Rimbey town council has recognized November as Seniors’ Falls Prevention Month.
At a recent meeting, Mayor Rick Pankiw declared the month of November to be Seniors’ Fall Prevention Month in Rimbey.
Council received a letter to council from Kathy Elton, Associate Director for Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research that the annual seniors’ fall prevention awareness campaign, Finding Balance, is just around the corner.
The campaign has been developed by the Alberta Centre for Injury Control & Research in partnership with practitioners across the province, the Finding Balance campaign is designed to raise awareness about seniors’ falls and educate older adults on the actions they can take to stay active and independent.
Now in its seventh year, the campaign continues to encourage seniors to take action to prevent falls by keeping active, having their medications reviewed, watching their step and speaking up about dizziness.
This November Seniors’ Fall Prevention Month focuses on keeping active.
In partnership with UWALK, Finding Balance is hosting a virtual trek across Alberta.
Seniors across the province can join the trek challenge by counting and recoding the number of steps they take from November 1 – 30. For more information visit www.albertavirtualtrek.ca
The campaign includes a variety of tools and strategies to raise awareness and educate about seniors’ falls.
These include brochures and posters, social media, videos, a website for seniors and practitioners, and media relations and events.
Statistics regarding seniors’ falls:
● Falls are the most common cause of serious injury for seniors
● One in three seniors living in the community and 40 to 50 per cent of those living in institutions will experience a fall each year.
● 50 per cent of seniors who fall, do so repeatedly.
● 40 per cent of nursing home admissions are the result of falls.
● The average length of hospital stay as a result of a fall is three weeks.
● Approximately $160 million was spent in Alberta on seniors’ fall-related hospital admissions in 2011, not including costs for emergency room visits, payments to physicians and physiotherapists, homecare, medication or individual costs.