{"id":12122,"date":"2020-09-01T12:47:03","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T12:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/assistinghands.com\/29\/ive-fallen-and-i-cant-get-up\/"},"modified":"2021-07-20T07:55:16","modified_gmt":"2021-07-20T07:55:16","slug":"ive-fallen-and-i-cant-get-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assistinghands.com\/29\/newjersey\/monmouth\/blog\/ive-fallen-and-i-cant-get-up\/","title":{"rendered":"I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Notes**Editor\u2019s Note: This is part of an informational series called <\/span>Notes from the Nurse<\/span><\/i> to increase awareness and understanding of health or clinical issues that could impact our clients and their families.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all seen the commercial and probably made fun of it– \u201cHelp! I\u2019ve fallen and I can\u2019t get up!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While it seems campy and dramatic, this situation happens to millions of people annually and it is no joke.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Falls account for broken bones, head injuries and worse case, death. While falls can happen to anyone at any time, I\u2019ve tripped and hit the ground a few times in my lifetime, they are especially risky as we age. The basic rule is the older a person is, the more risk, expense and recovery are involved with a fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

One in four adults (28%) age 65 and older, report falling in the United States, resulting in about 36 million falls each year. While not all falls result in an injury, about 37% of those who fall reported an injury that required medical treatment or restricted their activity for at least one day, resulting in an estimated 8 million fall injuries. In New Jersey, 21.3% of older adults fall, according to the most recent CDC data.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alarmingly, the death rate from falls increased more than 30% in less than 10 years in 30 states and Washington, DC. New Jersey had <\/span>29 fall deaths<\/span><\/a> per 100,000 people (I did the math and that\u2019s 2,577 people) in 2018, which fortunately is the second-lowest in the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> estimated medical cost of falls<\/span><\/a> across the U.S. healthcare system is $50 billion annually, according to a recent CDC <\/span>study<\/span><\/a>. This includes $38 billion paid by Medicare and Medicaid and $12 billion paid by private and other payers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In New Jersey, that amounts<\/span><\/a> to $1.349 billion in total costs. Of that, $912 million is paid by Medicare, $218 million is paid by Medicaid and $219 million is paid out-of-pocket.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dreaded Broken Hip<\/b><\/p>\n

Breaking a hip is one of the most serious fall injuries. What exactly is the dreaded broken hip? A hip fracture is a break occurring in the upper third of the femur, your thigh bone, and\/or around the hip joint itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is hard to recover from a hip fracture, which may require surgical repair or replacement to fix. This is followed by physical therapy. Many people are not able to live on their own afterward because of physical limitations brought on by the fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling, usually by falling sideways.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Reduce Fall Risk<\/b><\/p>\n

Fall prevention and home safety are two of the topics I discuss in-depth with our caregivers during their onboarding and training sessions. When I do a home assessment, I look for hazards and conditions in the home that could lead to a fall and recommend remediations to increase safety for the residents and caregivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Implementing a single intervention could prevent between 9,563 and 45,164 medically treated falls and avert $94\u2013$442 million in direct medical costs annually, depending on the size of the eligible population,<\/span> according to<\/span><\/a> the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Knowing your risk factors for a fall helps with fall prevention. Contributors fall risk include:<\/span><\/p>\n