National Safety Month is June

June has been designated “National Safety Month,” an annual observance sponsored by the National Safety Council (NSC), a non-profit organization, “to increase awareness of the top causes of preventable injuries and deaths and to encourage safe behaviors.”

Each week in June “carries a theme that brings attention to a critical safety issue,” the NSC explains on its website for National Safety Month 2012. The third week of June has been designated to focus on preventing slips, trips, and falls.

“Falls are one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries in the United States, accounting for approximately 8.9 million visits to the emergency department annually,” according to the NSC (NSC Injury Facts 2011). “Adults 55 and older are more prone to becoming victims of falls, and the resulting injuries can diminish the ability to lead active, independent lives. The number of fall deaths among those 65 and older is four times the number of fall deaths among all other age groups,” the NSC reports.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), “Among older adults (those 65 or older), falls are the leading cause of injury death. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma.”

“One out of three adults age 65 and older falls each year, but less than half talk to their healthcare providers about it,” according to the CDC. But, the good news, according to the CDC, is that “the opportunity to reduce falls among older adults has never been better. Today, there are proven interventions that can reduce falls and help older adults live better, and longer.”

For more information on reducing falls click here, http://www.mtisupply.com/BC_Loyalty_QC_Flyer-2.pdf

Source: http://www.helpingyoucare.com/19178/national-safety-month-focuses-on-preventing-slips-trips-falls-among-older-adults