IntermtnMedCtr - The Truth About Ground Level Falls

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Older adults and their families should consider enrolling in the Stepping On class, a free program offered across Utah that teaches fall prevention. The program is a seven-week, two-hour-per-week course promoted jointly by Intermountain Medical Center and the Utah Department of Health as a resource for patients who have been admitted after falls.

Key Points

• Kristin Gooch said that at Intermountain Medical Center, patients who fall and die account for 44 percent of the center's deaths.
• Older adults face higher fall risk, which is why the program is promoted for patients admitted through the ED and continuing as inpatients, as a resource for when they go home.
• Serious fall injuries mentioned include traumatic brain injuries and hip fractures, which can lead to pneumonia, lung blood clots, declining quality of life, and death.
• Stepping On uses small groups of 12 to 14 participants and brings in a pharmacist, an optometrist, and a physical therapist as guest instructors.

Details Worth Noting

• Concrete instructions: Attend the Stepping On class, which meets once a week for seven weeks, two hours per session. Check your home for fall hazards by reviewing rugs, clutter in hallways, and lighting, and consider installing grab handrails and grab bars. Ask a pharmacist whether any of your medications are related to fall risk, and have your vision and balance discussed with an optometrist and a physical therapist. Practice the balance and strengthening exercises taught by the physical therapist.
• Enrollment: In Salt Lake City, contact Salt Lake Aging and Adult Services. In Salt Lake County, call the Salt Lake County Health Department. Elsewhere in Utah, call the speaker, who said they would connect callers with a class.
• Phone numbers and further information were shown on screen and posted at goodforutah.com, where the interview would also be available to rewatch.
• The campaign is part of National Trauma Month, run jointly by Intermountain Medical Center and the Utah Department of Health.

Bottom Line

Falls are a major, often underestimated threat to older adults, and the Stepping On class offers a structured, low-cost way to reduce that risk through medication review, vision and balance checks, home safety changes, and exercise.