The government is proclaiming Nov. 5 to 11 as Falls Prevention Week for Older Adults in Manitoba and a new Winnipeg Regional Health Authority falls prevention website is now online. This announcement was made by Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs Minister Jim Rondeau.
“Falls are a leading cause of serious injury among older adults and take a huge toll on their quality of life and independence,” said Rondeau. “When seniors fall, they aren’t the only ones affected. Family members and caregivers are also impacted with additional demands for support and associated health costs. Fortunately, most falls are preventable and our goal is to raise awareness of falls prevention and the many programs and resources to help seniors prevent falls.”
The minister said that being more physically active, increasing muscle strength and balance, having regular vision checkups to correct vision problems, and getting enough calcium and vitamin D can improve seniors’ health and keep them safe from falls.
“It’s about making small changes to improve safety at home like removing clutter, using non-slip rugs and getting help with difficult physical tasks. These are great first steps.”
The province launched a Falls Prevention Strategy in 2006 and also offers a wide variety of falls prevention programs and services:
• SafetyAid, a home safety and falls-prevention program supports seniors living independently in their own homes. On request, A SafetyAid team will visit seniors’ homes to conduct a safety and falls prevention audit. Income-qualified seniors are provided with free home-safety and falls prevention devices, usually on the same day as their audit.
• Manitoba is a leader in the national and international age-friendly movement and supports the development of age-friendly communities and environments that enable older Manitobans to lead active, socially engaged and independent lives.
• The Focus on Falls Prevention Vision Screening Program has developed a unique tool to identify seniors with vision problems and refer them for needed services in order to reduce their risk of falling.
• Manitoba’s Healthy Aging Strategy engages seniors across the province and supports efforts to address the many determinants of healthy aging, such as active living, social connectedness, healthy eating and falls prevention.
• The Active Living Coalition for Older Adults in Manitoba is a key partner in Manitoba’s healthy aging strategy. The coalition engages older adults in health promotion strategies and works with age-friendly communities to promote healthy aging. They also train and provide ongoing support to over 120 peer leaders across Manitoba.
• The Bone Health Public Education Program promotes healthy bone development and maintenance to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis. Awareness and educational activities are aimed at physicians, allied health professionals and the general public including adolescents.
• The Canadian Falls Prevention Curriculum is delivered in Manitoba to give participants the knowledge and skills needed to operate from an evidence-based approach to seniors’ falls and fall related injury prevention.
Dr. Lynne Warda, the medical director of the injury prevention program of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), also announced a new WRHA website dedicated to falls prevention, www.preventfalls.ca.
“We are pleased to launch this unique interactive website during falls prevention week,” said Warda. “We invite older adults, caregivers, families, parents and professionals to log on to www.preventfalls.ca and take action to prevent falls.”
For more information on Manitoba falls prevention resources, visit:
www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/hlp/injury/fractures.html
www.wrha.mb.ca/healthinfo/preventinj/prevent_falls.php
www.preventfalls.ca
