Guest Blog: Offering Solutions to Help with Fall Prevention

It’s never good when a senior hurts themselves in a fall – but when the incident happens in a hospital or doctor’s office, the stakes can feel even higher. To help improve patient safety and prevent injuries and even death, healthcare leaders need to implement strategies to reduce the risk of patients falling.

The data is jaw-dropping: an estimated 84% of adverse events in hospital patients are due to falls, which can complicate recovery. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 14 million, or 1 in 4 older adults report falling every year. In fact, over the years the fall death rate has increased among adults ages 65 and older, reaching 78.0 per 100,000 older adults in 2021. Additionally, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that every year 700,000 to 1 million hospitalized patients fall.

While no one wants to see a patient fall, creating fall prevention strategies can reduce your patients’ risk of falling and keep them safe while in the hospital and under your care. Agreeing on what defines a fall is the first step to consistent fall monitoring and prevention. One widely accepted definition of a patient fall is “an unplanned descent to the floor with or without injury to the patient.”

Physical therapy is a powerful tool for helping seniors avoid additional falls. Physical therapy prescribed treatments enable patients to remain steady and maintain their independence. Physical therapists are also trained to conduct patient home assessments which evaluate a patient’s living space and identify potential fall hazards. 

Performance Health also offers physical therapy solutions to help strengthen and improve balance as a preventative measure, and for people who are elderly or recovering from surgery. Some of these solutions include THERABAND Stability Trainers, THERABAND Exercise Balls, and Sammons Preston Ankle/Wrist Weights. They also offer the Trusted Progression™ System by THERABAND. It is far more than eight colors; it is an exacting color-coded system of resistance levels that are pull-force tested and validated at THERABAND manufacturing facilities to ensure band integrity. This provides clinicians with the confidence to help patients progress in their strength and recovery. In addition, the THERABAND non-latex resistance bands were recently found to last five times longer than the next leading competitor in a recent study.

In addition to physical therapy, there are a wide variety of fall prevention products on the market to fit your patient’s needs. Whether you need patient alarms, gait belts, grab bars, or fall mats, Performance Health has a solution for you. Additionally, we offer products for bathroom safety, like bathmats, shower chairs, and commodes. These come in handy not only while in your hospital or clinic, but also long-term for those who have a higher fall risk.

Performance Health is your trusted partner for fall prevention resources to help keep your patients safe. From top fall prevention products and research for you to handouts and tips for patients, don’t miss all the resources available at PerformanceHealth.com. Together we can help prevent falls!

Though falls aren’t 100 percent preventable, there are ways to lower one’s risk of falling. Utilizing physical therapy services can help improve older Americans’ balance, strength, and independence –– while bolstering patient outcomes and preventing costly (and often avoidable) injuries.

Want content to share with your patients? Check out our printable handout.

Performance Health is a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the rehabilitation and sports medicine markets.  The company’s products are sold to leading healthcare facilities and practitioners such as physical therapists, athletic trainers, and chiropractors, as well as direct to consumers.