Medical Alerts And The Long Term Repercussions Of A Fall

Submitted by: Stefanie Jeann

For many seniors who are quietly enduring certain chronic medical conditions, the risk of a potentially fatal accidental fall is like Damocles sword hanging over their heads. Worse, there are certain diseases that make even the slightest impact potentially bone-shattering, such as osteoporosis. And while medical alert systems may not be specifically designed to prevent accidental falls, they can serve to bridge the gap between the occurrence of a fall and the arrival of medical assistance the sooner the better.

The usefulness and the life-saving significance of the use of modern medical alerts is perhaps best appreciated in terms of understanding the physical and emotional consequences of a fall. How often do accidental falls occur in households all over the country? Is it an actual threat?

If you d look into the data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the whole scenario is far from rosy. For example, in 2005 alone, about 16,000 people 65 years old and older died from injuries sustained from falls, and most of those falls happened at their own homes. Also in the same year, about 2 million people were rushed to emergency rooms for urgent treatment for falls-related injuries. That s not 10, or 20, or even a thousand people that s 2 million, from a single country. That s a lot of suffering people, equal to the population of a small city. So yes, falls are an actual threat.

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Response Time is Critical

As you can see, the response time between the occurrence of a fall and the arrival of proper and professional medical treatment is crucial in keeping any possible long-term effects as minimal as possible. This fact has even greater resonance when you consider that falls can leave lasting, often irreversible damage traumatic brain injuries among seniors are the most common.

Moreover, the obvious and excruciatingly painful long-term consequence of a fall is bone damage. The bones of older adults, depending on how much they exercised during their younger years and their type of diet, are particularly brittle and hollow and can easily shatter upon impact. A simple fall from a chair can lead to severe hip, back, or knee fractures, and most of such fractures would require replacement surgery. Take hip replacement, for instance: while surgeons can replace the damaged hip with a prosthetic (usually a metal hip made of titanium), data involving thousands of hip replacement recipients indicate that pain and other forms and levels of disability continue to be experienced after the implantation. So if a fall occurs, and the victim does not receive immediate medical assistance (if they happen to not have any medical alert device with them), the long-term effects of the accident become more and more irreversible and full of pain.

Strategic Rearrangement of Living Space

The point worth noting here is that the falls themselves did not cause the deaths, but rather, people died as a result of the consequences of injuries. From short-term to medium-term to long-term effects, the fact is that accidental falls can have a dramatic effect on the subsequent health condition and life of the victim. While we cannot predict the future accurately, we can instead fall proof the personal living space of seniors who belong in the age bracket of those identified to be at risk of figuring in an accidental fall. This can be done by identifying risky spots throughout the home. The most common risk areas include the bathroom, the kitchen, the garage and the stairs, although these are not the only risky places around the house. One simple fall-preventive measure is installing proper lighting in these areas (darker areas tend to be accident prone). Another is by installing cushiony materials on the sharp edges of certain furniture. For seniors who are hard of seeing, it may help to paint the walls or floors in such a way that contrast is increased so that the senior would not make a misstep.

And of course, the next most crucial measure is the usage of efficient and reliable medical alerts from a reputable provider, such as Rescue Alert of California. You need quick response, advanced user-friendly technology, and affordability and fortunately, these are service qualities you can easily find in the leading medical alert system providers in the country.

About the Author: Rescue Alert of California has been enabling senior citizens to live safe, happy and independent lives through education and quality medical alert for over a decade. To read the full article, please visit

rescuealertofca.com/medical-alerts-and-the-long-term-repercussions-of-a-fall

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