Press Release
Rebuilding Together Volunteers Prevent Falls at Home
San Francisco, CA – September 22, 2009 –May W. hadn’t visited her backyard for 10 years because she couldn’t afford to fix the stairs. Mr. Sam couldn’t bathe because he didn’t have a grab bar to help him in and out of the bathtub. Many San Francisco seniors don’t have operating smoke detectors or more than one usable exit in their homes.
Through their Home Safety & Independence program, skilled Rebuilding Together San Francisco volunteers and staff work to prevent falls and improve the quality of life for people who—due to age, financial limitations, or disability—cannot do the repairs or renovations necessary to keep them safe and healthy. Each house/apartment receives a safety assessment with recommendations for modifications, including grab bars, raised toilet-seats, slip-free treads for stairs, keyless entry security locks on gates, new furnaces, hot water heaters, smoke detectors, and energy efficient refrigerators. RTSF works in collaboration with other social service agencies, including the Departments of Public Health and Aging and Adult Services and the Institute on Aging so that we can inform our clients of additional services for leading safe and independent lives.
In 2009, Rebuilding Together San Francisco provided home safety modifications to 148 San Francisco households, potentially preventing dangerous falls at home. Volunteers met homeowners like 89-year-old Albert Quance, who said last year, “You gave me another 10 years of my life. Come back when I’m 100!”
Facts About Falls At Home:
- More than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States (Hornbrook et al. 1994; Hausdorff et al. 2001).
- Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma (CDC 2005).
- In 2005, about 1.8 million people 65 and older were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries from falls, and more than 433,000 of these patients were hospitalized (CDC 2005).
- 32% of San Francisco’s seniors are living below poverty level in own their own homes, and many of these homes were built before there were any accessibility requirements or universal design. (SFDAAS, 2006)
- Nationwide, at least one out of five homeowners with a mortgage spends half or more of their income on housing. (AP, 9/23/2008) After health care, groceries, and other necessities, there is very little left over to spend on fixing their homes.
Outcomes Linked to Falls:
- For seniors, the consequences of postponing repairs are serious. In 2003, 77% of people over 75 in the Bay Area were admitted into long-term care after falling at home. Seniors who enter a long-term care facility are particularly at risk of losing their affordable housing. Their benefits get shifted directly to the care facility, and they cannot afford to pay mortgages on the homes they have lived in for decades. Thus, a preventable fall leads to their eventual eviction.
- Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries, or TBI (Jager et al. 2000). In 2000, TBI accounted for 46% of fatal falls among older adults (Stevens et al. 2006).
- In 2000, direct medical costs totaled $0.2 billion ($179 million) for fatal falls and $19 billion for nonfatal fall injuries (Stevens et al. 2006).
How can older adults prevent falls?
- Exercise regularly; exercise programs like Tai Chi that increase strength and improve balance are especially good.
- Ask their doctor or pharmacist to review their medicines–both prescription and over-the counter–to reduce side effects and interactions.
- Have their eyes checked by an eye doctor at least once a year.
- Improve the lighting in their home.
- Reduce hazards in their home that can lead to falls
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