WASHINGTON, DC—With the many dangers inherent in seniors falling, there has been increased attention toward prevention and awareness. For instance, using federal grant money, the AARP medical division has been educating senior citizens in the safe way to fall since July 2016. The one-hour training classes have branched out into every major population center in nearly every state. Experienced physical therapists teach seniors the common-sense basics of safe falling such as:
Try to fall from lower surfaces. Falling from atop a step-ladder or chair is generally discouraged as the increased distance between the ground and you makes an injury more likely and more severe.
When you feel yourself going down, steer your body toward a softer landing place, such as a carpet or overstuffed chair.
The program is the brainchild of Dr. Gerald Weed, 61, whose mother died 4 years ago after complications from a broken hip. “I think if only she’d been trained how to fall safely, she’d still be with us. She slipped and fell in the shower, but it didn’t need to kill her. In that situation, if she’d only tried to somersault over the edge of the tub and land on the bathroom carpet, well, things could have turned out so differently.” In class, seniors actually practice such landing techniques so their flesh and bones don’t land just willy-nilly all over the place.
Statistics show that 80% of individuals over 60 years of age will fall sometime in their later years, which gave Weed an idea. "I got thinking, 'Well if they're going to fall anyway, why not let them pick when and where?'" The idea led to Weed's “Elective Fall” initiative, very popular among seniors, in which they choose the time and place of their fall. Weed explains, "There are several advantages to elective falling: for one thing, they are not caught off guard, perhaps falling when they are alone. By choosing a convenient time and place they are assured someone will be there to render assistance; that alone will make the fall safer. They can also plan a type of fall that is less harmful, for example. Rather than falling onto a chess game, or a tray of medications, seniors can choose to fall onto a large pillow, a tightly secured tarp, or even a large pile of marshmallows.”
Weed recommends that seniors attend the safe falling class before planning an elective fall so that they have been properly trained in the strategies and techniques of falling safely. That will allow them to have the elective fall before they get too senile to remember the techniques they’ve learned. "I also recommend seniors do it sooner rather than later, I mean, get it out of the way while you are younger and in better health, then you won’t have to worry about falling again."
As for the future of the program, Weed is now looking into the feasibility of creating a “designated faller” system, in which those who know how to fall safely, do an elective fall for someone else. “I’ve made it my mission to make every senior citizen fall be a safe fall,” he says.
He points out that for the elective falls not to skew the statistics, the seniors must be 60 years old or older. Classes start at $300.