Every September since its debut in 2008, the senior health care community nationwide has worked together to raise awareness of the potential fatality of senior citizen falls in what is now known as Falls Awareness Month.
While the senior care community runs awareness campaigns the whole month of September, the climax of Falls Awareness Month, National Falls Prevention Awareness Day, is scheduled to be observed on the first official day of fall, September 23.
According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), the organization responsible for leading and organizing Falls Awareness month, the theme for this year is “Strong Today, Falls Free Tomorrow” and seeks to raise awareness about how to prevent fall-related injuries among older adults.
Implementing protocols and strategies to prevent falls is a worthy and significant objective, as NCOA statistics confirm: every 15 seconds an elderly loved one is seen in the Emergency Room due to fall related injuries. However, what this points out is that in spite of best efforts, falls still occur. We suggest that the narrative about falls should look beyond just falls prevention, to the broader issue of injury prevention.
SmartCells fall protection mats and flooring may be an important consideration for your circumstances. The unique dual-stiffness structure of SmartCells, provides users with a stable standing surface that will not cause a balance impaired person to lose their balance, while at the same time providing 5-7 times more cushioning than a foam mat of the same height. SmartCells cannot absorb liquid, so infection control issues can be more effectively dealt with, too.
SmartCells Fall Protection products are available to be used as an underlayment or in a variety of colors (Black, Light Brown, and Grey) and additional configurations ranging from build-your-own mats and custom flooring to pre-sized mats (2×3, 3×5 and 24×68).
SmartCells fall protection products will be there for your loved one when you can’t be.