Community joins together to prevent serious falls among seniors Wisconsin ranks second in the country with highest number of serious injuries By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle Local organizations, educational institutions and hospitals are launching an educational and research-oriented project in hopes of reducing fear of falling and the number of life-altering injuries sustained by falls. The Aging Resource Center, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, area hospitals and YMCAs are making a collective effort to educate people about preventing life-altering injuries sustained from falling. The Fall Prevention Project, which is part of the Wisconsin Fall Prevention Initiative, considers the loss of functional independence for seniors as an important public health issue. A description of the project cites data from a Brandeis University study that reveals Medicare spent more than $8 billion in treating injuries to seniors; fractures comprised 67 percent of the bill. Wisconsin is the second in the nation in serious injuries sustained from falls, said Carole Machek, nurse educator at the Aging Resource Center, 300 S. Adams St. in Green Bay. The five-year project entails surveying perspectives and attitudes of older adults in the county, developing a model for merging medical prevention methodology and community services, measuring the program's impact on the number of fall-related deaths in the county and to establish a fall assessment guideline. The project will develop exercise recovery programs through local organizations and preventative educational programs. Machak said informing their physician that they have fallen is an important preventative measure. Individuals 65 and older who are taking four or more medications are at a larger risk of falling, Machak said. Vision problems also contribute to falls. Combining balance and muscle-strengthening exercises with aerobics and movements that increase flexibility helps prevent serious injury, Machak said. There are steps to make a home safer, she said. Removing throw rugs, installing grab bars and leaving a light on at night reduces the chance of falling. "People are reluctant to change their physical environment," she said. "Recognizing increasing frailty is a hard thing to do." Machak said she is dedicated to helping people live independently. "I'm passionate about preserving people's independence," she said. Staff from Prevea clinics and St. Vincent's Hospital emergency department are also participating in the project that will cost an estimated 10,000 a year.