Therapy Choice Highlights Importance of Home Assessments for Older Adults

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Therapy Choice

Apr 13, 2022, 08:00 ET

In-Home Therapy & Home Safety Assessments Transform Seniors' Lives

PHILADELPHIA, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Therapy Choice, a leader in providing older adults with individually tailored, in-home physical, occupational and speech therapy, today highlighted the importance of home safety assessments in reducing falls at home for older adults - those 65 and older.

According to the CDC, one out of four older people falls each year.1 Additionally, one out of five falls causes a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury.2,3 And with the aging Boomer set, the number of falls are rising, along with the associated healthcare costs. For example:

  • Each year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.4
  • Each year at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures.5
  • More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling,6 usually by falling sideways.7
  • Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).8
  • The total medical costs for falls well exceeds more than $50 billion.9 Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these costs.

"If you're an older adult who lives alone, a home safety assessment is an important way to identify potential hazards in your home and prevent injuries," said Mike Gasiewski, co-founder of Therapy Choice. "An occupational therapist can determine the most appropriate adjustments or support devices needed for each personal situation. We can even assist in getting a device and helping to facilitate delivery and set up, if needed."

A home safety assessment may also include recommendations to help active boomers navigate their environment more securely, such as:
· Do regular strength and balance exercises
· Have your eyes checked regularly
· Remove things you could trip over
· Install handrails in the bathroom
· Put railings on both sides of stairs
· Make sure your home has adequate lighting
· Keep items you use often in cabinets you can reach easily without using a step stool
· Use non-slip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors

Getting a home safety assessment may reduce one's risk of injury and help older adults live independently in their own home for as long as possible. To learn more and speak with an occupational therapist with in-home assessment experience, contact [email protected].

About Therapy Choice:
Therapy Choice specializes in outpatient physical and occupational therapy services to the geriatric community in their homes throughout PA, NJ & DE. For over 20 years, Therapy Choice has been working closely with primary care physicians, concierge medicine practices, local hospital systems, the Veterans Administration Hospital and its affiliates, home health agencies, adult day centers, and assisted living homes to provide exceptional outpatient physical and occupational therapy services to the geriatric community in their homes. For more information, visit http://www.therapychoice.net.

References

  • Bergen G, Stevens MR, Burns ER. Falls and Fall Injuries Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:993–998. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6537a2
  • Alexander BH, Rivara FP, Wolf ME. The cost and frequency of hospitalization for fall–related injuries in older adults. American Journal of Public Health 1992;82(7):1020–3.
  • Sterling DA, O'Connor JA, Bonadies J. Geriatric falls: injury severity is high and disproportionate to mechanism. Journal of Trauma–Injury, Infection and Critical Care 2001;50(1):116–9
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web–based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. Accessed August 5, 2016.
  • Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://hcupnet.ahrq.govexternal icon. Accessed 5 August 2016.
  • Hayes WC, Myers ER, Morris JN, Gerhart TN, Yett HS, Lipsitz LA. Impact near the hip dominates fracture risk in elderly nursing home residents who fall. Calcif Tissue Int 1993;52:192-198.
  • Parkkari J, Kannus P, Palvanen M, Natri A, Vainio J, Aho H, Vuori I, Järvinen M. Majority of hip fractures occur as a result of a fall and impact on the greater trochanter of the femur: a prospective controlled hip fracture study with 206 consecutive patients. Calcif Tissue Int, 1999;65:183–7.
  • Jager TE, Weiss HB, Coben JH, Pepe PE. Traumatic brain injuries evaluated in U.S. emergency departments, 1992–1994. Academic Emergency Medicine 2000&359;7(2):134–40.
  • Florence CS, Bergen G, Atherly A, Burns ER, Stevens JA, Drake C. Medical Costs of Fatal and Nonfatal Falls in Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2018 March, DOI:10.1111/jgs.15304
  • Vellas BJ, Wayne SJ, Romero LJ, Baumgartner RN, Garry PJ. Fear of falling and restriction of mobility in elderly fallers. Age and Ageing 1997;26:189–193.

Media Contact

Beth Amorosi , Therapy Choice, 1 9172087489, [email protected]

SOURCE Therapy Choice