Elderly at risk of injuring themselves during falls

NEW ORLEANS - The Centers for Disease Control says falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for people 65 and older, costing $160 million?a year.

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So in an effort to help keep seniors out of the hospital and nursing homes,?health care professionals are taking their expertise public.

Thomas Santora, 62, is learning to feel comfortable again walking.

"I?just took a bad step in the kitchen and?I fell to the floor. And when?I came in here,?I was diagnosed with?four broken bones in my ankle," said?Santora, from the John J. Hainkel, Jr.?Home & Rehabilitation Center in New Orleans, Uptown.

Something that came so naturally now makes him apprehensive. Three days before his discharge from physical rehab, he fell again.

"And then when?I took the fall, you have a tendency to think about falling again and again,"?said Santora.?

"Once a patient falls there is a 50 percent?greater chance they are going to fall again, statistically. One of the most common reasons for admission into the nursing home one third of the time is a fall. And then once they get admitted, it's one fall after another," said Dr. Charles Cefalu,?professor?and?chief of Geriatrics at LSU Health Sciences?Center.?

Falls in the senior years are common, here's why:

-Medications can cause a drop in blood pressure, so when you stand quickly you get dizzy.?Other medications?cause or lethargy or?confusion.

-Arthritis, especially of the spine, makes you unstable.

-Diabetics with nerve damage can not feel the floor that well.

-Losing sight and hearing also cause problems.

-Muscle weakness.

-Strokes.

-Dementia.

"It is a huge health care expenditure and the federal regulation and efforts are really to try to get states to be addressing falls prevention because of the cost of in patients hospital stays and then also long terms costs for?institutionalization. People end up having to move to nursing homes," said Kerrie Ramsdell, an?assistant professor and?occupational therapist at the School of Allied Health Professions?at LSU Health Sciences Center.

So occupational therapy faculty and students from?LSU Health Sciences Center have organized a fall prevention event on the first day of fall. The free event on?Tuesday is open to anyone who wants to learn ways to help prevent the serious and even deadly problem of falls.

"There's physical, social, psychological complications of a fall. Certainly when there is a serious fall, like a fracture of the hip, the quality studies show 3.8 years follow up, there is 6.6 greater risk of death with a hip fracture or compression fracture," said Dr. Cefalu.?

There are many ways to help lower your risk such as having grab bars in the bath room. Trip hazards such as throw rugs and pets also cause many of the falls and so does low light. Learning to use a reacher, or walking equipment the correct way and lowering your bed can also lower your risk of falling.

But one of the main problems is that seniors don't exercise, causing them to lose muscle strength.

"Numerous studies have shown, even for the frail elderly, 15 minutes, three?times a week, makes a dramatic improvement in stability on the feet and less fall risk," Cefalu said. "So it's huge, even for the frailest elderly."

Now?Santora hopes his hard work in rehab will change his future.

"It's a helpless feeling," he said, saying it takes away his independence and quality of life.

150 people die each year from falls in Louisiana.

The free fall prevention event is Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.?at Grace Episcopal Church at 3700 Canal St.