Falls
Every year falls cost the New Brunswick health-care system about $248 million, representing the largest single contributor to the total cost of injury in the province. A fall occurs when you unintentionally slip, trip or drop suddenly to the ground or floor with or without a resulting injury. The good news is that we can all take simple steps to help prevent slips, trips, and falls.
What is a fall?
Falls are the leading cause of injury among New Brunswickers of all ages. A fall is defined as an event that occurs when a person comes to rest inadvertently on the ground, the floor or other lower level, excluding intentional change in position to rest on furniture or other objects.
While this type of incident may or may not result in an unintentional physical injury, it is important to keep in mind that a fall can also lead to psychological and socio-economic consequences.
Fortunately, there are simple steps anyone can take to decrease the risk of falls and fall-related injuries. However, the first step to avoiding falls is to understand what causes them.
Falls in Older Adults
Everyone is at risk for falls, but as we grow older the risk of injury due to falls increases. Falls among older adults can lead to reduced mobility and independence, as well as increased risk for admission into a long-term care home.
By understanding the risks associated with everyday living, we can help prevent falls and minimize the impact of injuries. We encourage you to learn more about ways to stay safe so that you can remain independent and continue to actively engage in family and community life as long as possible.
To help you with this effort, we have collaborated with key stakeholders to help bring the Finding Balance program to this province. Finding Balance NB has a goal to reduce falls and fall-related injuries in older adults by supporting provincial public awareness efforts and by providing access to a central online source of information and resources on falls prevention for older adults, caregivers, family members, friends and healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit www.FindingBalanceNB.ca.
Falls in Children
Every year in this province, roughly 2000 kids under the age of 15 will come to the emergency department due to a fall-related injury. Falls can have a variety of unwanted outcomes ranging from minor injury such as cuts and bruises, to more serious injury such as broken bones or a traumatic brain injury.
It’s important to talk to your child to help them recognize ways to prevent fall-related injuries during activities such as having fun at the playground, jumping on a trampoline or simply walking on icy surfaces.
For access to online information and resources on this and other childhood safety topics, please visit our injury prevention partners Parachute and Child Safety Link. We also encourage you to tune into our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts in addition to consulting the following resources.
Resources
Safe Winter Walking
The winter is an excellent opportunity to get outside and engage in different recreational activities. We encourage kids, teens and adults to get outside and stay active! However, freezing rain, hard-packed snow and icy surfaces are common hazards for unsuspecting pedestrians, regardless of their age. While the number of fall-related injuries tend to increase during the winter months, we can all play a role to help prevent falls.
For more information about safe winter walking, please consult the following resources:
Resources
The penguin is one animal that has mastered the winter walk. We recommend that you follow their lead to learn how to avoid a fall and possible injuries when walking on icy surfaces. For more information about how to “Walk Like A Penguin”, please click on the links below: