It’s the first day of fall. But, let’s call it autumn, because today we are taking some time to bring awareness to something important and we don’t want to cause any confusion. The change of seasons is lovely. Fall, in the sense of losing one’s balance, is not so lovely and it affects 1 out of 3 seniors every year, per the National Council on Aging (NCOA).
One of the most important things to know about falls is that most really are preventable. Hence, the importance of today, the 8th annual National Falls Prevention Day, a day set aside to bring awareness to this issue. Whether you are a senior or someone who loves and cares for an older adult, we urge you to take at least one action today to prevent falls.
The NCOA has helpful tips here. For those of us who are more visual, they’ve made a helpful video.
https://youtu.be/dkZO5gMeN_A
Take some time today to see what you can do to make your life and the lives of those you love a bit more safe.
For all you professionals out there, in addition to the NCOA web pages on falls prevention, the American Occupational Therapy Association has a whole toolkit for talking to people about falls prevention.