According to the Center for Disease Control in 2010, 2.3 million nonfatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 662,000 were hospitalized.
The CDC also reported that 20-30 percent of elders who fall, suffer moderate to severe injuries such as lacerations, hip fractures, or head traumas.
A bone fracture, specifically a hip fracture, is often seen as the beginning of an elderly loved ones demise and has the high potential of becoming fatal.
If you have read our fall protection blog in the past, you have most likely come across the phrase “fracture rate” and wondered what it means and why it is important.
SmartCells Build-Your-Own Fall Protection Mat
“Fracture rate” is one way to measure the potential safety of a fall protection product. The term “fracture rate” describes the ratio of bone fractures from falls on a surface to the total falls on that surface. As you can imagine, the better the fracture rate, the safer and more effective a product will be for your loved ones.
Dr. Frank Knoefel, of the Bruyère Research Institute in Canada, conducted a retrospective study in which he and his associates compared the frequency of hip fractures that resulted from residents living in rooms with regular hard surface flooring to residents living in rooms equipped with SmartCells fall protection flooring.
The study found a 2.4% fracture rate among residents living in rooms with regular flooring, while the SmartCells fall protection floor resulted in a 0% fracture rate among its residents. Research continues to gain statistical confidence in these findings.
The unique SmartCells technology incorporates a dual-stiffness design that provides the stability of a hard surface while also retaining the capability to compress and cushion the impact of a fall.
SmartCells fall protection products include bedside mats, which have a low profile and beveled edges, enabling wheel chairs to easily roll over them. In addition to bedside mats, SATECH, Inc. also offers custom fall protection flooring to fill any space or partial room when a single bedside mat is not large enough.
SmartCells Fall Protection products will be there for your loved ones when you can’t.