many ‘no’s’ may mean that you are at a higher risk of falling in the future.

For more information about at-risk screening and what you can do about preventing falls, please visit the North Carolina Falls Prevention Coalition website at www.ncfallsprevention.org

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC –  October 4, 2023 – The COVID-19 metrics are on the CDC’s COVID Dashboard. For the week ending on September 23^rd:

• Hospital admission levels are low in every county in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and almost 92% of the counties in the U.S. However, they have decreased in North Carolina and increased in Buncombe County from the previous week.
• Between 2-4% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3^rd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This represents about 2% of all ER visits, the 2^nd lowest of 5 levels and fewer than last week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data for the week ending on September 20^th is on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard.

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at an orange level representing the 4^th highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 60^th and 80^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample is decreasing from the previous week, between -10 and -99%, the lowest group of the 2 groups for a negative rate of change.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wants everyone to know that:

• COVID-19 can affect people differently. Some people have mild symptoms like a cold and others have more severe symptoms like a bad case of the flu. Some effects can be long-lasting.
• Older adults and immunocompromised people are at a higher risk of developing severe illness and being hospitalized.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines. The new updated vaccine is available locally at pharmacies, health centers and at the Buncombe County Health and Human Services Building at 40 Coxe Avenue, Asheville during regular business hours.
• For extra protection, wear an efficient medical grade mask
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home
• People with any COVID symptoms should get tested
• If you test positive, your doctor may recommend medical treatment

If you get COVID, here’s the latest CDC guidelines:

• Isolate for 5 days provided the fever has resolved for at least 24 hours without taking any fever-reducing medicine. (Day 0 is the day that symptoms first appear. If there are no symptoms but a positive test, then day 0 is the day the test was positive.) Isolation means staying home and away from others.
• After the isolation period, wear a high-quality mask around others at home and in public for the next 5 days
• Masking can stop earlier with 2 negative antigen tests taken 48 hours apart

More and more Americans have developed some immunity to COVID-19 from immunizations and previous infection. New variants continue to infect people with the most at-risk groups more susceptible to severe illness.

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour