Fall prevention becomes more of a concern as we age. Now there is a way for your loved one to still keep their independence but never be alone. Here you will find that Smart Caregiver has multiple solutions for every situation to keep your loved one safer. This is something I wish I would have known about as this is something that has personally impacted our family.
This is a Call You Never want to Get
My father, Edward Schoeller, was very active and independent all of his life. He liked to garden, can vegetables he grew, raise rabbits and he still worked a full-time job at age 95. He lived in a small trailer behind a co-workers house for several years and they would go to work together.
One day in April of 2014 he did not feel well and stayed home from work. At lunchtime, the co-worker came home to check on him and everything was fine. My dad decided to go out to feed the rabbits and while out there he tripped over a hose fell and could not get up. Unable to move he laid there until his coworker returned home from work around 4:30 in the afternoon. He was rushed to the hospital and was admitted right away.
He was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, this is when someone is in a situation that cuts off the circulation on part of your body it releases toxins build up. The muscles break down the proteins myoglobin, which are harmful to the kidneys and lead to his kidney failure. The family was all called and rushed to his bedside. He was awake and talking but within 12 hours his organs shut down and he passed away. When I got the call from my sister that he had fallen, I was out of town and there was not enough time to make it back to see him.
Did you know:
- One in four Americans aged 65+ falls each year.
- Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
- Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults.
- Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths.
- In 2015, the total cost of fall injuries was $50 billion. Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these costs.
- The financial toll for older adult falls expected to increase as the population ages and may reach $67.7 billion by 2020.
Completely Preventable with Fall Prevention Devices
My father’s death could have been totally preventable with a fall prevention device. As our parent’s age, it is up to us to help them and still give them their sense of independence. With the Smart Caregiver products, you can find the right product for your loved one to be safe.
Smart Caregiver Two Call Buttons & Wireless Caregiver Pager
- Allows both caregiver and resident freedom while still calling for help at the touch of a button
- Pager and call buttons are easy to use
Basic Fall Monitor and 10” x 15” Chair Pad
- Chair alarm system, to use when you need to know if your patient is starting to stand up from their chair.
- Place the chair pad in the patient’s chair. When the patient starts to rise from the pad, the alarm will sound.
- Alarm features volume and tone options, plus an easy reset button on the front, so you will never forget to turn on the alarm.
Smart Caregiver Cordless Motion Sensor Fall Prevention–
Know when they need help or are getting up!
- Includes Cordless Monitor, Cordless Motion Sensor, and a Cordless Call Button
- Motion Sensor can be placed to detect when the patient is getting out of bed or walking through a doorway.
- Call button can be worn around the neck with a lanyard or placed on the wall with the included cradle.
- The monitor has a high, medium, and low volume features.
Floor Mat Exit Alarm for Elderly Fall Prevention
- Prevent falls or wandering when a resident steps on the pressure sensing floor mat placed by a bed, chair or doorway that will alert the caregiver by an easy to use audible exit alarm.
- Complete System includes 1 Economy exit alarm and 1-floor mat.
- Alarm features include on/off switch so the caregiver can reset alarm when responding to the resident; a status light that lets you know that the monitor is operational; a low battery warning light; blinking visual alert, adjustable volume control, variable tone options
Let’s help keep our loved ones safe and set into place a Fall Prevention Plan
In Memory of Ed Schoeller
Special Thanks to Smart Caregiver and their Incredible Products
Reference:
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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