Belvidere Fire Department creates new fall prevention initiative

By Kathryn Menue

Editor

BELVIDERE – Every year, the Belvidere Fire Department presents fire prevention techniques to the residents of Sheffield Meadows, Shadley Apartments, and Pearl Place Apartments.

This year, the fire department presented fire prevention techniques to Shadley Apartments on Nov. 23, and had the same presentation at Sheffield Meadows on Dec. 9, followed by Pearl Place Apartments at a later date.

“We go over with them general fire safety for seniors and also the procedure if there was a fire at their location,” Belvidere Fire Department Lt. Shawn Schadle said.

In accordance with their usual presentation, the Belvidere Fire Department has started a new fall prevention initiative, which educates people in the community on preventative measures they can incorporate in their lives to avert falls.

The fire department created this new presentation to address the rise in falls occurring within the community.

“Based on our community risk assessment, we noticed that a large number of our emergency calls, over nine percent (256 this past year), are related to people falling and injuring themselves or needing help up,” Lt. Schadle said. “We are attempting to address this issue.”

To help decrease the number of falls in the area, the Belvidere Fire Department is sharing details on the risk factors associated with harsh falls, and they are sharing details on how to better prevent falls from occurring.

Nationally, 700,000 people are hospitalized each year due to a fall related injury and “one out of five falls cause a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury,” according to the fire department.

“In the City of Belvidere, nine percent of emergency calls (256/2893) are fall related,” Lt. Schadle reported.

Luckily, people can follow four steps to prevent falls from occurring in their lives. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the four steps to avert falls are:

1) Exercise to improve your balance and strength.

2) Have your healthcare provider review your medicines.

3 Have your vision checked. 4) Make your home safer.

Exercise to improve your health and strength.

“Exercises that improve balance and make your legs stronger, lower your chances of falling,” the CDC said. “Lack of exercise leads to weakness and increases your chances of falling.”

To improve health and lower the risk of falling, the CDC advises everyone to partake in balance-strengthening exercises such as Tai Chi, or to ask their physician or healthcare provider what exercises would work best to regulate their equilibrium.

Have your healthcare provider review your medicines.

“As you get older, the way medicines work in your body can change,” the CDC warned. “Some medicines, or combinations of medicines, can make you sleepy or dizzy and can cause you to fall.”

In such occurrences, senior citizens or individuals taking prescriptions or even over-the-counter medications should consult a doctor to inhibit any risks of falling.

Have your vision checked.

“You may be wearing the wrong glasses or have a condition like glaucoma or cataracts that limits your vision,” the CDC said. “Poor vision can increase your chances of falling.”

One of the best approaches to hindering falls is to “have your eyes checked at least once a year and update your eyeglasses.” By regularly undergoing eye examinations, people can monitor their visual health, while decreasing their risks of further injury.

Make your home safer.

“About half of falls happen at home,” the CDC reported. In order to limit falls around the house, the CDC designed a list of eight safety precautions people can practice in their own homes.

These eight precautions include:

1) Removing things people can trip over, such as papers, books, clothes, and shoes, from main pathways

2) Removing small throw rugs or using double-sided tape to keep rugs from sliding

3)Keeping regularly used items within easy reach, without having to use a step stool

4) Installing grab bars beside and inside the tub and next to the toilet

5) Using non-slip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors

6) Improving lighting in homes

7) Installing handrails and lights on all staircases; and

8) Wearing shoes both inside and outside the house to help with balance and support, while also avoiding going barefoot and wearing slippers that could increase your risk of slipping.

By abiding by these precautionary measures, the Belvidere Fire Department hopes to reduce the amount of falls occurring in the local community.